Dawn Porter’s Biden Film Among Cuts on First Night of Democratic National Convention

The first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was like the Oscars — in every sense of the word.

On a night when Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Ocasio-Cortez and others brought the United Center crowd to its feet with impassioned podium speeches — and a surprise appearance by Kamala Harris that was greeted with rapturous applause — several other scheduled moments failed to materialize.

Don Porter, documentary filmmaker who It was produced A short program about President Biden at the convention, which was planned to air before the president’s speech, has been postponed.

It’s not clear when the decision was made to remove the film from the program, but expectations from the filmmaker’s camp that came into the night were that the film would be shown just before the president’s speech. Biden’s speech was pushed to prime time because of a scheduling overrun that meant his address didn’t begin until about 10:30 p.m. ET, 15 minutes after the proceedings had fully concluded.

The movie was visual Biden’s social media accounts Tuesday morning are accompanied by the message “I love you, America.” The 10-minute piece includes interviews with Bill Clinton, Harris and other Biden confidants, and follows the public servant from his election as a 29-year-old senator from then-Republican Delaware through his long tenure in Congress, vice presidency and current White House tenure. Personal details alternate with his global ideology. At one point he says, “If we don’t lead the world, who will?”

Porter has a long resume that includes films about political figures, having directed a critically acclaimed civil rights documentary in 2020. John Lewis: Good Problem and this year Raphael Warnock and WNBA Topics The power of dreams.

Meanwhile, James Taylor did not perform on the night that saw Harris’s campaign launch, which shattered expectations, and Biden’s exit from the political arena. Taylor was scheduled to perform between Dr. Jill Biden and Ashley Biden, but he found himself friendless in the director’s booth amid the sun-soaked speeches that some thought would never end.

Taylor is a fixture in the Democratic National Convention organizers; he participated in the 2012 Democratic National Convention that launched Barack Obama’s successful re-election campaign.

New York Democratic Congresswoman Grace Meng’s speech also appears to have been canceled amid speeches from a wide range of lawmakers and stakeholders.

Conference organizers gave an unusual reason for canceling the conference: enthusiasm.

“Because of the loud applause that interrupted speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our schedule to ensure we could reach President Biden as quickly as possible so he could speak directly to the American people,” a conference official said. Rich “We are proud of the vibrant atmosphere in our convention hall and proud that our convention showcased the broad and diverse coalition behind the Harris-Walz ticket all week long on and off the stage,” said a statement distributed Monday evening.

Among the performers, country star Mickey Jetton and alternative country singer Jason Isbell entertained the crowd, while veteran Golden State Warriors and U.S. men’s basketball coach Steve Kerr entertained the crowd. Actor and film director Tony Goldwyn also spoke.

While the pre-primetime shows started almost on schedule, a number of slower-paced performances quickly affected the broadcast. Guyton’s performance was scheduled to begin at 7:45 p.m. ET, but didn’t start until 8:20 p.m. ET. From there, the delays continued to mount, leading to Biden taking the stage outside the traditional primetime window.

THR contributor Eric Cohn added to this report..