Andrew Marcus, the director of the documentary Hating Breitbart, warned a packed CPAC crowd Friday not to counter liberal Hollywood memes by making “conservative” films.
Make entertaining films first and foremost, the impassioned director said.
Marcus joined CPAC’s “Getting Hollywood Right” panel along with filmmakers Gerald Molen (Schindler’s List), Mark Joseph (the upcoming Reagan), John Sullivan (2016: Obama’s America) and pollster Pat Caddell. The panel focused on the cultural deficit that exists on the political right concerning Hollywood and entertainment.
Marcus, whose film won Blog Bash’s movie of the year honors yesterday, said how fortunate he was to follow Andrew Breitbart around for the last two-plus years of the Happy Warrior’s life as he led the conservative movement against the “Democrat-media complex.”
Marcus provided insight into his approach to filmmaking, sharing what he says is the most effective strategy to penetrate the cultural divide.
“I’m not a conservative filmmaker. I’m a filmmaker. A lot of conservative filmmakers want to get a message across, but we need to start out entertaining people.”
Andrew Breitbart said, ‘We are in a cold civil war.’ And I don’t think this a war that conservatives are waging, I think this a war that progressives are waging.
Don’t try to make a conservative film, try to make a film and then when you are out promoting your film, say you’re conservative.
Make your film a story, a good story, entertain, go out there and entertain, then be yourself, do not be afraid to be yourself.
Democrat strategist Pat Caddell also weighed in during the panel discussion on the difficulties for conservatives to influence the political narrative through Hollywood. Caddell, who the day before blasted Republican consultants, warned that films like Dreams from My Real Father, a documentary argument saying Obama’s “real father” was Communist activist and author Frank Marshal Davis, not Barack Obama senior, drove more voters to support the president.
By contrast, The Hope and the Change, which let Democrat voters share their disappointment in President Obama sans a GOP filter, convinced undecided voters not to vote for Obama in 2012.
Caddell also said audiences are eager to hear the kinds of stories they simply don’t find in abundance these days.
I describe the crisis in America somewhat like the day after Pearl Harbor, where this thing happened, but you don’t really know what to do about it … You have to have a strategy. This is a 30-front war. Not dealing with the culture is insanity.
People are starved for certain narratives. People want stories. There is an enormous amount of talent in Hollywood of your persuasion. But the people who run your politics don’t want those people. They don’t want your people.”
Joel Gilbert, the director of Dreams from My Real Father, told Breitbart News he agrees that films should be films, not conservative films, but disagreed with Cadell that his film drove voters toward the President. He claimed his film was a two year investigation into the background of President Obama, something he claimed is of interest to the voting public.