Political
Film Festival
Film
Screening & Discussion
Robert
Redford in
THE
CANDIDATE
35mm screening!
Guest
Speaker: Rep. Steve Israel & Basil Smikle, political strategist and policy
advisor
Friday, July
12 at 7pm
This timely
portrait follows the fictional senate campaign of Bill McKay (Robert Redford),
a young, passionate, and photogenic progressive who believes in “A Better Way.”
Shot on location with political correspondents playing themselves and real
politicians interacting with Redford’s fictional campaign, The Candidate
feels more like a political documentary than a fictional film. Acting as a
condemnation of the media’s role in the careful cultivation of politicians’
images, The Candidate depicts the transformation of idealism
turned political doublespeak. Michael Ritchie’s witty and
thought-provoking tale is more than just a history lesson. It’s a warning about
the nature of political campaigning that’s still relevant to this day, and its
premonitions about the rise of celebrity candidacy is scarily predictive. Some
older films feature politics that are out of touch, but fifty years after its
initial theatrical release, The Candidate is suited perfectly for
today. (USA, 1972, 110 min., color, 35mm)
Dr. Basil
Smikle Jr. has been
political strategist and policy advisor for almost 20 years with local,
national and international experience. He lectures at Columbia’s School
of International and Public Affairs, Teachers College and was most
recently the Distinguished Lecturer of Politics and Public Policy at the
City University of New York’s School of Labor and Urban Studies. He
holds a PhD in Politics and Education and an MPA from Columbia University, and
received a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University. A familiar face on
MSNBC, CNN, NY1 and other media outlets, frequent appearances highlight his
insight and research in electoral politics, governance, urban education policy
and public policy analysis. In 2015, Basil was appointed by Governor Andrew
Cuomo and Former Governor David Paterson to serve as the Executive
Director of the New York State Democratic Party where he was the
“second highest ranking Democrat” in the State. Basil worked closely with
elected officials and community leaders to manage electoral and fundraising
strategies for the State. He recruited candidates for political office and
worked closely with the Democratic National Committee to create grassroots
mobilization programs and act as a Party surrogate during the 2016 cycle. Under
Basil’s leadership, Democrats flipped county legislatures, and county-wide
seats - laying the foundation for returning the State Senate to full Democratic
control in 2018 and flipping three Congressional seats. He received awards from
Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for his
commitment to public service and education equity. The L.A. Times
considered him part of “Harlem’s New Political Elite”. United
States Senator Cory Booker called him a "much sought-after consultant”.
Former Governor David Paterson noted that Basil is a “national caliber
political operative” Basil was a senior aide to Hillary Rodham
Clinton on her Senate staff where he Advised Senator Clinton on
state-wide policy and politics. Mrs. Clinton called Basil a “key advisor and
tremendous public servant...who makes sure all voices are heard.” A
life-long New Yorker and raised in the Bronx by Jamaican immigrants, he is
inspired by his father, a retired textile worker, and mother, a long-time
public school special education teacher. Basil is a proud member of Alpha
Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons, and 100 Black
Men of New York where he helped start the Eagle Academy in the Bronx which has
grown to 6 schools in New York and New Jersey. He is also a founding Board
Member of the Harlem Hebrew Academy Charter School and sits on the Board of the
NYC Center for Charter Excellence.
Former
Congressman Steve Israel left
Capitol Hill – unindicted and undefeated – to pursue a career as a writer. In
addition to writing two critically acclaimed satires of Washington, he now
owns Theodore's Books, an independent bookstore in Oyster Bay. He
also heads the non-partisan Cornell University Institute of Politics
and Global Affairs, where for several years he taught a course on
"Politics, Media & Popular Culture." Israel was a Member
of Congress for sixteen years. He left in 2017, having served as House
Democrats chief political strategist between 2011-2015 as Chairman
of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. President Bill
Clinton called him “one of the most thoughtful Members of Congress.” Which,
Israel states, isn’t really saying much at all. Israel is a frequent political
commentator on MSNBC. His insights appear regularly in the New
York Times, The Atlantic Magazine, as well as The
Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. He was profiled
on HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and appeared on
CBS’ Sixty Minutes.
