FILE - Steven Garza, from left, director Jesse Moss, Rene Otero, director Amanda McBaine and Ben Feinstein pose for a portrait to promote the film "Boys State" during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 24, 2020. Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes. By Douglas Davidson on August 10, 2020 • ( 0). Boys State is a documentary film that follows four boys attending an annual week-long mock government program in Texas which more than 1,000 boys attend each year. Of course! Directors and producers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine followed the tensions of masculinity, community and political differences in “Boys State.” Directed by Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss. “Ben was wonderful in his political sophistication. Documentary “Boys State” is a shockingly high-energy, edge of your seat experience. BOYS STATE. 4 BEN FEINSTEIN grew up in San Antonio with his mom Karen, a doctor, and his step-dad. With Ben Feinstein, Steven Garza, Robert MacDougall, René Otero. ... McBaine and Moss cover the entire ground of Boys State with an unparalleled passion and fervour. A thousand 17-year-old boys from Texas join together to build a representative government from the ground up. Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys Black History Month STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events Rene Otero, Ben Feinstein and Steven Garza attend the "Boys State" premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 24, 2020 in Park City, Utah. ... Rene Otero, and Ben Feinstein, with directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine. It might be the scariest goddamn thing I’ve seen all year. An Apple Original Film and A24 Release, “Boys State” is a documentary that follows four subjects throughout the program: René Otene, Steven Garza, Robert MacDougall and Ben Feinstein. He is from San Antonio and was a participant in the American Legion Texas Boys State educational program in 2018. Ben Feinstein, a Reagan-loving, arch-conservative who brims with confidence despite personal setbacks; and Steven Garza, a progressive-minded child of Mexican immigrants who stands by his convictions amidst the sea of red; Robert MacDougall, an easy-going yet complexed and layered jokester who seems to instinctively play to the crowd; and Rene Otero, one of the few African-Americans at Boys State. Concordia Studio Took ‘Boys State’ From Two-Page Pitch to Record-Breaking $12 Million Sundance Deal. Boys State Rated PG-13 for no obvious reason. Boys State was founded by the American Legion in 1935; its sister program, Girls State, was founded by the American Legion Auxiliary in 1937 (and clearly demands a McBaine-Moss sequel). "Boys State" follows four Texas teens — René Otero, Ben Feinstein, Steven Garza and Robert MacDougall — at that state's gathering in summer 2018. The documentary won the 2020 Sundance film festival's grand jury prize, screened on Capitol Hill and was sold to A24 and Apple TV+ for $12 million. ‘Boys State’ is a completely true story. Watchable only in YouTube English, Change your YouTube language! Ben Feinstein is a college sophomore at Southern Methodist University (class of 2023). At Boys State, Robert competes for the Nationalist Party nomination for Governor with the motto, “Go big or go home.” Boys State Film Discussion Guide. This shrewdly puts viewers on more or less the same newbie level as the subjects, including Ben Feinstein. Add to calendar . Cinematographer. Ben Feinstein, Robert MacDougall, Steven Garza. He lost his legs at 3 from meningitis. Since appearing in the acclaimed documentary Boys State, sophomore Ben Feinstein ’24 has backed away from the idea of a political career and now aspires to serve his country “in a neutral role.”A double-amputee since the age of 3, Feinstein talks about his political evolution in an article published by the San Antonio Current on August 14. 1 film in package. ... conservative Ben Feinstein, and the less ideologically committed Robert MacDougall. Boys State documentary explores how a group of Texas teens participated in the American Legion program to learn about democracy by organizing political parties and running a mock government. “Boys State,” the latest documentary produced by A24, ... Other key figures in the film include students Ben Feinstein and Rene Otero, who serve as the district chairs for their respective parties. Making ‘Boys State’ Renewed the Directors’ Hope in the Future of Politics. Nothing in the documentary is elaborated or blown out of proportion to look good on camera. Ben Feinstein: It's a mix. Everything that happened to Ben Feinstein, Steven Garza, Robert MacDougall, and … Ben Feinstein in the documentary "Boys State." A four-star film with a knockout ending that pushes it over the edge. He is from San Antonio and was a participant in the American Legion Texas Boys State educational program in 2018. Feinstein is a conservative who loves Reagan. Boys State is masterful in capturing the emotional stakes for the young men in the film and effortlessly have the audience relate and stress over the same thing.Quickly into the film, it becomes less about Boys State itself and more about the grander picture of the state … (Apple TV+) Boys State was founded by the American Legion in 1935; its sister program, Girls State, was founded by the American Legion Auxiliary in 1937 (and clearly demands a McBaine-Moss sequel). ... That earnestness ran into the reality of Boys State a bit, and it definitely will run into the real world. Boys and Girls State programs both began in 1937 and are held in each of the U.S. states (except Hawaii where there is only a Girls State program), usually at a college within that state. Following the American two-party system, they are split into two groups, the Nationalists and the Federalists. SPOILERS FOLLOW FOR THE DOCUMENTARY BOYS STATE. Copy link. Two of the young men featured in the film are Ben Feinstein and Steven Garza. Washington’s statement starts to play out amongst the candidates and their parties, albeit in a far less sinister fashion than real-life. They […] Feinstein is a Ronald Reagan-loving philosophical conservative who exemplifies the realpolitik mindset. Ben Feinstein, left, a compassionate and committed idealist in Boys State. Ben Feinstein, Self: Boys State. My role was leading an organization of 500 people. Three were found before Boys State began. Ben Feinstein is a college sophomore at Southern Methodist University (class of 2023). Home › Reviews › Documentary “Boys State” is a shockingly high-energy, edge of your seat experience.. After all, what happens in Boys State stays in Boys State. Every summer, more than 1,000 teens swarm the Texas State Capitol to attend Boys State, the annual American Legion-sponsored leadership conference where these incipient politicians divide into riva… Yes, Ben Feinstein, ostensibly the naive and insensitive villain of the doc, wins Boys State. These two parties become similar to the Republican and Democrat parties. Feinstein tilts conservative and Garza left, but both young men say that the experience of attending the Texas Boys State exercises gave them an opportunity to interact with people who might not have the same views. Thorsten Thielow. Essentially, Election the documentary, but with an even deeper bite. Ben Feinstein from San Antonio is disabled. Is Boys State Based On A True Story? 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