"Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry" premiering at Toronto fest

New York Times:

Film Walks Line Between Kerry Ad and War Documentary
By SHARON WAXMAN

Published: September 14, 2004

TORONTO, Sept. 13 - The premiere on Tuesday night of a sympathetic documentary about Senator John Kerry stakes out new territory at the crossroads of politics and cinema: will audiences pay to see what amounts to a two-hour political tribute to a man spotlighted free on the news every night? Can a theatrically released feature film create last-minute momentum for a presidential candidate? Could the effort boomerang?...

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"I'm trying to figure out what this film will do," said Mr. Butler, who first met the candidate in 1964, and told of becoming convinced early on that he would one day be president. "John Kerry fascinates me. I decided to do the movie about Vietnam and the peace movement because in many ways, it's the best story about John Kerry. But it's more than a film about John Kerry. It's a film about my generation."

At a research screening last week in a major swing state, Ohio, 80 percent of audience members said they would recommend that others go see the movie; the recruited audience included undecided voters, though movie research can be an unreliable predictor of success.

Depending on how well the film is received in Toronto, there are plans to raise several million dollars to distribute free copies of the film on DVD on the pro-Kerry "Vote for Change" rock concert tour led by Bruce Springsteen, and to get the film in the hands of voters in swing states....

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/politics/campaign/14river.html