Join us July 21-24 for the Anthem Libertarian Film Festival’s tenth anniversary celebration at the historic Elks Theatre in Rapid City, South Dakota, where businesses have always been free to serve their customers. Enjoy fresh buttered popcorn and real fountain drinks while relaxing in the plush velvet chairs of this 550-seat theater reminiscent of the Golden Age of movies. Meet the directors, participate in Q&A, and learn from the panel discussions.You’re gonna love it!
Admission to the film festival is free to FreedomFest pass holders. Or you can purchase a FilmLovers Pass and watch all the movies, all four days, plus attend the FreedomFest Gala Cocktail Reception and Exhibit Hall (but not the FreedomFest general sessions or breakout sessions), for just $149. Day passes are available for $49, and individual 2-hour sessions can be purchased at the theatre for $10 each.
And what a lineup of movies we have, beginning with Dennis Quaid himself bringing us a sneak peek of his current project, Reagan, in the Barnett Arena at the Rushmore Civic Center.
Here’s what else we have in store for you at the Elks Theatre:
WEDNESDAY, July 21
12:30 pm Trauma to Triumph: The Rise of the Entrepreneur, Harold Klein, Daniel Saulnier, dirs. (54 min.) This documentary profiles war survivors who experienced battle, PTSD, genocide and dramatic family loss. Both the Native American Marine and the holocaust survivor emerged through the spirit of entrepreneurship. It demonstrates the power of refusing to fall victim to adversity and taking the path of controlling one’s destiny. Q&A: Harold Klein, Steve Mariotti, Nan Klein
1:45 pm All We Have, Matt Battaglia, dir. (33 min.) The pandemic has taken its toll on mom and pop shops across the country. For Schnitzel Haus in Brooklyn, NY, it’s been a year of mandated closures, reduced capacity, dwindling sales, and more regulations than ever before. The family-owned restaurant struggles to stay open amidst so many hurdles. In the Bay Ridge community where Schnitzel Haus resides, the lockdowns have brought the bustling music scene to a halt, and affected the livelihoods of people in many walks of life. All We Have is the story of a small business in a big city that has been turned upside down by the coronavirus lockdowns.
2:15 pm “How Lockdowns Made the Pandemic Worse–and How Entrepreneurship Can Make Things Better” Matt and Terry Kibbe, Harold Klein, Steve Mariotti, Nan Klein
2:45 pm BREAK
3:00 pm Thomas Sowell: Common Sense in a Senseless World, Kyle Clark, dir. (57 min) How did an orphan from the Jim Crow south who never finished high school and didn’t earn a college degree until age 28 become America’s foremost social commentator? This is the little known story of a remarkable American Thomas Sowell who, against all odds, became one of the most accomplished economists and prolific authors of the 20th century. The one-hour public television documentary includes glimpses of Sowell’s personal life that shaped him and led him to pursue his mission of verifying, through research, the lowest quantile of American citizens have been sold a false bill of goods; that social policies from Washington – even with good intentions – have not advanced the well-being of that population. Join The Wall Street Journal columnist and author Jason Riley as he guides viewers through interviews with Sowell, providing a personal perspective for the biography. (Best of the Fest 2020 selection)
4:00 pm PANEL “The Lasting Influence of Thomas Sowell” Phil Magness, Doug Casey; Rob Chatfield, mod.
6:00 pm Keynote Address: Dennis Quaid
Sneak Peek! Reagan, Sean McNamara, dir. (15-minute trailer of the work in progress) Dennis Quaid will introduce the film and then talk about what he has learned from playing Reagan. This event will be held in the Barnett Arena of the Rushmore Civic Center.
9:00 pm OPENING NIGHT! “Funny Business: The Power of Satire to Promote Liberty” Austin and Meredith Bragg, Emily Yaffe, Dave Smith
Comedy Short: Police Werk, Jared Sichel, Gabriel Yaffe dirs. (5 min.) When two homicide detectives are ordered to drop their cases and focus on stopping the pandemic, they struggle to break up dueling political protests, and must confront the problematic reality of being a police officer in today’s America.
FEATURE: Speed of Life, Liz Manashil, dir. (76 min) starring Ann Dowd, Allison Tolman, and Ray Santiago. In a not-so-distant future, Edward falls into a wormhole created by David Bowie’s death while having a heart-to-heart with his girlfriend June. (No explanations are needed.) In a bright but dystopian future 24 years later, June still mourns Edward’s disappearance while facing the dark reality of being imprisoned due to her age (the future’s solution to the problem of caring for the elderly). June is planning her escape when Edward suddenly reappears in her life. (Best of the Fest 2020 selection)
THURSDAY, July 22
BEST OF THE FEST SESSION! Featuring some of our best films from 2011-2021
9:00 am The Cartel, Bob Bowdon, dir. (60 min.) American public schools are growing progressively worse. On the global stage, America ranks last in educational effectiveness among large industrialized countries, despite the highest spending per student in the world. It presents a conundrum: How has the richest and most innovative society on earth suddenly lost the ability to teach its children at a level that other modern countries consider “basic”? As the film shows, in many cases 80-90% of spending goes somewhere besides teacher salaries. In fact, billions of dollars, as confirmed by independent audits, are wasted. “The Cartel” investigates what is causing this vast underachievement and what can be done to turn things around. (Best of the Fest 2011 selection)
10:00 am “Ten Years Later: Where Is School Choice Today?” Bob Bowdon, Corey DeAngelis
10:30 am Dream Factories, Josh Oldham, dir. (10 min.) NYC’s Specialized High Schools are among the best in the world, producing 14 Nobel Prize winners – more than most countries. The schools are open to anyone who can pass a rigorous admissions test. Meanwhile, the city’s regular public schools are in bad shape: grade inflation scandals, cheating, low attendance, low proficiency on statewide tests. To distract from failing public schools, the de Blasio administration is changing the rules on these Specialized High Schools, implying that too many Asian students attend, thus preventing Black and Hispanics from getting in. The actual history tells a different story altogether: every generation of these schools has had a different demographic makeup. Asian parents are fighting back against de Blasio’s efforts with the help of Pacific Legal Foundation.
10:45 am BREAK
11:00 am Everything, R. J. Daniel Hanna, dir. (16 min.) To save her daughter’s life, a mother is forced to take desperate actions: She must find and confront the bone marrow donor who backed out of the life-saving procedure. The government banned compensation for bone marrow donors, but can the marketplace save her daughter’s life? (Best of the Fest 2016 selection)
11:25 am The Inconsiderate Houseguest, Letitia Capili, dir. (16 min.) When an inconsiderate house guest invades your personal space and refuses to respect your boundaries, sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. (Best of the Fest 2018 selection)
11:45 pm Cough, Jason Kempnich, dir.(11 min.) Liberty was yesterday. Food shortages during a pandemic force recently widowed George to stray far from home to survive. A simple purchase of rations derails when George stumbles upon a Shopkeeper’s secret, placing them in mortal jeopardy. In 2013, this film was science fiction. In 2021, you decide… (Best of the Fest 2014 selection)
12:00 pm Metrics, Grant Bergland, dir. (15 min) Bouncing between an unfulfilling personal and professional life, Tom Ford buys a virtual assistant. Out of the box, Marta leads Tom to choices he never imagined while selling him more products. Angered by his loss of privacy, Tom is about to discard Marta when something happens that changes his buying habits forever. Featuring the celebrity voice of Johnny Brennan, founder of The Jerky Boys. (Best of the Fest 2020 selection)
12:20 pm “How to Make a Timely Film That’s Timeless” Bob Bowdon, John Kramer, Letitia Capili, Grant Bergland
12:50 BREAK
FESTIVAL OF SHORTS: Nurturing Individuality and Self-Expression
1:00 pm The Edited, Adam Choit, dir. (11 min.) Taking place in a dystopian near-future, THE EDITED is a dark psychological satire about an earnest, misfit girl who enters a new high school in a new part of the country. She finds it’s a very strange school where they literally edit history, science, literature… They teach that Big Brother is actually the hero of George Orwell’s 1984 novel. Will this new pupil fight for truth, or will she fall victim to this cult-like environment?
1:20 pm Off the Rails, John Papola, dir. (9 min. ) A loving mother. A simple act to foster childhood independence. A media out for blood. A country going off the rails.
1:35 pm This Is Me Lucas Diercouff, dir. (4 min.) Did you get your shot? Teenager Diedre (Kiran Sprout) doesn’t and didn’t want to either. She knows it would change her in ways that she can’t even imagine. What do you do when you are under pressure from society, your mom (Nina Kaczorowski) and her doctor (Tyrone D. Smith)? How can you fight back when your identity is at stake? Does society have a right to put chemicals into your body that you don’t want? Any of this sound familiar? This Is Me explores this mounting crisis.
1:45 pm The Perfect One, Matt Szewczyk, dir. (13 min.) A father and son struggle to cope with the death of the family matriarch while at odds over their fledgling New York street art business. Delun the reason they are unable to sell replicas of his wife Ying’s cityscape painting is that his son Shuo’s technique has become sloppy. Disheartened, at his father’s behest Shuo takes a pilgrimage through the city to rediscover the beauty in his mother’s work. However, a vision from Ying makes Shuo realize he must explore beauty on his own terms to truly honor her legacy and save their family business. The Perfect One explores the importance of entrepreneurism, creativity, and individualism.
2:05 pm “Nurturing Self Expression in Film and in Life” Adam Choit, Matt Szewczyk, Lana Link, Leo Sopicki, Jennifer Grossman
2:45 pm BREAK
3:00 pm Mighty Ira, Chris Maltby, Nico Perrino, Aaron Reese, dirs. (99 min.) Ira Glasser is one of America’s unsung champions of civil rights and liberties. As the leader of the American Civil Liberties Union for 23 years, he transformed the organization from a small, “mom-and-pop” operation on the verge of bankruptcy into a civil liberties juggernaut with offices in every state and a $30 million endowment. Amid high-profile controversies surrounding free speech and racial equality — and on the occasion of the ACLU’s centennial — Ira reflects on his life at the forefront of defending the rights of all Americans, from civil rights leaders to neo-Nazis.
Post-screening Q&A: “The Importance of Defending ALL Speech” Michael Shermer, Aaron Reese
6:30 pm Filmmakers Reception and Master Class (ticket required) Yesterday’s Ballroom, Alex Johnson Hotel
“Creating Authenticity in Character Development,” Jaclyn Boudreau, Joseph K. Kast, Luke Gudici, Matt Szewzcyk, Letitia Capili. Entertainment provided by “Aragona”
9:00 pm What Killed Michael Brown?, Eli Steele, dir. (109 min.) Acclaimed writer Shelby Steele has long argued that systemic racism is more a strategy than a truth, and that the universal oppression of black Americans is largely over with. But the 2014 shooting of a black teen, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri by a white policeman shook the nation to its core. During Steele’s investigation of Ferguson, America was once again rocked by the brutal killing of George Floyd. Didn’t these killings, and the long list of others like them, put the lie to Steele’s argument?
FRIDAY, July 23
9:00 am Rush to Judgment: Encounter at the Lincoln Memorial Steve Oldfield and Ryan Anderson, dirs. (89 min) RUSH TO JUDGMENT looks at a brief encounter at the Lincoln Memorial that resulted in a viral video that brought death threats and hate directed at teenagers from Covington Catholic who came face-to-face with adult protesters. Libertarian filmmakers Steve Oldfield and Ryan Anderson have been working on the doc since the day the story broke in January, 2019. After a year of digging, they uncovered a story with several surprising elements that have never been revealed in the news media. The filmmakers also scored an exclusive interview with Nick Sandmann, the boy in the MAGA hat. (Best of the Fest 2020 selection) Post-Screening Discussion: “Cancel Culture and Outrage Journalism: What’s ‘Sociable’ about Social Media?”
10:50 am BREAK
FIGHTING THE WAR ON DRUGS
11:00 am A Piece of Cake, Austin and Meredith Bragg, dirs. (12 min.) Comedy. After disappointing his young daughter with another unfulfilled “daddy promise,” Jim vows to set things right by purchasing the small silver confectionery balls she wants sprinkled on her birthday cake. This errand proves challenging as he discovers the confections are banned in California. In an effort to keep his promise, Jim must venture into the underground world of illicit cake decorations where prices are high, smugglers are hardened, and police are on the lookout. A Piece of Cake, starring Rich Sommer (GLOW, Mad Men), is a funny, smart take on overregulation and the drug war.
11:20 am Growing Pains Jack Curtis, dir. (14 min) Rhea, a 13-year-old, is the primary car giver for her father, Martin, who self medicates with cannabis. When school bullies find out that Martin’s medicine is home-grown, Rhea quickly learns that sharing is not always caring. Q&A Angela McArdle, Austin and Meredith Bragg
FIGHTING TYRANNY AROUND THE WORLD
11:50 am Witness Project: Elida Dakoli of Albania, Hawk Jensen, dir. (9 min.) When Albania was under communist rule, concert pianist Elida Dakoli and her family were persecuted for their pro-democracy political affiliations. Her father, Eqrem Dakoli, having endured the death of his own father within the communist labor camps, felt determined that their second-class status within the state system not crush Elida’s dreams of studying piano. Together, father and daughter must overcome every obstacle put in their way in Elida’s pursuit to become an international concert pianist.
12:10 pm Days before the Dawn Trevor Klein, dir. (35 min.) Hongkongers’ struggle is an inspiration to freedom-loving people around the world. Hong Kong was a British colony for over 150 years until the British ceded the city to the People’s Republic of China in 1997. China promised Hong Kong at least fifty years of political autonomy but violated this promise shortly after the handover. Hongkongers fought back. Major protests started in 2003. Over the course of a decade and a half, these protests evolved from lawful marches led by established political figures to nonviolent civil disobedience led by students to militant uprisings led by fervent localists.
Q&A “Undaunted Courage: Fighting Tyranny around the World” Hawk Jensen, Trevor Klein, Simon Lee
1:15 pm Surviving Socialism Luke Livingston, dir. (62 min.) A shocking recent survey revealed that 70% of young people would support a socialist candidate. Young people think socialism simply means “everything’s free!” Schools don’t teach them that socialism has consistently resulted in economic failure, loss of basic human freedoms, and the deaths of tens of millions. This documentary lets you hear directly from survivors of socialism, as they warn of the suffering socialism imposes. And then meet the young Americans – Candace Owens, Scott Presler, Morgan Zegers, and Maggie VandenBerghe – who inspire all of us to courageously fight back, so that America might keep “Surviving Socialism.”
2:15 pm “Our Most Effective Arguments Against Socialism” Luke Livingston, Morgan Zegers, Scott Presler, Trevor Klein, Hawk Jensen
3:00 pm BREAK
POP CULTURE URBANISM: A NEW PATH TO LIBERTY?
3:15 pm CyberPunk 2077’s Dystopian City Planning, Calvin Tran, dir. (13 min.) What is “cyberpunk” exactly? There are several themes, but a consistent one seen in films like Blade Runner and Robocop is the fear of unlimited urban growth – and the corruption, crime and dehumanization it will bring. Those fears were very real in the turbulent 1970s. Many cities pushed stringent regulations to block urban growth. But was that such a good idea? Many of these highly regulated cities turned out to experience the same crime, corruption and dehumanization they were trying to prevent, with soaring housing prices to boot. City planner Nolan Gray explores the anxieties of the cyberpunk genre, then charts a path for how to turn a sprawling dystopian metropolis into a beautiful, safe, modern and affordable city.
3:30 pm “CyberPunk, Rock Operas, and a Not-So-Dystopian Future” Calvin Tran, Joseph K. Kast, Cole Gentles aka Rocket Stahr
4:00 pm Rocket Stahr’s Death of a RockStar Cole Gentles, aka Rocket Stahr, dir. (92 min.) The year is 2164, rock n roll has been banned, and the world is in a cage of tyranny. “Since the Left and the Right joined their forces to fight the unpredictable will of the individual, we replaced Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand with the visible fist of the will of the people!” barks C. Czar, the villain in this animated libertarian rock opera. Can a mad scientist, a group of displaced orphans, and a cloned four-armed rockstar, rock-and-roll the masses free from tyranny as they embark on a guerilla concert tour?
9:00 pm Anthem: The Animated Movie, Rob Hustle, dir. (95 min.) Mankind has entered a new Dark Age in this dystopian future imagined by Ayn Rand. The stark horror of a civilization destroyed by altruism remains as relevant and arresting today as it did eight decades ago, when Anthem was first published. Award-winning Marvel Comics artist Dan Parsons teamed up with Jennifer Grossman to adapt Anthem into a graphic novel, which Rob Capili then animated as a web series and has now created a full-length animated film. Join Equality 7-2521 on his rebellious journey of self-discovery against a totalitarian society that has eliminated all sense of individuality, as he reinvents lost technology, finds love, and rediscovers that forbidden, essential word….the word “I.”
10:35 pm “The Lasting Influence of Ayn Rand” Jennifer Grossman, Doug Casey, Rob Hustle, Jo Ann Skousen
SATURDAY, July 24
I’M FROM THE GOVERNMENT, AND I’M HERE TO RUIN YOUR LIFE: Movies about Government Regulation
8:30 am Corporate Welfare: Where’s the Outrage? Maureen Castle Tusty, dir. (57 min.) Personal stories of the effect of tax exemptions, subsidies, government regulations, and bailouts – all commonly used to help big business – are presented in the new documentary, Corporate Welfare: Where’s the Outrage?. Hosted by Free To Choose Media Executive Editor and Cato Senior Fellow Johan Norberg, the provocative documentary examines America’s system of farm subsidies, Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Big Oil subsidies, government policies, and tax breaks for big business, and offers a perspective of the 2008 financial crash from the viewpoint of a banker caught in the middle. The program takes viewers across America to talk with individuals whose lives and livelihood have been directly affected by the outrages of corporate welfare. Q&A with Lisa Conyers, co-author of Welfare for the Rich.
9:45 am The Unseen, Nicholas Nikides, dir. (30 min.) Tal Zaiet, son of Israeli immigrants, has one dream: to own a successful authentic Israeli restaurant that showcases his mother’s cooking. Sharon Dallas, matriarch and owner of the classic diner Peppertree Café on historic Route 66, wants to run a profitable business and provide for her family. Matt Brimigion is a son, father, activist, protector, and part owner of Mrs. Olson’s Coffee Hut in the beach city of Oxnard, CA. Amy Kwan, mother of two successful young women, sports lover and wife of a former athletic prodigy from China, is part owner of Pacific Diving Gymnastics Academy. Witness these four small business owners tell their personal stories of risk and sacrifice to realize their dreams and provide for their families while they fight against local authorities who wish to put them out of business in the name of combating a virus.
10:25 am A Working Family, Josh Oldham, Dave Penner, dirs. (8 min.) The environmental movement is no longer about making the environment better, argues longtime activist Mike Shellenberger; instead, it’s often about wealthy elites telling working class people what they can and can’t do. Activists and celebrities push for ever more stringent regulations, but these regulations often actually harm the environment. It also placed a heavy burden on people such as Chris Williams, a California fisherman, who works with his family to run a sustainable “sea to table” seafood business. Nevertheless, Chris has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars complying with the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s new rules, only to be punished by the government for doing so.
10:40 am Legacy, Josh Oldham, Dave Penner, dirs. (6 min.) Political scientist Charles Murray says the American Dream ideal of the self-made man providing for his family has become very rare. Politicians and bureaucrats have no idea how out of touch their rules and regulations are, or the damage they do to working class families.There is no better example of this self-made man than Phillip Truesdell of Aberdeen, Ohio. Phillip and his family started Legacy Medical Transport with one ambulance and a dream of thriving in the wake of rust belt job losses.Their hard work paid off—today, their company has grown to seven vehicles. Located just miles from the Kentucky border, the company often take clients from Ohio to Kentucky. Kentucky law, however, prohibits Legacy from returning those clients to Ohio without first obtaining a Certificate of Need. Certificate of Need laws, in turn, grant existing businesses a veto power over any new competition. Now Phillip is fighting for the right to earn a living and build his legacy, free of unfair government interference.
10:50 BREAK
11:00 am PANEL “Filming Liberty: How to Make Documentaries that Make a Difference” Rob Chatfield, Dugan Bridges, Matt Wood, Josh Oldham, Nicholas Nikides; Joseph K. Kast, mod.
11:30 am Taking Poletown, Matt Wood, dir. (28 min.) In the early 1980s, General Motors found the perfect place to build a new factory in Detroit. That meant jobs, economic development, and prosperity. The only problem? An entire neighborhood stood in the way. “Taking Poletown” explores the battle of the City of Hamtramck, better known as “Poletown,” to stop GM and the city of Detroit from using eminent domain to take the property-in-question for the “public good.” A Michigan Supreme Court case and a Michigan constitutional amendment later, what lessons can we learn? Looking back 30 years later provides key insights into that fight over economic justice and eminent domain.
12:05 pm Serving Thousands: The 29 Diner Story, Dugan Bridges, dir. (11 min.) In March 2020, thousands of at-risk students in Fairfax, VA saw their school lunch programs suddenly suspended as America went under lockdown to fight COVID-19. Many businesses laid off staff or closed entirely. To serve his community, John Wood and his 29 Diner staff found another way.
12:25 pm BREAK
THE HEALING BALM OF STORYTELLING
12:35 pm Sundown Trail, Luke Guidici, dir. (14 min.) In a near-future, post-apocalyptic world where toxic mushrooms have made the air deadly to breathe, Ethan and his son Thomas are searching the forest to harvest spores from these same deadly mushrooms for making antidotes when a group of bandits ambush, rob, and expose them to the toxins. An act of mercy from one bandit saves Thomas, but without antidote Ethan will die. With no “authorities” to call, It’s up to Thomas to save his father. As he races home for more antidotes, he’s stopped by sounds of gunfire. Then cries for help… it’s the same bandit who saved Thomas. Now the boy is faced with a decision, does he steal the injured bandit’s antidote and leave him to die, or does he do the hard thing and help? Either choice he makes will have life and death consequences from him and his family.
1:00 pm The Intimate Touch, Michael Stoen, Ariel McMillion, dirs. (19 min.) At a seaside restaurant, a devoutly Islamist refugee meets a deeply feminist reporter for dinner. Officially, he’s a source, and this is business. But what’s really on their minds is the intense attraction they felt the previous week when they first met, despite a clash over his religious refusal to shake her hand. Tonight is a chance to pursue that attraction, if only they can navigate their convictions. Q&A with Daniel Peterson, Professor of Islamic Studies, BYU.
1:35 pm Real Unity, Sam Martin, dir. (13 min.) Today the world feels dangerously divided, but we must be careful not to lose our humanity while fighting for humanity itself. Imagine a world where we can grow together, where we do not rely on government to force progress, and where we embrace our differences as part of what makes the human race so incredible. Sienna Mae Heath was once a pessimistic liberal, but has now awakened as an optimistic independent. She’s living in between, part of the bridge generation trying to find unity and truth for us all.
1:50 pm “Bringing it All Together: The Healing Balm of Storytelling” Terry Kibbe, Luke Guidici, Michael Stoen, Ariel McMillion, Dan Peterson
2:20 pm One Nice Day, Sousan Salamat, dir. (3 min.) A teacher learns there is more than luck involved when a poor boy wins a prize at school.
2:23 pm BREAK
CRT, DEI, and INTERSECTIONALITY: WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING OUR KIDS?
2:35 pm A Message to My Youngest Son, Letitia Capili, dir. (2 min.) I shouldn’t have 
had to make this film at all. But as the father of a teenage boy growing up in California, I saw the racism and double standards my son was facing on a daily basis. People were making him feel ashamed of his skin color. Accusing him of crimes he never committed. Stereotyping him without ever getting to know him. Simply because he fit the description. I had to say something. This short film is the result.
2:45 pm Better Left Unsaid, Curt Jaimungal, dir. (92 min) The premise behind Better Left Unsaid lies in the unconfined analysis of the often violent extremism of today’s Western political landscape. As liberal democracy becomes increasingly challenged in the West, we expose the dangerous tactics employed by both the radical-left and the far-right. In a world where political polarization frames the way in which we live, a new path forward of unity is needed more than ever before. The value of the film lies in its impact, brevity and digestibility — as we confront the philosophical underpinnings of the radical left and their extreme right counterpart.
4:15 pm “What’s Behind the Push for Critical Race Theory?” Gloria Z. Greenfield, Rob Capili, Phil Magness; Bob Bowdon, mod.