This is the glorious nation where, our moms tells us, anyone can run for president. A 94-year-old New Hampshire woman put that supposition to the test — almost — when she ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004. Never mind her age: is it possible for a non-business-suit-wearing nonlawyer without major corporate backing to make even a halfway serious attempt for higher elective office in America today? Doris “Granny D” Haddock started out a political activist — at the tender age of 90 — protesting the influence of big money in the election process, and her Senate run was the next natural step. Documentarian Marlo Poras followed her campaign and its many challenges, from fundraising small donations from individuals to overcoming perceptions about the candidate’s age, and came back with a funny, perceptive, and eyebrow-raising film about the closing down of true democracy in America, and the hopes for reviving it. Winner of the Audience Award at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, Run Granny Run recently aired on HBO, and continues to screen at festivals around the country. Bonus features include film festival Q&As with Granny D and Poras, deleted scenes, and more. [buy at Amazon]
(Technorati tags: Run Granny Run)
