Submarine Channel

A year before the US presidential elections of 2008 a crew of young European filmmakers went on a journey all across the country in a little old motor home to search for America’s missing voters. Almost a hundred million Americans don’t vote. Even when they’re electing their president and, with that, the most powerful political leader in the world.

The Story

In 2008, Obama was up for re-election. And Trump’s recent election also brings good timing to revisit our doc “Dear Oprah,” and to remind ourselves what an incredible historical landmark it was when Obama was elected to be America’s first African-American president. In “Dear Oprah” director Kasper Verkaik goes in search of America’s missing voters. Who are they? Why don’t they vote? Can a young and fresh presidential candidate as Barack Obama make them vote? Would American politics change if more young people, single women, poor white people, African-Americans and Latino’s would start voting? Who better than Oprah could get America’s non-voters to vote in 2008.

About Kasper Verkaik

“Dear Oprah” is Kasper Verkaik’s (1979) debut as filmmaker. Prior to that he made documentaries for Dutch national public radio, and wrote freelance for several magazines and newspapers. Early 2007 he finished his Master’s in Communication Science with a thesis about the Iraq war coverage by US news media, based on interviews with numerous journalists at major US newspapers and tv networks. It received the award for best thesis of 2007 from the national trade magazine of Dutch journalists, and Kasper is currently working on a documentary about the same subject. He also makes theater and this year co-founded the young television lab The Formatfactory. Kasper works and lives in New York and Amsterdam.

Camera: Pierre Rezus
Sound: Jaap Hermans
Editor: Axel Skovdal Roelofs

About Minimovies

A Minimovie is an episodic documentary consisting of 8 to 10 episodes. Episodes are 7 to 10 minutes each. Put together, they form a self-contained story. With MiniMovies SubmarineChannel explores a new narrative and visual style of documentary filmmaking. You can watch the Minimovies here or simply download them to your digital device of choice.

Credits

A Submarine Channel production in collaboration with VPRO Television and Vrij Nederland magazine.