August 2, 2017 12:04 pm
Get an exclusive look at the new trailer for All The Queen's Horses! Directed by Kelly Pope Richmond, PhD, CPA, the film is an in-depth look at the largest municipal fraud perpetrated in US history. The film has its world premiere Wednesday, August 9th at the 15th Annual Run & Shoot Filmworks Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival.
Rita Crundwell stole more than $53 million of public funds across two decades in office as the City Comptroller and Treasurer for Dixon, Illinois, a town with a population of just 16,000. She used the funds to build one of the nation’s leading quarter horse breeding empires, and threw lavish parties, all while forcing staff cuts, police budget slashing, and neglect of public infrastructure. In 2012, after a close colleague turned whistleblower finally uncovered her scheme and alerted the Mayor, the FBI arrested Crundwell as the largest municipal fraud perpetrator in American history.
WATCH THE OFFICIAL TRAILER
ALL THE QUEEN'S HORSES Official Trailer from Kartemquin Films on Vimeo.
“The story of Rita Crundwell is something all citizens need to be aware of, because if a fraud of this magnitude could happen in Dixon, it can happen anywhere,” said Pope. “I’m delighted to finally bring this film to the public in partnership with Kartemquin, Helios Digital Learning and Gravitas.”
Pope developed the film through the inaugural Diverse Voices in Docs fellowship, a professional development and mentorship program for documentary makers of color, organized by Kartemquin Films and the Community Film Workshop of Chicago, and funded in part by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All the Queen's Horses participated in the 2016 TFI Network Market at the Tribeca Film Festival, 2016 Hot Docs Deal Makers and 2013 Tribeca Hacks with the Tribeca Film Institute.
All The Queen's Horses was directed and produced by Kelly Richmond Pope, and co-produced and edited by Lesley Kubistal. The film was shot by Bing Liu, Keith Walker, and Margaret Byrne, and is executive produced by Ivy Walker, Justine Nagan, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Justin Dearborn, and Nicholas Gialamas.
To learn more, follow the film on Twitter, Facebook and at http://www.allthequeenshorsesfilm.com/.