Bozeman Magazine

On Thursday, October 24th, at 7pm at the Emerson Center, The Bozeman Doc Series presents the Montana premiere of the critically acclaimed new documentary, Slay the Dragon. 

Gerrymandering, the practice of redrawing electoral maps to serve the party in power, has been around for centuries. But in today’s hyper-partisan political environment it has been taken to unprecedented extremes by both political parties.

Shining a light on this timely subject, Slay the Dragon follows Katie Fahey, a young, politically inexperienced Michigander who forms the group Voters Not Politicians working to bring a measure onto the state’s ballot to require an independent group—not the legislature —to draw the lines. Meanwhile, in  Wisconsin, the film chronicles the work of an activist group challenging the state’s redistricting in a case that makes it all the way to the US Supreme Court. A detailed, maddening, and ultimately inspiring look at a pressing national issue, the film deftly balances the facts and maps with the tireless work of everyday people doing all they can to ensure democracy will survive. 

Slay the Dragon world-premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim. 

“Slay the Dragon is the most important political film of the year, and it may prove to be one of the key political films of the decade. It’s a documentary about gerrymandering, and offhand it would be hard to think of a subject less sexy. But that issue, more than any other, is the subject from which American democracy now hangs. By a thread. And Slay the Dragon is an incisively made and morally suspenseful film, at once chilling and stirring.” Variety 

“Educational, inspirational, exciting and, most importantly, interesting. The average person probably checks out when they hear about voting reform, but these directors do an excellent job of explaining why this issue is so important to every voter on both sides of the aisle. Ultimately, Slay the Dragon emphatically proves that no matter how rigged the system is and how high the opposition is stacked against you, it is possible to make changes if you’re passionate and articulate enough to convince your neighbors that something has to be done.” Film Threat

“Regardless of your party affiliation, this is the most significant and vital political film of the year, and perhaps the most empowering…a staggeringly thorough investigation into the entrenched and increasingly perilous problem of “dirty redistricting,” which enables politicians to ignore the decisions of the people they govern. Slay the Dragon tells the story of a fight for the soul of our country that is real and urgently relevant.” IndieNYC

There is no trailer for the film yet, but you can see a short clip here.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets are available at the door or before the show at Cactus Records and Movie Lovers. Tickets are also available online at www.bozemandocseries.org, where you can also buy Season Passes and 7-film punch cards, and view trailers for upcoming films. The Bozeman Doc Series is a bi-weekly documentary screening series curated by award-winning filmmaker Jason Burlage. The series brings brand new films from around the world to the Emerson’s Crawford Theater between October and April.