Citizens United Productions will premiere a documentary film about American Exceptionalism, entitled “A City Upon A Hill,” hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich, this Friday, April 29 in Washington, D.C. “A City Upon A Hill” is written and directed by award-winning film maker, Kevin Knoblock (“Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous With Destiny,” “Nine Days That Changed The World,” “America at Risk”).

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Throughout our history, the United States has risen to meet great challenges — sometimes out of necessity but often out of the determination to create a better future for the next generation. At the time of our founding, no other nation had adopted the radical ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No other nation had declared, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights” — rights that no king or government could take away.

“A City Upon A Hill” explores the concept of American Exceptionalism from its origin to the present day. What makes our Declaration of Independence and Constitution special? Why did George Washington relinquish power? How did we climb out of the Great Depression to become the world’s greatest economic power? Why did we lead the liberation of Europe during World War II? And why was it important to be the first to land on the moon? Learn the answers to these questions and more in “A City Upon A Hill.”

In “A City Upon A Hill,” Michael Barone says, “I don’t think it’s arrogant to believe in American Exceptionalism, that we have a special role in history because when we believe that, we’re not believing that we as individuals are particularly special and good or virtuous that we’ve done so much. We’re simply acknowledging what seems to me to be the plain fact of history – that we stand on the shoulders of giants, that we are lucky enough to have inherited, or in the case of immigrants, to have chosen, the heritage that belongs to the United States of America.”

America is a unique nation, and stands above all others because of that uniqueness. Unfortunately, President Obama wants to move America to more of a European style of Democracy. From Egypt to France, President Obama has been on an apology tour telling global leaders that America is just one of many exceptional nations.
This documentary, featuring interviews with historians, politicians, and experts, including Donald Trump, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Rep. Allen West, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Buzz Aldrin, Douglas Brinkley, Edwin Meese III, Allen Guelzo, Fred Barnes, Michael Barone, Andrew Breitbart, S.E. Cupp, Phyllis Schlafly, and many more, tells the story that America is not just one of many, but America is indeed an exceptional nation.

Please view the trailer and find out more about the American spirit and the exceptional nature of our country at http://www.cityuponahill.com/.

Brought to you by award-winning writer and director Stephen Bannon, Generation Zero is the first film in the “Tea Party Trilogy,” which also includes Fire from the Heartland and Battle for America.  Featuring financial and cultural experts, authors, and pundits, including Lou Dobbs, Lawrence Kudlow, Tobin Smith, Victor Davis Hanson, Shelby Steele, Charles Krauthammer, Dick Morris, and Newt Gingrich, Generation Zero exposes the untold story of how the mindset of the Baby Boomers sowed the seeds of economic disaster that will be reaped by coming generations. Sean Hannity did an exclusive one hour special on Generation Zero, and the documentary has received extensive media acclaim.

This month, the Obama Administration will be making decisions that will have a major impact on the future of our country and economy.  From the upcoming debt ceiling fight to a possible government shutdown, March 2011 will be a big test to see if we can restore America’s fiscal sanity.  Generation Zero will give you the perspective needed to see how we got into this financial mess in the first place and what we can do about it.  Our leaders have a chance this month to address it before the next crisis occurs, if only they will listen.

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Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous With Destiny is a feature length documentary that focuses on the three pillars of the Reagan presidency: reviving the American economy, restoring America’s spirit, and challenging the oppression of the Soviet Union. Through interviews with historians, cabinet members, and world leaders, the film examines and celebrates the Great Communicator and his legacy.

Featuring exclusive interviews with former Presidents Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic and Lech Walesa of Poland, along with Reagan Cabinet and staff members including James Baker, Edwin Meese, Marlin Fitzwater, Richard Perle, William Bennett, and the late Jack Kemp, Rendezvous With Destiny is President Reagan’s story as told by the people who were with him on the front lines of the Reagan Revolution.

Citizens United Productions traveled across the United States and to historic locations in Europe to capture the sights and sounds that defined Ronald Reagan’s presidency. You’ll see exclusive interviews and footage of President Reagan’s greatest speeches, from his unforgettable “Tear Down This Wall” in Berlin, to the moving “Boys of Pointe Du Hoc” in France, to his stirring farewell address from the Oval Office. Shooting on location in four countries, Rendezvous With Destiny goes to unprecedented lengths to tell the remarkable tale of Ronald Reagan’s life.

If you need a reminder of what real presidential leadership looks like, visit www.ReaganDocumentary.com today!

The opportunity arose when we both finished interviews on radio row.  I approached Dreyfuss, put out my hand, and said “Hi, I am David Bossie, President of Citizens United.”  Dreyfuss’ eyes lit up like he just saw Jaws and he said, “You’re going to have a hard time getting into heaven if you believe in that sort of stuff.”  I was taken aback and asked, “Why?” Dreyfuss then went on a diatribe equating the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision to the Khmer Rouge.  He compared me to Pol Pot “stacking skulls” back at my office.  He actually used his hands to seemingly act out the stacking of skulls.  I replied by saying, “I thought you would have been supportive of my First Amendment Supreme Court case because you are in the business of supporting the First Amendment.”  He did not have a clear response and looked like a frustrated, institution-bound Dr. Leo Marvin from his Oscar-worthy performance in What About Bob?

For someone who was at CPAC to promote a civics and civility campaign, calling me one of the worst mass murderers in history strikes me as awfully hypocritical. But this is not the first time Dreyfuss has used extreme and offensive language to make a political point.  He once compared former Vice President Dick Cheney to Adolf Hitler and agreed with comments that wished Cheney dead (though later apologized). 

Citizens United and our United States Supreme Court case has struck a nerve with the crazy Left.  We won a victory for free speech and the Left will stop at nothing to demonize it with false claims.  I consider it a badge of honor to be the subject of vitriolic rhetoric from the likes of Richard Dreyfuss.  Dreyfuss lives in a Hollywood cocoon filled with out-of-touch liberal elitists, and does not understand how most of America works or what the First Amendment actually states. 

To complete this Hollywood ending, I ran into Dreyfuss the next day and said, “I know we disagree on the First Amendment, but Citizens United Productions is working on a children’s film about American history.”  His eyes lit up again, but this time he invited me to his house in San Diego to talk about the project.  I wonder if I should bring my stack of skulls to the meeting.  Only in Hollywood.

We have some exciting events planned for this year’s Film Festival at CPAC 2011!  Starting at 2pm on Thursday, February 10th, Newt and Callista Gingrich will introduce our film America at Risk: The War With No Name.  America at Risk, hosted by the Speaker and Mrs. Gingrich, takes an in-depth look at the war against radical Islam featuring exclusive interviews with some of the top national security experts in the world.  After the film, join us for a reception with Mr. and Mrs. Gingrich.

On Friday afternoon February 11th, we have a special event planned to honor conservative women.  Fire from the Heartland: The Awakening of the Conservative Woman, will be screened at 1:30pm, featuring an introduction by co-star Rep. Michele Bachmann.  After the film, conservative icon and Fire from the Heartland co-star Phyllis Schlafly will deliver remarks to the audience.  This much anticipated speech will be followed by a panel discussion on the film, co-sponsored by the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute. 

Be sure to stick around Friday evening for our celebration of President Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday beginning at 8pm!  This event, which is co-sponsored by Young America’s Foundation, will begin with their Ronald Reagan short film, Still Point in a Turning World. This will be followed by the presentation of President Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday cake, made especially for this event by Carlo’s Bake Shop from the hit television show “Cake Boss”!  Then have your cake and eat it, too, while watching our unforgettable feature film Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous With Destiny. Live introductions and remarks will be made by Governor George Allen.

In addition to these fantastic events, please see the complete Film Festival schedule below or view it online at CitizensUnited.org/CPAC!  All screenings are free of charge to CPAC attendees, and will be held in the Delaware Ballroom. 

I look forward to seeing you at the CPAC Theater and Film Festival this week!

CPAC Theater Schedule – Sponsored By Citizens United Productions

Delaware Ballroom

Thursday, February 10th

11:00 am – Iranium (Presented by Clarion Fund, Explores the dangers posed to the United States and the international community by a nuclear Iran, 60 minutes)

12:00 – 12:30 pm – Iranium Question & Answer session

1:00 pm – 1:45 pm – Blogger lunch with Citizens United Productions President David N. Bossie & short video presentation:  David v. Goliath: The One Year Anniversary of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (Credentialed Bloggers Only)

2:00 pm – America At Risk: The War With No Name * (Live introduction by co-hosts Newt and Callista Gingrich, 90 minutes)

3:45 – 4:30 pm – Citizens United Reception with Speaker Newt Gingrich and Callista Gingrich

5:00 pm – Battle For America * (A call to action by Dick Morris to take back our country, 90 minutes)

7:00 pm – Perfect Valor* (A patriotic salute to Iraq war heroes, narrated by Sen. Fred Thompson, 90 minutes)

9:00 pm – Citizens United Productions Double Feature, Rediscovering God In America I & II* (The critically acclaimed series, hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich, 120 minutes)

Friday, February 11th

9:30 am – We Have The Power * (Making America energy independent, hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich, 60 minutes)

11:00 am – Border War: The Battle Over Illegal Immigration* (An inside look at the ongoing crisis, 90 minutes)

1:30 pm – Fire From The Heartland* (The Awakening of the Conservative Woman, Live introduction by co-star Rep. Michele Bachmann, 90 minutes)

3:30 pm – Fire From The Heartland co-star Phyllis Schlafly delivers remarks to CPAC theater audience

3:45 pm – 4:30 pm – Panel Discussion: The Awakening of the Conservative Woman, co-sponsored by Citizens United and Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute

5:00 pm – Generation Zero* (The economic crisis is not a failure of capitalism but a failure of culture, as featured on “Hannity,” 90 minutes)

8:00 pm – President Ronald Reagan 100th Birthday Celebration, co-sponsored by Citizens United and Young America’s Foundation

• Screening of Ronald Reagan short film:  Still Point in a Turning World, Live introduction by Governor George Allen and Kate Obenshain, 30 minutes
• Presentation of President Ronald Reagan 100^th birthday cake, by Carlo’s Bake Shop from the hit television show “Cake Boss”

Saturday, February 12th

9:00 am – Nine Days That Changed The World * (Pope John Paul II’s 1979 pilgrimage to Poland and his role in the fall of Soviet Communism, hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich, 90 Minutes)

10:30 – 10:45 am – Nine Days That Changed The World Question & Answer session

11:00 am – The Ground Zero Mosque: Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks  (Executive Producer Pamela Geller/Associate Producer Robert Spencer, 120 minutes)

1:15 pm – Sick And Sicker (When the government becomes your doctor, a film by Logan Darrow Clements, 50 minutes)

2:15 pm – 2:45 pm – Sick And Sicker  Question & Answer session

3:00 pm – Doonby (Every story’s worth telling, every life’s worth living, starring John Schneider and Robert Davi, written and directed by Peter Mackenzie, Live introduction pending, 119 minutes)

5:00 – 5:30 pm – Doonby Question & Answer session

*A Citizens United Productions Film, www.citizensunited.org

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President Obama thinks that apologies, bows, and capitulation will disarm our enemies, but this kind of posture only encourages those who see such displays as weakness.  With the Iranian regime on the path to developing nuclear weapons, the United States must show a position of strength.  We are dealing with people for whom not even mutually assured destruction is a deterrent, “it’s an inducement because that is what they’re hoping for,” as America At Risk cast member Bernard Lewis says.

How can we prevail when our Commander-in-Chief won’t even call out the enemy by name?  Citizens United’s latest documentary “America at Risk” attempts to answer that question.  Hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich, “America at Risk” features some of the top terrorism experts in the world including former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, former UN Ambassador John Bolton, former CIA Director R. James Woolsey, and 1993 World Trade Center bombing prosecutor Andrew McCarthy. 

They and many others explain the dangers of ignoring jihadists’ explicit threats against America.  We have to take radical Islamists at their word when they say they are going to kill us because, as we saw on September 11th, their predictions can become deadly accurate.  With countless innocents of all religions killed by acts of Islamic terrorism world-wide, and more attacks plotted daily, the risk is too great to ignore or assume that a change in attitude is the answer.

We have watched this scene play out in the past.  Good intentions are met with false promises, words with secret arms buildups, and appeasement with attempts at annihilation.  It happened with Neville Chamberlain and without the help of the United States, the world could have fallen to totalitarianism.  We must be diligent in making sure that President Obama doesn’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

This week, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released a report on President Obama’s 2011 budget that ought to shock every single American.  According to the CBO, the federal government’s debt, which was $56,000 per-household at the beginning of President Obama’s tenure one year ago, has risen to $72,000 per-household today, and is expected to skyrocket to $170,000 per-household by 2020.  Should the CBO’s estimates prove accurate, the federal debt would represent 90% of the Gross Domestic Product of the United States in less than 10 years. 

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For some incomprehensible reason, Washington politicians have their heads planted firmly in the sand and refuse to acknowledge the looming disaster.  Instead of addressing the problem, last week, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid looking on approvingly, President Obama signed a nearly $1 trillion health care bill into law.  We’ve gotten to a point that 65% of Americans believe that the federal debt is the greatest threat to America’s future. 

But we did not accumulate a $12 trillion dollar debt overnight. This is not a problem that can be laid solely at the Obama Administration’s feet, nor is it entirely the fault of the free spending Congress led by Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid.  America’s problems go far deeper than the policies of one administration – they are a result of a systemic rot that has eaten away at the financial foundation of our economy for decades.  It is the class of elite incumbents – politicians, bankers, and academics alike – that were reared in the self-indulgent 1960’s and who came to power in the 1990’s that have led us to the brink. 

The elite’s refusal to acknowledge the depths of the crisis that we find ourselves in is the subject of a groundbreaking new documentary from Citizens United Productions, Generation Zero, which will have its Los Angeles premiere on Thursday night at the Warner Brothers Theater. 

Unlike Washington politicians, Generation Zero faces the economic crisis head-on and exposes the cultural roots of the global financial meltdown, beginning with the narcissism of the 1960’s that spread like a virus through the self-indulgent 1990’s and finally exploded across the world in the present economic cataclysm. 

This is not a film designed to please the chattering class – indeed, they are part of the larger problem that brought the global financial system to the edge of apocalypse.  The intelligentsia would have us believe that this crisis was brought on by rampant and unregulated capitalism.  They want to point the finger, pass a law, and move on, preserving the status quo but ignoring the out-of-control spending and mountainous deficits that are hanging over our heads.  Generation Zero dispels that myth and shows the audience how a generation of incumbent politicians, bankers, and globalists corrupted the system for their own hubristic ends. 

Generation Zero is a film the everyday American.  The family who was just getting by until the economy collapsed and their jobs disappeared.  The couple looking forward to retirement who saw their 401(k) evaporate overnight through no fault of their own.  The college graduate saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in debt and no means to pay it back because there are no jobs.  These people want to know what the hell happened to them while they were hard at work, just trying to live their lives.  Generation Zero gives these people the answer they seek, and that’s why Governor Sarah Palin tweeted that Generation Zero “captures [the] essence of the T-party movement,” and James Pinkerton called it “the most important movie of the year.” 

Featured for a full hour on FOXNews’ “Hannity” and screened for capacity crowds at the National Tea Party Convention, Conservative Political Action Conference, and at premieres in Washington, DC and New York City, “Generation Zero” touches a raw nerve with the millions Americans across the country who are fed up with the debt, deficits, irresponsibility of the Washington and Wall Street elite.  This film is exploding across the grassroots because it slashes through the talking-head soundbites and gets to the root cause of this catastrophe. 

With commentary from more than 40-leading experts, authors and pundits from across the political spectrum, including Dr. Charles Krauthammer, Lou Dobbs, Larry Kudlow, Shelby Steele, Victor Davis Hanson, Amity Shales, Dick Morris, Peter Schweizer, Tobin Smith, Heather McDonald, Myron Magnet, Daniel J. Mitchell, John Fund, Dr. Arthur Brooks, Michael Barone, Michael Novak, Thaddeus G, McCotter, Stephen Moore and Newt Gingrich, “Generation Zero” exposes the little told story of how the mindset of the baby boomers sowed the seeds of economic disaster that will be reaped by coming generations.

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Today, President Obama arrives at the UN to continue his policy of appeasement in person.  He will become the first president in American history to chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, and despite the fact that he had full power over the agenda to be discussed, he decided to take the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs off the table.  

Here is Citizens United’s video response to President Obama’s foreign policy of appeasement.

On the last day of the June session, the Supreme Court unexpectedly decided to order a rehearing of our case in order to reexamine two cases that are the pillars of some of the more restrictive provisions of campaign finance law, and that, I believe, are unconstitutional infringements on the First Amendment. 

Beginning with its decision in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce in 1990, the Supreme Court has systematically chipped away at the First Amendment’s protection of political speech, culminating in 2003 with McConnell v. FEC, the decision to uphold the McCain-Feingold Act.  These decisions have so restricted the right to participate in the political process that during the original oral arguments in our case, the government actually took the position that the First Amendment does not prohibit the government from censoring books that contain phrases such as “Vote for Candidate X” and are commercially published soon before an election.  

Think about that for a moment.  We, as a country, have reached a point where our government has asserted that the Constitution permits it to jail the CEO of a company for commercially publishing a book critical of a politician standing for election!  

I understand that many filmmakers in Hollywood are anathema to the films that I produce, and frankly, thinking about some of the people that inhabit that city, I’m comfortable with that sentiment.  What I am not comfortable with, however, is the idea that the government believes that it has the right, the ability, and the power to tell any of us what we can and cannot say in our films. 

Many Hollywood liberals who read about my case simply dismiss it as a film that criticized a member of an exalted Democrat family.  They see it, like the Federal Election Commission does, as a long campaign ad that should be banned from the airwaves.  What they don’t realize, however, is that if they do not stand up for the First Amendment today, it may not be there to protect them when they need it.  Regulating speech, especially political speech, is a very slippery slope fraught with unintended consequences. 

In our case, Citizens United produced Hillary The Movie, a documentary that focused on Hillary Clinton from an unabashedly conservative point of view.  We released our film in January of 2008, but the Federal Election Commission prohibited us from advertising the film on television and radio or showing the film through cable “On Demand” services.  We were allowed to make the film but were prohibited from telling anyone that it existed via broadcast advertising, and even those who would have sought out the film in an “On Demand” format were denied that opportunity to see it.  

While we may be pioneering the legal argument, we are hardly the first filmmakers to be censored by the Federal Election Commission.  Most people are not aware of this as the incident was not well publicized, but in 2004, shortly before banning Citizens United from advertising our first film, Celsius 41.11, Michael Moore was forced to take down his television and radio ads for Fahrenheit 9/11. If Michael Moore, the most commercially successful documentarian of our time can fall victim to government censorship, any filmmaker can. 

Denying me the ability to promote or broadcast my film is functionally the same thing as prohibiting me from making it in the first place.  If a film plays in an empty theatre because I’m not allowed to advertise it, or if viewers are denied the ability to watch on television, isn’t that pretty close to banning it outright?  Whether the documentary is anti-Bush, pro-Obama, or critical of a Clinton should make no difference.  Speech, and political speech above all else, should be protected. 

This issue is non-partisan.  People from across the political spectrum have every right to participate in the political process in whatever peaceful form they choose.  Groups as varied as the California Broadcasters Association, ACLU, the AFL-CIO, the Chamber of Commerce, the NRA, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have all joined in fighting for the First Amendment rights of every filmmaker and every citizen.  

I am optimistic that the Supreme Court will side with the First Amendment in this case, but if we fall short, people must be aware of the dangers of this law and the extremes to which the government seems to be willing to go.  This is not simply a case about my organization’s right to air a documentary, this is about all of our rights to participate in the political process, and no one should give that up without a fight.  Citizens United Productions will release our 15th feature documentary this fall and we are determined to continue to exercise our right to free speech.

Narrated by Senator Fred D. Thompson, “Perfect Valor” is the story of the high price paid by US forces and the legacy of that campaign as seen through the eyes of the men and women who were there, risking their lives in service to their country.
 
We meet a Navy Cross recipient, recognized for extraordinary gallantry under fire during the assault on Fallujah. A true American hero still haunted by his experience in Iraq. We listen to the family of a fallen Marine as they tell the story of their sacrifice. We hear the harrowing tale of a battalion surgeon who risked his own life to move an aid station forward, into the middle of the fight – a decision that saved thirty lives.
 
Through interviews with American servicemembers and their loved ones, “Perfect Valor” circumvents the filter of the mainstream media and gives the audience the chance to hear personal stories of courage and sacrifice directly from those who were there.
 
Using unbelievable high-definition footage and faithful recreations, “Perfect Valor” gives the viewer a first-hand look at what these brave servicemen and women experienced, painting a vivid picture of urban warfare. Viewers get a never-before-seen look at the experiences of American troops fighting in Iraq.
 
These brave men and women answered the call to serve. They deserve to be honored, and their stories deserve to be told.
 
“Perfect Valor” will debut at the GI Film Festival on Saturday, May 16 in Washington, DC.