A full-length feature documentary film that follows seven Democratic congressional candidates during the 2006 midterm election will be shown Oct. 21 at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy.
"HouseQuake," by director and 1992 Duke alumna Karen E. Price, will be screened at 6 p.m. in Sanford's Room 05 followed by a reception and a brief Q&A with the director. The event is free and open to the public with free parking available in the Science Drive visitor's lot after 5 p.m.
The candidates featured in the film challenged incumbent Republican congressmen once thought to be unbeatable. "HouseQuake" prominently features then-Congressman Rahm Emanuel, who served as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the party's chief strategist in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles. More recently, he served as chief of staff in the Obama Administration before resigning Oct. 1 to run for mayor of Chicago.
The film also features major political figures from both sides of the aisle, including former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain, and former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Price understands the win/loss divide first-hand. Price was 17 years old when her father, Rep. David Price (D-N.C), was first elected to office in 1986. Eight years later, she stood next to him as he conceded defeat during the 1994 "Republican Revolution." He would win his seat back two years later.
"Standing on that stage next to your dad after he just lost by a thousand votes is one of the most painful things I can remember," Price told The Hill.
The film, however, is not a one-sided celebration of Democratic triumph, Price said.
"I'm doing this to tell a story -- When I watch a documentary that's one-sided, I get this angry feeling, and I almost take the opposite stance. I think you have a responsibility to show as much of what's going on as you can and let people form their own conclusions," Price said.
The event is sponsored by the Sanford School and the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke.