American Socialist: The Life & Times of Eugene Victor Debs

Prolific filmmaker and ethnographer Yale Strom (THE LAST KLEZMER, CARPATI, L'CHAYIM COMRADE STALIN, and many others) has turned his attention to an early American political hero: Eugene Victor Debs.

Bernie Sanders inspired a generation – but who inspired him? Most people in America don't know that the contemporary political movement to address income inequality began over 100 years ago with Debs.

AMERICAN SOCIALIST: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EUGENE VICTOR DEBS is the culmination of five years of research and production. Its inspiration was the use of the word "socialist" as a political epithet, and Strom wanted to define and contextualize the term. In doing so, his film traces the history of American populism with the man who inspired progressive ideas – from FDR's New Deal to Bernie's presidential campaign. Here is an objective but passionate history of the movement as founded and championed by Debs, a movement that continues to have an impact on our lives today.