Trump-era documentary ‘Homegrown’, screening in Venice, unveils first clip

Director Michael Premo’s “Homegrown,” a documentary chronicling right-wing activists during the 2020 U.S. election cycle, has released its first clip.

The film, which premieres during Venice Critics’ Week, is described as “a relentless chronicle of Americans at war with each other” and offers a verité portrait of a fractured United States.

“Homegrown” follows three right-wing activists campaigning for Donald Trump and building a movement they hope will outlive his presidency. The documentary captures their journey from the summer of 2020 to the aftermath of the election, when they take to the streets believing the election was stolen.

Premo, who directed, produced and served as director of photography, said Variety“In the 21st century, democracies die, not with a bang, like a military coup, but with a whimper, as faith in the idea erodes from within. A democracy only endures when the written rules are reinforced by even stronger unwritten democratic norms and values. In the United States, democratic norms have been steadily eroding since about 1994. Today, there is a growing movement of people who are losing faith in the ability of American democracy to protect their interests. They are using violence and the threat of violence to fight for what they believe in. We wanted to better understand who these people are and what they believe in.”

“Too often we define ourselves by our differences, rather than trying to understand our similarities. Today, many of us are so locked into our own self-selecting bubbles that we rarely interact with anyone who has different perspectives. This contributes to reducing people who have different opinions to one-dimensional caricatures. But people are complex. Systems of power are complex. When we reduce people to stereotypes, the responses to our challenges can only be stereotypical. Like, ‘Oh, they just need better education,’ but this hollow refrain is classist and elitist. We face complex challenges. If we are truly committed to building a pluralistic democracy, we need to nuance our understanding of all people in our society. So we feel it is important to really talk to people who heed the clear call of us-versus-them politics,” Premo added.

The film was shot in several locations including Salt Lake City, New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Portland and Washington DC.

Premo said: “We started filming in 2018 and didn’t stop until the fall of 2021. This might be the only film that captured these unprecedented events from the passenger seat, as they unfolded.”

Watch the clip here:

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