Ballot Measure 9 is the starting point for dialogue about the democratic process, offering a valuable window to discussions about the health of the society in which we live. The Sundance-winning feature is a chilling chronicle of an historic gay-rights battle in Oregon. As the anti-gay violence escalates, the film evolves into an expose of hate politics that crosses lines of race, religion, and sexual identity. As the polarizing issue of gay marriage re-invigorates these cultural wars of the last decade today, this classic documentary resonates as strongly as ever. Director Heather Lyn MacDonald ducks behind the headlines to bare the passions and strategies that drove both sides. Culled from hundreds of hours of material shot over the nine months leading to the election, Ballot Measure 9 tells a story of driving urgency. The chasms that divide the country today keep Ballot Measure 9 relevant to a new generation of citizens.