Program Description:
FRONTRUNNERS is a smart and funny documentary that follows the campaign for student council president at one of the most prestigious high schools in New York City.
An entertaining and symbolic film, put forth in classic verité style, FRONTRUNNERS follows four charming, talented and unique teens as they navigate the highly competitive electoral process.
New to the world of student government, Hannah Freiman is the beautiful actor/cheerleader looking to add another line to her already impressive school resume. Mike Zaytsev is the government insider whose overconfidence may lead to his eventual downfall. Alex Leonard is the candidate whose “too cool” approach to campaigning tests the very limits of casualness. And finally, there is George Zisiadis, the perfect candidate — a character so unique, driven and eccentric that he defies any labels or typecasting.
Reviews
". . . a thoroughly captivating film. Perhaps it's the bright, decent, appealing kids seen here, or just the idyllic portrait Suh paints of student life at Manhattan's prestigious Stuyvesant High School that gives the picture its charm. Whatever, "Frontrunners" does something high-school-set movies rarely do: It truly makes you wish you were back in 11th grade.
- Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
"The film sets just the right tone: with inventive music choices and wonderfully piquant moments plucked from what must have been hundreds of hours of footage, "Frontrunners" is consistently entertaining."
- Reyhan Harmanci, San Francisco Chronicle
"Suh gets out of the way of the candidates, with rewarding results. These politicians may be teens, but they grapple with constituencies, campaign strategies, and demands on their time with a spirit and seriousness of purpose suitable for the highest office in the land."
- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
". . . thoroughly enjoyable."
- Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
