About - Dark Money: A Kimberly Reed Film

Synopsis

DARK MONEY, a political thriller, examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. The film takes viewers to Montana—a frontline in the fight to preserve fair elections nationwide—to follow an intrepid local journalist working to expose the real-life impacts of the US Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. Through this gripping story, DARK MONEY uncovers the shocking and vital truth of how American elections are bought and sold. This Sundance award-winning documentary is directed/produced by Kimberly Reed (PRODIGAL SONS) and produced by Katy Chevigny (E-TEAM).

“As heartening a political story as you are going to get these days.”
—Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“Potent! A rather harrowing portrait of democracy under threat, even if ultimately there is hope.”
—Dennis Harvey, Variety

“Required viewing for American citizens”
—Vogue

“'Dark Money,' with its focus on the personal stories of how individuals are impacted by the flood of campaign money in the system, is an example of how 'storytelling matters when you are trying to raise awareness of the issues,' Chuck Todd (Meet The Press) said.”
—Ted Johnson, Variety

“All the hallmarks of a great legal thriller, [Kimberly] Reed puts flesh and bone to the arcane minutiae and forcefully argues that dark money represents the greatest modern threat to our democracy. Essential and riveting.”
—John Lopez, Departures Magazine

“Dark Money effectively pinpoints how the smear campaigns function in an election.”
—Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter

“One of the most galvanizing films at AFI Docs this year is 'Dark Money'”
—Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post

Filmmakers

Kimberly Reed: director/producer

Kimberly Reed's work has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, The Moth, and in Details Magazine. One of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film," she directed/produced PRODIGAL SONS, a "whiplash doc that heralds an exciting talent." PRODIGAL SONS (First Run Features, Sundance Channel) landed on many Best of the Year lists, screened at more than 100 film festivals, and garnered 14 Audience and Jury awards, including the FIPRESCI Prize. Ms. Reed was recognized as one of OUT Magazine's "Out 100," and as Towleroad's "Best LGBT Character of the Film Year." She also produced/edited/wrote PAUL GOODMAN CHANGED MY LIFE (Zeitgeist Films), and produced THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON (Netflix).

Katy Chevigny: producer

Katy Chevigny is an award-winning filmmaker and a co-founder of Big Mouth Productions. She co-directed the Emmy-nominated E-TEAM with Ross Kauffman, which won the award for Best Cinematography at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Her other films include ELECTION DAY, which aired on the PBS series POV, and DEADLINE, which premiered at Sundance.

Miriam Cutler: co-producer/composer

Miriam Cutler, Documentary Branch Academy member and Emmy-nominated composer, has an extensive background scoring for independent film and TV projects. Her passion for documentary film has led to a focus on that genre, scoring over 100 documentaries including Oscar-nominated POSTER GIRL, Emmy-winning ETHEL, and Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning AMERICAN PROMISE.

Jay Arthur Sterrenberg: editor

Jay Arthur Sterrenberg is a Canadian American editor and director whose work has appeared in theaters, on HBO, CNN, Arte, ESPN, and PBS. He's a founder of the Meerkat Media Collective, an award-winning cooperative of filmmakers based in Brooklyn, NY. His editing credits include DARK MONEY, WRESTLING JERUSALEM, and OCCUPY SANDY.