Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
Havre High School graduate Nick Newell details in a short film available for viewing on the Internet his troubles trying to get into what he characterizes as an undemocratic Democratic National Convention in Denver. “You heard the guy in the film,” Newe l l said i n an interview Wednesday with the Havre Daily News via e-mail. “I have a better chance of winning the lottery.” Newell, who works for EchoStar in Denver, tells in the film, “Sold Out,” how he has tried to gain admission to the national convention, set for Aug. 25-28 in Denver, where the Democratic candidate for the 2008 presidential election will be nominated. In the film, Newell says he has tried to buy a ticket, volunteer to work at the convention and tried to gain admission as a filmmaker. He still has not found a way to attend, he said. “What a great idea,” Newell says in the film. “Hold a convention, put Democratic in the title, then don’t invite the people. Now, that’s democracy.” Natalie Wyeth, press secretary of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said this morning that while activities are planned in Denver and the general public can participate with activities such as submitting photos that could be used at the convention information on those activities are available at the convention Web site, www.demconvention.com the convention itself is for delegates, the media and members of the “Democratic family,” such as elected officials, former presidents and so on. “It really is a credentialled event so it is not particularly open to members of the general public,” Wyeth said. Newell has put his film in a contest at Cinemocracy, where people can view films and vote for them online. The top 25 vote-getters in the contest will be screened at a public event during the Democratic Convention, Newell said, and will be shown at www.denverfilm.org through Jan. 31. The makers of the 10 topranked films also will introduce their films at the Cinemocracy Film Festival public screening in Denver Newell works in Denver as a computer programmer for the satellite and digital television company EchoStar as a computer programmer. He went to work for EchoStar after graduating from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, S. D., in 2004. He started making films while in college, writing, starring in and making “The Snooze.” That is a featurelength film about a man who discovers the cure for cancer while living his life “in a series of snooze dreams,” Newell said. Since then, he has made a short film called “Square One,” which he submitted to Steven Spielberg’s reality television show “On the Lot.” The film wasn’t selected for the show, but Newell said he plans to submit another this year, and is working on a sequel to “The Snooze” and another short film titled “The Other Side.” He says in “Sold Out,” that as a Democrat and a believer in democracy he wants to attend the convention, but hasn’t found a way to do so yet. He said Wednesday that he still hasn’t received a ticket, but he won’t give up searching. “So, if you know somebody with a million bucks, please have their people contact my people,” he said. (On the Net: “Sold Out” at the Cinemocracy Web site: http://www.cinemocracy. org/video/sold-out.)
