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Logline

Known as the ‘Feisty Grandma’, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg flipped New Jersey on its head when she unearthed the Bridgegate scandal, which caused the fast and hard fall of Governor Chris Christie. Told through the lens of a mother/daughter story, Politics Is A Mother, Raising Hell is Part Of The Job, reveals how the political is always personal and how an “adorable” grandmother could be one of the most important politicians of our time.

Synopsis

Many people know the story of Bridgegate, but few know it was my mother who fought relentlessly to unmask the scandal. The Christie administration did whatever they could to bully, dissuade and minimize the impact of sudden traffic that turned the town of Fort Lee into a parking lot: Christie’s cronies had closed the lanes leading up to the George Washington Bridge, the busiest bridge in the world, for five long days.

Interviews, personal narration, verite and local news footage show viewers how one person CAN make a difference.

An Investigative Select Committee, co-chaired by my mother, discovered the scandal reached beyond just the lane closures.

The Office of Legislative Affairs, Christie’s tax-payer funded political machine, showered local Democrats with “swag” from the collapsed World Trade Center. They wanted the Dems to endorse the Republican Governor for re-election and there was punishment for those who refused.

Demonstrating bipartisan support was crucial to bolster Christie’s future campaign for president. Loyal Christie lieutenants, Matt Mowers and Bill Stepien (both went on to high-level positions in the Trump administration) came up with a list of “top” Dems to woo by giving them twisted metal and American flags that hung from the WTC disaster site.

With the lane closures on the GWB, a clear message was sent to the Democratic Mayor of Ft. Lee, Mark Sokolich: If you don’t endorse the Governor, you will be punished. Chris Christie was a pre-curser to Donald Trump and he got away with abusing his political power.

The film delves into some of the many battles that drove my mother, prepared and empowered her to take on the guy – Chris Christie – that no one else could touch. She outsmarted and out snarked him at every turn.

Politics Is A Mother, reveals long hidden secrets and shows how past hurts can be turned into rocket fuel, blazing the path forward.

This film has a special appeal to mothers and daughters as the core of the story is the connection that Francine and Loretta share. That deep, universal connection touches the heart, further engaging audiences across genders and political spectrums.

American’s are desperate to see an authentic politician whose only goal is to be a “voice for the voiceless” – someone who can take on the bad guy, and like a true Jersey girl, knock ‘em to their knees.

Politics Is A Mother, is currently being submitted to film festivals and the hope is to create a lot of buzz at the festivals and get it on a streamer. My personal goal, is to shift the paradigm and for people to know that there are politicians who are willing to serve the people, rather than see the people as their servants.

This is not a political story that is meant to create division. Senator Weinberg is a compelling character and the film is meant to create hope and positive action. I want to leave people with a feeling of empowerment and badassery, a la RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsburg).

As Senator Cory Booker says in his interview:

“At the core is love, for Senator Weinberg to persist and succeed in politics never altering that fundamental passion and caring and empathy and concern for others, you can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people. She never stopped being driven by that core value.”
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Francine Graff — Director/Writer/Producer
Francine’s work has aired on the History Channel, HGTV, Discovery, Food Network, Sundance and E! Her interview subjects have included a diverse cast of characters ranging from ’80s Mistress of the Dark Elvira to PayPal/SpaceX/Tesla founder Elon Musk. She’s been published in Lena Dunham’s digital magazine as well as the blogs “Mothering Heights” and The “New Agenda.” Francine is currently working on a biopic based on her mother, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who broke open the Bridgegate scandal.

Jonathan Graff — Line Producer
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Jon holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University. Currently, he is the Chief Financial Officer for Reason Foundation, an LA-based public policy think-tank. Before joining Reason in 2007, Jon worked as operations manager for Propaganda Films, which produced a number of blockbusters, including The Game, Being John Malkovich, and many others.

Benjamin Clapp — Cinematographer
Benjamin Clapp is a cinematographer and composer currently based in New Jersey. He studied broadcast television production and cinematography at Rutgers University and has been documenting interviews, events, and narratives of American politics as cinematographer and editor for the Eagleton Institute of Politics since 2009. Clapp’s recent creative work includes directing the Dark Wheeze music video for Toy Zoo – an official selection of the Austin Spotlight Film Festival and his original music score is featured in the Dirt Hills Productions short film Get in the Truck – an official selection of the Green Bay Film Festival, Milwaukee Short Film Festival, and Door Kinetic Arts Festival.

Gail Yasunaga — Editor
Gail Yasunaga is a veteran editor of feature films, television specials and documentaries screened in such festivals as Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, Portland, Taos and streaming on Amazon Prime. From dramatic thrillers to the feature documentaries of Rosanna Arquette, to comedy by Tommy Chong, Gail has extensive experience in both narrative and documentary films, giving her a keen sense of story, performance and structure. The feature documentary, Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker was nominated for an Academy Award. Gail is a graduate of the UCLA Film School and has taught Advanced Editing for the New Mexico Film Intensive at Santa Fe

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.