Shot in ten countries, "Considering Democracy" finds the rest of the world is a wealth of intelligence and acts as a beautiful, yet pragmatic, reflection of political power in the United States.

Ever since Alexis De Tocqueville traveled across the U.S. in the early 1800s to chronicle democracy in America our great experiment in governance has been a source of wonder and envy among citizens of other nations. The pragmatism, optimism and hope that is so much a part of our national character was forged through the assimilation of multiple cultures and nurtured through our westward expansion. De Tocqueville caught the crest of that wave of expansion and through, his book "Democracy in America," stimulated decades of intellectual discourse on the meaning of democracy to nations around the world.

"Considering Democracy” boldly tackles such hot topics as vacation time, healthcare, media, foreign policy, foreign aid, campaign finance, lobbying and legislation and the revolving door. The film screens on Tuesday, Aug. 5th at Harkins Sedona Six at 4 and 7 p.m.

Keya Lea Horiuchi, in a more modern rendition of this experiment, turns the perspective on its head. In her 2008 film "Considering Democracy: 8 Things to Ask Your Representative," she reverses the perspective. To accomplish this she traveled the world for 5 months video-documenting a sampling of man- or woman-on-the-street impressions of America; thereby looking in from the outside. In the course of making this film she traveled to Australia, Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Japan, Nepal and Thailand.

What is so stimulating about her treatment of the material is her grouping of these impressions into thematic elements.

Through her line of questioning she covers such disparate topics as healthcare, foreign policy, foreign aid, media, campaign finance, lobbying and legislation, and working hours for labor. The material is edited into crisp and sometimes disarming arrays of widely disparate views. Importantly, she points out some of the current trends in a manner that helps the viewer reflect on these patterns, and their own role or place within that framework.

She then uses these themes and the compiled data to formulate questions viewers can pose to their own U.S. Congressional representatives. By doing this she artfully moves the subject matter from a strictly entertainment or educational arena into a framework for dialogue and action. The web of topics that she covers provides ample interest to citizens of many different persuasions for getting involved and making their voice heard and their vote count.

The film’s director, Keya Lea Horiuchi, will be in Sedona to host the movie and present a Q&A discussion following the screenings.

Horiuchi will be in Sedona to conduct a Q&A discussion following both screenings. Once a schoolteacher previously working on the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico and Montrose, CO, Horiuchi got caught up in documentary films. Her first film, “Red Tibet, Free Tibet,” went on to critical and audience acclaim in film festivals all across the U.S. and Canada. She is having the same good fortune with “Considering Democracy” which is on a multi-city tour leading up to the November elections.

The title sponsor for the event is Sedona.biz, owned by Carl Jackson.

The lodging host is Los Abrigados Resort & Spa. The series is also made possible by a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Sedona.

The film will be shown at Harkins Sedona Six Theatres on Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10, or $8 for Film Sedona members, and will be available starting at 3:00 p.m. in the Harkins lobby. Cash or checks only. Seats are limited. Film Sedona members can purchase tickets in advance at the Sedona International Film Festival office, 1785 W. Hwy. 89A, Suite 2B, or by calling 282-1177.

For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.com.

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