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Why Occupy Portland?

Why Occupy Portland?
Wed, 4/4/2012

Made last October, this film shows the early stages of the Occupy Movement as it expanded to Portland, Oregon. It asks some pertinent questions about wealth inequality in America and captures the views of people on the street. The filmmakers, Sam and Jordan of Softbox Films, take the mainstream media's perception of Occupy Wall Street in its early stages and contrasts it with the thoughts and ideas of economists who are marching with the protestors. What emerges are not the demands expected by FOX and CNN, but rather a process: the process of assembling in public spaces to discuss the current state of the country, as well as solutions to the problems of inequality.

"When we grabbed the camera and mic and headed down to the first major Occupy Portland march, we weren't really sure what we'd find," the filmmakers said. "We did know the local press would be there, pointing their cameras at the clowns and generally misrepresenting the spirit of the movement. So I suppose we intended our piece to function as an antidote to mainstream coverage. We were fortunate enough to meet up with economist Robin Hahnel and political scientist Jules Boykoff who were able to provide just the sort of serious, in-depth analysis we were looking for. With the edit we tried to communicate that feeling of cautious optimism that we all felt in the first days of the movement."

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