Synopsis

Below are five synopses of STREET FIGHT in varying lengths.

308 words
The Oscar-nominated film, STREET FIGHT, was called "the best American political documentary since 1993's The War Room" by the Washington Post. A riveting story about the underbelly of American democracy, it chronicles the bare-knuckles race for Mayor of Newark, N.J. between Cory Booker, a 32-year-old Rhodes Scholar/Yale Law School grad, and Sharpe James, the four-term incumbent and undisputed champion of New Jersey politics.

Fought in Newark's neighborhoods and housing projects, the battle pits Booker against an old-style political machine that uses any means necessary to crush its opponents: city workers who do not support the mayor are demoted; "disloyal" businesses are targeted by code enforcement; a campaigner is detained and accused of terrorism; and disks of voter data are burglarized in the night.

Even the filmmaker is dragged into the slugfest, and by election day, the climate becomes so heated that the Federal government is forced to send in observers to watch for cheating and violence.

The film sheds light on important American questions about democracy, power and -- in a surprising twist -- race. Both Booker and James are African-American Democrats, but when the mayor accuses the Ivy League educated Booker of not being "really black" it forces voters to examine both how we define race in this country. "We tell our children to get educated," one Newarker says, "and when they do, we call them white. What kind of a message does that send?"

STREET FIGHT captures a rarely-seen style of politics that is not about spin-doctors, media consultants, or photo ops. In Newark, we discover, elections are won and lost in the streets.

STREET FIGHT won the Audience Award at Tribeca Film Festival, Hot Docs Festival (Toronto) and SilverDocs Festival (Washington DC), and was given the Jury Prize for Best International Documentary at Hot Docs and the Jacqueline Donnet Award by the International Documentary Association.

220 words
Oscar-nominated STREET FIGHT chronicles the bare-knuckles race for mayor of Newark, N.J. between Cory Booker, a 32-year old Rhodes Scholar/Yale Law School grad, and Sharpe James, the four-term incumbent twice his age.

The film follows Booker as he campaigns through Newark's housing projects and squares off against an old-style political machine - the kind now vanished from most of America - which uses police and code inspectors to crush opponents. By election day, the climate becomes so heated that the Federal government is forced to send in observers to watch for cheating and violence.

The battle sheds light on important American questions about democracy, poverty and - perhaps most important - race. In a surprising twist for an election between two African-Americans, the mayor accuses Booker of not being "really black," causing voters to examine how we define race in this country. "We tell our children to get educated," one Newarker says, "and when they do, we call them white. What kind of a message does that send?"

STREET FIGHT tells a story of democracy that is very different from those stories presented in campaign films like THE WAR ROOM or JOURNEYS WITH GEORGE. In Newark, elections are not about spin-doctors and media consultants staging photo ops. In Newark, it is said, elections are won and lost in the streets.

98 words
STREET FIGHT, the Oscar-nominated documentary, is a riveting story about the underbelly of American democracy. When Cory Booker, a 32-year-old Yale Law grad, takes on the four-term mayor of Newark, NJ, he gets an education in the politics of the streets. The city’s political machine unleashes a campaign of harassment and voter intimidation, and the race unfolds amid accusations of terrorism, a Watergate-style burglary, and sexual scandal. When the election becomes racially charged—a surprising twist for a battle between two African-American candidates—voters are forced to ask what it means to be “really black” in America today.

50 words
Oscar-nominated STREET FIGHT follows the turbulent campaign of Cory Booker, a 32-year old Rhodes Scholar/Yale Law grad running for mayor of Newark, N.J. against Sharpe James, the four-term incumbent twice his age. It tells an American story of political intimidation, racial politics, and the future of African American leadership.

One sentence: Oscar-nominated STREET FIGHT follows the turbulent, racially charged battle for mayor of Newark, N.J., between Cory Booker, a 32-year old Rhodes Scholar/Yale Law grad and Sharpe James, the four-term incumbent twice his age.