How Democracy Works Now is a 10-part, feature documentary film series that examines the American political system through the lens of immigration reform during 2001–2007. The films were directed and produced by award-winning filmmaking team Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini.
How Democracy Works Now premiered on HBO with the broadcast debut of the first five films produced, including The Senators' Bargain on March 24, 2010. A directors' cut of The Senators' Bargain was featured in the 2010 Human Rights Watch Film Festival at Lincoln Center, with the theatrical title Last Best Chance. The second story in the 10-part series, Mountains and Clouds, opened the festival in the same year. The films toured the United States as part of the Human Rights Watch traveling film festival, and have been exhibited in special events at Columbia University, the Five College Consortium, Georgia College and State University, CUNY and numerous other universities.
The remaining five films were completed in 2013 for a 3-day series debut at the 51st New York Film Festival. The full series of 10 feature-length films was streamed on Netflix in 2014. Immigration Battle, another film that is a capstone to the series, premiered on PBS Frontline in October, 2015. Since its debut, How Democracy Works Now has become an important resource for advocates, policy-makers and educators, while Forbes described it as "without question...the best documentary film series on government ever produced."[1]
How Democracy Works Now films have received a positive response. It also received positive reviews from The New York Times,[2] The Boston Globe,[3] Reuters,[4] Congress.org, New American Media[5] and Newsweek.[6] Publications have cited the films as important resources for advocates and policy makers. Variety said the films had the potential to "help change hearts and minds".[7]