Online Member Screening: Boys State

The sensational winner of the Grand Jury Prize for documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival is a wildly entertaining and continually revealing immersion into a week-long annual program in which a thousand Texas high school seniors gather for an elaborate mock exercise: building their own state government. Bay Area filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine closely track the escalating tensions that arise within a particularly riveting gubernatorial race, training their cameras on unforgettable teenagers like Ben, a Reagan-loving arch-conservative who brims with confidence despite personal setbacks, and Steven, a progressive-minded child of Mexican immigrants who stands by his convictions amidst the sea of red. In the process, they have created a complex portrait of contemporary American masculinity, as well as a microcosm of our often-dispiriting national political divisions that nevertheless manages to plant seeds of hope. Boys State, which was originally scheduled as the Opening Night program for the 2020 SFFILM Festival, is an Apple Original Films and A24 release and premieres on Apple TV+ on August 14.

This event consists of a live online screening that starts at 6:00 pm PDT, and a live online Q&A that starts at 8:00 pm PDT. Members who RSVP for this event will be sent a link via email to access the screening on Eventive, and a link to register for the online Q&A on Zoom.

We recommend that you download and install Zoom on your computer or mobile device in advance, and set yourself up with a free account. Attendees will have a chance to participate in the Q&A with a text chat function.

Learn more about how to use Zoom and attending our virtual events here.