‘Stars And Strife,’ Virgil Films Documentary About U.S. “Epidemic Of Hate,” Sets On-Demand Run

EXCLUSIVE: Starz & Strife, a documentary examining what the filmmaker calls the “lost heart of America,” has set an on-demand rental and purchase run via Virgil Films starting August.

The film is written and directed by David Smick, an economic strategist and best-selling author of books like The Great Equalizer. Barry Levinson is an executive producer.

On August 11, the film will be available for rent or purchase on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and other platforms. It will then roll into other windows, including premium cable.

The film features activists like Hawk Newsome, past political leaders like James Baker, Leon Panetta and Rahm Emmanuel, academics like Amy Chua and Francis Fukuyama and business figures like Home Depot founder Ken Langone. Current elected officials such as Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland also make appearances.

“This film explores the epidemic of hate that has left us helpless in the face of crisis,” Smick said in a press release. “We have world-class leaders in activism, business, politics, and academia discussing how we can build a main street economy that expands opportunity and a practical politics that encourages compromise and puts country before party. But most of all, the film is about why we need to rediscover empathy — the lost heart of America.”

Others appearing in interviews include the late Alice Rivlin, the founder of the Congressional Budget Office and Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke’s godson, Derek Black, who renounced his family’s white nationalist beliefs.

Through the observations of participants in many aspects of politics and society, the film “explores how we can overcome the forces of division to meet the challenges of our time and live up to the promises of our founding,” the press release said.

View this article at Deadline.