Paul Stekler

George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire

Paul Stekler, Daniel McCabe

George Wallace

Four times governor of Alabama, four times a candidate for president, he was feared as a racist demagogue and admired as a politician who spoke his mind. A lightning rod for controversy, Wallace both reflected and provoked tensions in American society over more than four decades. This film traces the rise of the firebrand politician from his roots in rural Alabama to the assassination attempt that suddenly transformed him.

Getting Back to Abnormal

Andy Kolker, Paul Stekler

What happens when America's most joyous, dysfunctional city rebuilds itself after a disaster? New Orleans is the setting for Getting Back to Abnormal, a film that serves up a provocative mix of race, corruption and politics to tell the story of the re-election campaign of Stacy Head, a white woman in a city council seat traditionally held by a black representative. Supported by her irrepressible African-American aide Barbara Lacen-Keller, Head polarizes the city as her candidacy threatens to diminish the power and influence of its black citizens. Featuring a cast of characters as colorful as the city itself, the film presents a New Orleans that outsiders rarely see.

Last Man Standing: Politics - Texas Style: POV

Paul Stekler

What were the politics that launched George W. Bush to national office? Did they become a blueprint for Washington? Award-winning filmmaker Paul Stekler asks these questions as he takes his camera to Texas for a lively behind-the-scenes look at a pair of 2002 elections (for state representative and governor). Prominent Texans such as Bush strategist Karl Rove and former governor Ann Richards also shed light on the changing political landscape.