British Universities Film & Video Council

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Billionaires’ Tea Party: How Corporate America is Faking a Grassroots Revolution

Synopsis
In the summer of 2009, shortly after Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress swept to power promising a new era of hope and change, a citizens protest movement emerged out of nowhere threatening to derail their agenda. Some said this uprising was the epitome of grassroots democracy. Others said it was a classic example of ‘astroturfing’ -- an elaborate corporate public relations effort designed to create the impression of a spontaneous uprising. Curious to find out for himself, Australian filmmaker Taki Oldham goes undercover into the heart of the movement. He visits raucous healthcare town hall meetings where irate voters parrot insurance industry PR; learns that home-grown "citizen groups" challenging the science behind climate change are funded by big oil companies; and infiltrates a tea party movement whose anti-government rage turns out to be less the product of populist rage than of corporate strategy. in the end, THE BILLIONAIRE’S TEAPARTY offers a terrifying look at how corporate elites are exploiting the anxieties of ordinary Americans -- capitalizing on anger, resentment, and paranoia to advance a narrow, often anti-democratic, agenda.
Language
English
Country
Australia
Year of release
2011
Year of production
2011
Subjects
Social Studies; Politics & government
Keywords
multinational corporations; political campaigns; political movements; United States of America; tea-party movement

Online availability

URI
https://shop.mediaed.org/the-billionaires-tea-party-p147.aspx
Price
subscription
Delivery
Streamed

Credits

Director
Taki Oldham

Distribution Formats

Type
DVD
Format
Region 1 NTSC
Price
$250.00 (MEF)
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
54 minutes
Year
2011

Production Company

Name

Larrikin Films

Distributor

Name

Media Education Foundation

Email
info@mediaed.org
Web
http://www.mediaed.org External site opens in new window
Phone
+1 413 584 8500
Fax
+1 413 586 8398
Address
60 Masonic Street
Northampton
Massachusetts 01060
USA
Notes
The MEF produces and distributes documentary films and other educational resources to inspire critical reflection on the social, political and cultural impact of the mass media, particularly in the US, with emphasis on gender, health, politics, race and commercialism. Sale on DVD.

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