Tonight, PBS is airing its long-awaited DARK MONEY documentary, a film that has already been awarded as an Official Selection of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. This is highly recommended for Democracy Chronicles readers. MSNBC pundit Chuck Todd, of Meet The Press fame, even recently commented on the documentary saying, the movie “with its focus on the personal stories of how individuals are impacted by the flood of campaign money in the system, is an example of how ‘storytelling matters when you are trying to raise awareness of the issues”. According to the film’s description:

Coming to theaters this summer. DARK MONEY, a political thriller, examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. The film takes viewers to Montana—a frontline in the fight to preserve fair elections nationwide—to follow an intrepid local journalist working to expose the real-life impacts of the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Through this gripping story, DARK MONEY uncovers the shocking and vital truth of how American elections are bought and sold. This Sundance award-winning documentary is directed/produced by Kimberly Reed (PRODIGAL SONS) and produced by Katy Chevigny (E-TEAM).

The Guardian also published an extensive reaction to the documentary that is highly recommended before you watch the documentary tonight. According to the Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt:

Set against the beautiful but scarred backdrop of Montana, the documentary Dark Money opens like a political thriller. John Ward, running for re-election to the Montana house of representatives, has been the victim of a vicious campaign against him – a series of leaflets attacking his credibility issued by a shadowy organization, seemingly independent of his opponent.

The mysterious attack propels the film into a deep dive into campaign finance in America – which was changed forever by the supreme court’s Citizens United decision in 2010.

Find related news at our Money Politics page or see our archive of past articles on Election Transparency. Here is the Official HD Trailer for the DARK MONEY documentary: