What drives celebrities like Henry Winkler, Tom Morello or Wendie Malick along with politicians and activists to get involved in working for change? How did their families shape their commitment to saving democracy, and keeps them going in the face of today’s massive obstacles? Those are the questions tackled in “Lightworkers,” a documentary from director Bobby Roth that explores how actors, artists, musicians, politicians and nonprofit leaders channel history, empathy and anger to keep engaged in issues like voting rights.
Roth, director of features like “Heartbreakers” and TV series such as “Prison Break,” interviewed dozens of people involved in activism about what makes them mad and what inspires them. The interviews are interspersed with historical footage of events from the Holocaust to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot up to ICE raids, starkly portraying the inhuman acts that spurred the interviewees to action. After offering viewings to activist organizations, Roth and author/podcaster Robert Hubble are making the documentary available for online screenings for three nights in the run-up to the midterm elections, each one accommodating up to 5,000 viewers: Tuesday, Sept. 29, Tuesday Oct. 6 and Wednesday Oct. 14.
From Rage Against the Machine’s Morello recalling his fight to write about apartheid for his high school newspaper to actress and director Lee Grant recalling her 12 years of being blacklisted in Hollywood, “Lightworkers” lays out how experiencing injustice can spur people to speak out against oppression and censorship. What can individuals do to fight the system? With endorsements from people including Bruce Springsteen and Ken Burns, “Lightworkers” also includes interviews with activist David Hogg, Congressman Jamie Raskin, former Congressman Adam Kinzinger and Freedom Rider Peggy Preacely.
Find more information about renting “Lightworkers” or bringing it to a group here. Watch Roth discuss the film on “Deadline White House” below
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