Political films are a labor of love for all involved

Making a movie about politics is a lot like running a grassroots election campaign.

You need some true believers who want to get the message out and are willing to work for a fraction of what they’d usually earn.

At least that’s the story from producer Grant Heslov and director David Gordon Green, whose political satire “Our Brand Is Crisis” is now in theaters.

The film starring Sandra Bullock (inspired by the 2005 documentary of the same name) focuses on American political operatives — strategists, marketers, spin doctors, image consultants — who join the campaign of a Bolivian presidential candidate.

These cynics who are in it for the money bring the worst of the American political process to the developing world.

Heslov — who with producing partner George Clooney has delivered politically themed films like “Good Night, and Good Luck” and “The Ides of March” — said he was born to political awareness.

“It comes from my folks, who were always politically active,” Heslov said in a recent phone conversation from Los Angeles. “And also it just comes from my own civic curiosity, my passion for how things are run. And there’s my partnership with George, who is politically active and savvy. We talk politics all the time. It’s just part of our world.”

Big studios aren’t eager to make political films that take a stand because taking a stand can cut into ticket sales.

The answer, Heslov said, is “keep the price down and get the right cast. That means people who will work for less than their market value. Believe me, nobody got on board with this project for the paycheck. These movies have to be made for a certain price. That’s the deal. It’s always about the script first, then the director. And only then the actors. The nice thing is that good scripts attract good talent. It’s rarely about the money.”

Director Green concurs: “This is the kind of movie where you never have enough time or money, so everybody has to be there for the experience.

“For me it was also a chance to be in the ring with a great ensemble cast. After making several low-budget indie films” — his recent releases include “Prince Avalanche,” “Joe” and “Manglehorn” — “it was exciting to be working with a huge movie star like Sandra.”

Not only is Bullock fun to work with, Green said, she slipped into a role written for a man without sacrificing her own feminine perspective.

“I think that’s going to be happening more and more with my films,” Green said. “I’m starting to look at roles as gender-free. As long as you can get a great performer.”

The campaign shenanigans depicted in “Crisis” are a result of “an entire industry of people paid to get someone elected,” Green said. “They don’t have to believe in the candidate or the cause.

“But in the race to win, they don’t look at the cultural ramifications of what they’re doing.”

Despite the film’s social commentary, Green said his main job as a director “is to make an entertaining movie. Politics and Bolivia are just the backdrops.”

Opening this week

▪ 15th Annual Kansas International Film Festival: Beginning Friday, this weeklong event features dozens of screenings of indie features, documentaries and animation from around the world, as well as the local premieres of such upcoming titles as “The 33,” “Brooklyn,” “I Saw the Light” and “Love the Coopers.” At the Glenwood Arts.

▪ “The Assassin”: In ninth-century China, a young woman martial artist (Qi Shu) is ordered to assassinate the man she once loved. At the Tivoli.

▪ “Room”: Young Jack knows only the room where he was born to a mother (Brie Larson) held captive as a sex slave.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Political films are a labor of love for all involved."