MYNORTHWEST NEWS

‘Grassroots’: Real life personalities behind the fictional characters

Jun 17, 2012, 9:45 PM | Updated: 11:16 pm

It’s surreal. You probably can’t even imagine it. But Grant Cogswell and Phil Campbell have been trying to explain the feeling to their friends and family, because a movie about their lives, and a bid for a seat on the Seattle City Council is now a film that made it’s debut at the Seattle International Film Festival.

At the time, Campbell signed up to help his friend, Cogswell run for office. Cogswell had wanted to transform how the city approached public transportation.

On film, it’s dramatized. Plot foils may only be half-truths and love interests are imagined more than based on the reality. The major points, according to the two former Seattleites, are there.

Campbell, who wrote a book about the experience that served as the basis for the movie found that his interpretation of what happen was more pessimistic than the on-screen interpretation. But after watching it twice, the former candidate summed up his feelings on his fictional self. “It’s an excellent fiction that captures a truth.”

Experience the whole conversation, including life after the city council election:

You can see Grassroots with director Stephen Gyllenhaal Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 22, 23 and 24 at the Harvard Exit in Seattle.

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‘Grassroots’: Real life personalities behind the fictional characters