Description

DISCOUNT FOR PACK OF 10 DVDs FOR PRIVATE HOME USE (SAVE $50.00). Debate Team is a documentary exploring the weird subculture of competitive college debate. Competitors battle at 360 words per minute, hauling around mountains of evidence called “cards” and nearly every debate ends in global nuclear annihilation.

In 2005, some 200 teams converged on San Francisco State to compete in the National Championship. The documentary follows four teams, from Michigan State, Harvard, West Georgia, and Berkeley in their quest for the national title.

But back in 1969, debates were slower, more theatrical, and less technical. At the 1969 National Championship, a debate team from Harvard prevailed over the University of Houston. And Michael Miller from the Houston team has never been able to let go of that defeat. Miller, now a retired lawyer, discusses his life-long obsession with debate, his suicidal ideation, his ruined romances, and the self-hate borne of the loss to Harvard 37 years earlier.

As the 2005 championship progresses and the competitors are slowly eliminated, we are left wondering who will find themselves inheriting Miller’s legacy. What emerges is not simply a chronicle of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, but a more disturbing examination into the nature of competition itself and the American fetish with championships and champions.

Cast

FEATURING

Greg Achten
Nader Alsheikh
David Arnett
Stefan Bauschard
Kristina Bell
Paul Bellinger Jr.
Joe Bellon
Nupi Bhushan
Nick Bormann
Phil Bouska
John Bretthauer
Jon Bruschke
Jeff Buntin
Josh (Justin) Carrer
Joseph Carver
Eric Chalfant
Robert S. Chaudoin
Ishita Chordia
Kathryn Clark
Josh Coffman
Avery Dale
Michael Davis
Ben Dodds
James Durkee
Erica A. Eaton
Michael Eber
Jonah Feldman
Morgan Fine
Amanda Freel
Cyrus Ghavi
Nathan Gorelick
Mike Greenstein
Sherry Hall
Aaron Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Christine Hardy
Michael Hester
Justin Hingtgen
Julie Hoehn
Sarah Holbrook
Jan Hovden
Anthony Jardina
Walid Kandeel
Ivo Keller
Matt Kennedy
Michael Klinger
Joe Koehle
Priya Krishna
Peter Lawson
Ed Lee
Joel Lemuel
Anna Litman
Andy Liu
Brendan Liverman
Paul E. Mabrey III
Luis Magallon
Calum Matheson
Jonathan McCartney
Ben Meiches
Mike Meredith
Michael Miller
Morgan Miller
Jordan Mills
Brenda Montes
Alexander More
Nima Nasirharandi
Stacey Nathan
Litta Naukushu
Sunil Pai
Victoria S. Palomo
Dallas Perkins
David Peterson
Sue Peterson
Steve Pointer
Jacob Polin
Chris Pozzi
Justin Racette
Gaurav Reddy
Jaipaul Rekhi
William Repko
Daniel Richards
Michael Richardson
Ross Richendrfer
Caress Russell
Jason Russell
Matt Schissler
Beth Schueler
David Sepetka
William Shanahan
Reid Shannon
Eric Short
Libby Simas
Eric Slusher
Brian Smith
Gordon Stables
Greta Stahl
David Strauss
Eric Suni
Elliot S. Tarloff
James Thomas
Corey Turoff
Shaun VanHorn
Matt Vega
Amber Watkins
Kristina Whalen
Shawn Whalen
Craig Wickersham
Ravenna Wilson

and
Erin I. Robbins as the Big Board Girl

Festivals

San Francisco International Documentary Film Festival

Production Credits & Notes

Edited, Produced, and Directed by
B. Douglas Robbins

Producer and Director of Photography
Joseph W. Walling

Original Music by
Ian M. Gray
Josh Seidenfeld

Additional Music by
John Kusiak
Philip Glass
Moby

Associate Producers
Erin I. Robbins
Heather Boshears
Louisa Hufstader