Courting Condi
| Courting Condi | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sebastian Doggart |
| Written by | Sebastian Doggart |
| Produced by | Sebastian Doggart |
| Starring | Devin Ratray, Adrian Grenier, Jim Norton, Condoleezza Rice, Frank Luntz, Carol Connors, George W. Bush, Lawrence Wilkerson |
| Cinematography | Matthew Woolf |
| Edited by | Dan Madden, Tom Lindsay, Diana Decilio |
| Music by | Alexandra Gordon, Kerry Shaw, Carol Connors, Steve Earle, Devin Ratray, Sebastian Doggart, Jess King |
Release date | January 16 2009 |
Running time | 107 min |
| Language | English |
Courting Condi is a movie by British filmmaker Sebastian Doggart that portrays the quest of a love-struck man Devin Ratray, who wants to win the heart of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Ratray is a musician and besotted admirer of Condoleeza Rice, 'Condi,' who travels across America, learning more about Rice from those who knew her.[1] He speaks to her childhood friends in Birmingham, Alabama. In Denver, Colorado, he performs at Red Rocks [2], where he meets some of her former teachers, and the one man to whom Rice has been engaged, Rick Upchurch. Upchurch tells Devin that Rice made an oath to God not to have sex before she got married, and deduces that her continued single status, and her enduring Christianity, confirm that she is still a virgin. [3] Ratray follows Rice's rise to Provost of Stanford University in California, where he also discovers that she reversed affirmative action programs. In Los Angeles, he is given courtship advice by Adrian Grenier, [4] and cult comedian Jim Norton, and is presented with a power ballad to send to Condi from Oscar nominated songwriter Carol Connors. When he arrives in Washington DC, he is assisted by Republican strategist Frank Luntz, and counseled by Newsweek editor Eleanor Clift.
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He also learns how, after failing to respond competently to warnings of an Al Qaeda attack on American soil, she made a Faustian pact to sacrifice her principles for power. Through noted contributors such as Colin Powell's Chief of Staff Lawrence Wilkerson, Watergate and 9/11 Commission investigator Richard Ben-Veniste and Congressman David Price, Devin learns how Rice abandoned her position as a realist on international relations and turned into an idealist neo-Condi.[5] He finds out how she misled the 9/11 Commission, failed to prosecute the killers in the 2007 Blackwater Baghdad shootings, even though they were in her employ; and finally selected and authorized torture techniques. [6]
A promo of the film screened at the IFC Center in New York City in April 2007, [7] and led to Discovery Communications commissioning the film for $600,000. However, Discovery discontinued funding for the film before principal photography began. Discovery settled with the producers, American Princess LLC, for $150,000. In February 2008, Channel 4 in the UK provided further financing for the film. [8] The film is scheduled for general international release in January 2009 and for transmission on Channel 4 in February 2009. [9]
The film had advance screenings at a number of 2008 festivals, where it won five awards. Orlando Film Festival selected the film as the Opening Night film, and awarded it Best Performance award, and second prize for Best Picture and Best Director categories. [10] At Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, the film won Special Award: Most Creative Concept. [11] At Paso Robles International Film Festival, the film won Best Comedic Documentary. [12]