64 Days: The Insurrection Playbook

Why political docs could be more relevant after election day

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ntimate access to the home and life of Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was garnered by producer Maxine Hughes and cinematographer Timothy Myers ACS, whose footage would form scenes that illustrate pivotal moments leading up to the January 6th insurrection in the documentary "64 Days: The Insurrection Playbook," directed by Nick Quested.

This year, documentaries that tackle pressing political issues including immigration, abortion and the Jan. 6 insurrection were meant to make an impact on the 2024 presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. While some, like Errol Morris’ immigration control documentary “Separated” and Matt Tyrnauer’s “Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid” both found distribution deals prior to Election Day with MSNBC and CNN respectively, there are many more docus that have been or will be self distributed that American voters on both sides would benefit from watching — even after the election.

As both Democrats and Republicans gear up for potential unrest and protracted legal battles following the results of the election, docus like “64 Days: The Insurrection Playbook” “The Last Republican” and “Zurawski V. Texas” are arguably more important viewing than ever before.

Enrique Tarrio in his home neighborhood, Miami. Still frame: Timothy Myers

Director Nick Quested embedded with the Proud Boys and other far-right groups in the months leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. He turned his footage into “64 Days: The Insurrection Playbook” – a firsthand account of the conspiracy to steal the 2020 election.

Quested testifies as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its first public hearing to reveal the findings of a year-long investigation, on June 9, 2022. Photo: Andrew Harnik via Associated Press

Quested, who self-released the doc last month on Vimeo, says that his film will remain relevant in the upcoming months.

“If Trump wins, I think it becomes a protest film because this is how (Trump) sets his stool up every time, and if Harris wins, it’s a warning about what’s going to happen again,” says Quested. “We are seeing exactly the same things happening again and again and again that happened in 2020 after Biden was elected. The messaging is the same. (MAGA) is questioning the mail-in ballots. There are poll workers being trained to create pretext for lawsuits. There’s going to be pressure on elected and election officials in all the swing states. There’s going to be boards of supervisors that refuse to certify elections. There are going to be state legislators that refuse to certify the Electoral College. So, ’64 Days’ doesn’t lose relevance after the election because it’s actually about the period between the election and inauguration day.”

Enrique Tarrio speaking at an impromptu Proud Boys rally under the Washington Monument, Washington D.C. Still frame: Timothy Myers
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