Here are our interviews with BOYS STATE‘s Directors Jesse Moss & Amanda McBaine and with the film’s three main subjects Steven Garza, René Otero, & Ben Feinstein.
The sensational winner of the Grand Jury Prize for documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival is a wildly entertaining and continually revealing immersion into a week-long annual program in which a thousand Texas high school seniors gather for an elaborate mock exercise: building their own state government. Filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine closely track the escalating tensions that arise within a particularly riveting gubernatorial race, training their cameras on unforgettable teenagers like Ben, a Reagan-loving arch-conservative who brims with confidence despite personal setbacks, and Steven, a progressive-minded child of Mexican immigrants who stands by his convictions amidst the sea of red. In the process, they have created a complex portrait of contemporary American masculinity, as well as a microcosm of our often dispiriting national political divisions that nevertheless manages to plant seeds of hope. An Apple Original Films and A24 release.
Interviews:
Filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine.
Subjects Steven Garza, René Otero, & Ben Feinstein discuss their first interactions with the film and also share fun details of their time in Austin.
Boys State is a well deserved front runner for the year’s best documentary. Jesse and Amanda captured real truth in this documentary and give us an honest glimpse into our country’s political future. A bright future if youngsters like Steven, Rene, Robert and Ben are apart of the political and social climate. One of the year’s really important films that is both entertaining, emotional and enlightening.
For more information please visit Apple Original Films or A24 release.
