The Campaign

Directed By Christie Herring

Follows the people behind California's historic No-on-8 campaign to defend same-sex marriage through exclusive behind the scenes footage, interwoven with the national history of marriage equality since the 1950s.

  • ABOUT
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THE CAMPAIGN follows the people behind California’s historic “No on 8” campaign to defend same-sex marriage through exclusive behind the scenes footage, interwoven with the national history of same-sex relationship recognition since the 1950s. The story focuses on an ensemble of five characters — Alison, Holli, Richard, Anne and Claudia — as they labor tirelessly to defeat Proposition 8, sacrificing time with the families they are fighting to protect. The film positions their efforts within the context of shifting legal and political landscapes, from Anita Bryant’s “Save our Children,” to the invention of the word “Domestic Partner” in San Francisco, to Pat Buchanan’s declaration of a “culture war,” and finally to the wave of marriage bans that swept 41 states across the nation. The shocking passage of Prop 8 in seemingly LGBT-friendly California changed the landscape forever, both for the US LGBT equality movement and for the individual activists who dropped what they were doing and threw themselves into the largest social issue campaign the us has ever seen. Featuring a beautiful score from the Kronos Quartet and Jacob Garchik, THE CAMPAIGN emerges as an unprecedented installment of LGBT social history and a signature documentary on one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our times.

Christie Herring (she/her) is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and editor who has worked in documentary film for over 25 years. Her work broaches complex political and cultural subjects, reaching national and international audiences through outlets including the Tribeca Film Festival, PBS and major streaming services, and the White House and US Embassies around the world. She directed THE CAMPAIGN (PBS) which followed California’s battle over queer marriage equality and SINGING FOR JUSTICE (PBS, with Estelle Freedman), featuring political and musical renegade Faith Petric. Recent editing and producing credits include THE BIG SCARY "S" WORD (Hulu, editor/co-producer), CODE: DEBUGGING THE GENDER GAP (Tribeca, editor/producer), 23 MILE (True/False, producer), ONE PERSON ONE VOTE (PBS, consulting editor/co-producer), DEATH IS OUR BUSINESS (PBS Frontline, finishing editor), BIAS (Amazon, editor/producer), and POINT OF NO RETURN (PBS NOVA, editor). In addition to her work in feature documentaries, Christie has directed several shorts films, has worked with numerous organizations on mission-driven storytelling, and her research background includes five years as a Project Director at the Harvard School of Public Health. Christie is a Member and former Steering Committee Chair of the 50-year-old film distribution coop New Day Films. She is an instructor with the American Film Showcase, and labs and residencies include Yaddo, the SFFILM Film House, UnionDocs, the NBPC New Media Institute, the ITVS Queer X-Change, and the CPB/PBS Producer’s Academy. She received her BA from Duke University and her MA in Documentary Filmmaking from Stanford University.