DEMOCRACY IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT is a short film written and directed by Gail Gilbert. It was produced by CERISE FILMS in Chicago, with the help of all many supporters and a talented local crew. The film is currently being entered in various festivals.

SYNOPSIS

Strangers on a bus rally behind a fellow passenger as she urges the driver to catch up to a bus in front of them. They cheer when the goal is achieved, only to realize with horror the fatal outcome of the action they had all blindly supported.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

DEMOCRACY IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT is the second short film that I wrote and directed. It is close to my heart because it is based on a short story that my father wrote in the 1970’s and it carries an important message for today’s political climate. My father was commenting on how easy it is to sway public opinion and how devastating that can be in a democracy.

Today his message is even more critical because of the power that mass marketing and social media are gaining over the democratic process.

The film was created with the generous support of its cast and crew, who volunteered their time or worked at a substantially reduced rate. It was a communal effort to execute a production of this scale and I hope you will enjoy DEMOCRACY IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT.

-Gail Gilbert

“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.” – Goethe