WASHINGTON — As photographer Mel D. Cole sat down to recount his memories of the mob attack on the Capitol, he turned to the camera and said, “Are you ready?”
“And that's what we're asking all of our viewers to be. Are you ready? Because that's the way it should be. To be an educated citizen, it literally almost destroyed our democracy.” You have to understand that … it was a very close margin,” Andrea Nix-Fein said in a recent interview.
She directed a new documentary, “The Sixth,” with her husband, and the couple admitted it was tough. “This movie wasn't easy because people didn't want to talk. People wanted to move on quickly. People were exhausted,” Sean Fine said.
A review of footage from January 6, 2021, showed blood on the steps of the Capitol and police being beaten with flagpoles, batons and orange bear spray. Some in the crowd chanted, “Officer, you better run,” and “You're definitely going to die tonight.”
Those scenes may seem familiar now, but “The Sixth” recreates the fear and tension of those days with the help of six witnesses, including Cole, a congressional staffer, a lawmaker and a police officer. are doing.
“If we don't forget and acknowledge how bad that day was and how difficult that day was, we can't move forward,” Sean Fein said.
This interview has been condensed and edited. For more, listen to episode 323 of the Political Theater podcast.
Q: What made you want to make a film about January 6th?
ANF: There was actually a film crew at the Capitol that day. Ironically, because we had already made a film at A24 about the peaceful transition of presidential power.
I couldn't get in touch with the cinematographer, Kaz Lubacki, for almost two hours. I think the crew got separated and he didn't answer his calls after that. we felt scared.
SF: The cinematographer continued filming. As soon as he was safe and came back, we started talking about it even before we saw the footage. And the next day we called A24 and said: “I know you're putting all this money into this other movie, but this is very important. We have to do this.”
Q: We heard from six different people who were in and around the Capitol that day.
SF: Congressman Jamie Raskin was the first person we approached to talk, and he was very generous. At the recent premiere, he said, “I didn't want to do it at first, but I'm really glad I did.''
ANF: Ruskin lost a son, buried him the day before, and gave birth to a daughter in the Houses of Parliament (January 6). And Congressional staffer Erica Loewe said she was talking about her mother, who has Alzheimer's disease, and she didn't want to confuse or upset her, so she called. I couldn't.
These are the stories we definitely wanted to share more than anyone asking, “What political party does that person work for?”
Q: I think this should be required to be viewed, especially during new Congressional orientation.
SF: It wasn't easy with this movie because people didn't want to talk. People wanted to move on quickly. People were exhausted. “I'm tired of watching this.” I'm tired of watching this. ” I have to say our team was exhausted. Our editor probably has PTSD just watching it all.
We listened to everything. I think that's what makes this movie different from other movies. I hear something being said in that crowd. We're not doing movie magic or pulling sounds from somewhere else. It's happening at that point. In the crowd I hear a voice I've never heard before.
ANF: It was very violent and still traumatizing for people at the time. If we don't deal with the truth of such things, it rears its head and manifests itself in distorted ways. And it just repeats.
Q: You live in DC. This is your homeland.
SF: I'm from here. I am his fourth generation and call this home home. It's where we edited the movie, but other than this we've never actually shot anything here.
My grandfather was the photographer for the Washington Redskins when they were called that. He was also a photographer for the Washington Star newspaper, which no longer exists. He has photos from World War II. In this photo, the veteran stands with his wife and recently returned son on crutches, looking out at the city lit up. The National Diet Building at night.
It's a very poignant photo on the cover of a newspaper, it's peaceful, and it means something. The other day I was looking at it and looking at some of the images we have. And it's very much the opposite.
Q: In the movie, Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges says that victory isn't always what we want, but we won that day.
SF: People went back to work because they believed in something. They believe in democracy and they believe in the way this country is run. They believe in the freedom we have. We forget that we are a great place. You know, we've traveled to countries all over the world making movies. In Uganda, where we filmed “War/Dance,'' you walk down the street and you see guys with RPGs and AK-47s and things like that. And kids see it every day.
ANF: I think Ruskin said it very well. He said eternal vigilance. That's what we need to do, and we need to do it together. These are some of the final words of the film, the feelings that people wish they could walk away with.
It was a victory, but it is a victory that can only be sustained if we are proactive. Because none of that will go away. In fact, it's unpleasant to think about how these forces, now bigger, faster, stronger, and more sophisticated, are lurking underground.