American Troubles: A Tale of Two Democracies
Mar 17, 2026 | IMDB 0
40 min Watch NowHistory, Documentary
America's democracy feels more divided than ever - but what if the problem lies in how we vote? "American Troubles" explores whether proportional representation could break the cycle of dysfunction, drawing comparisons from two striking case studies: Portland, Oregon, where a bold new voting system is reshaping local politics, and Northern Ireland, where proportional elections helped end decades of violent conflict. Blending history, reform, and human stories, the film shows how electoral rules can entrench division - or create space for compromise.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Bloody Sunday
Hunger
Road
The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell
Zoo
Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story
Maze
Down To The Final
I Am Belfast
The Magic Box
Belfast's Victory in Vienna: A Footballing Odyssey
Poison Idea: Legacy of Dysfunction
Welcome to Bridgetown
Hard Border
Fast Break
Young Plato
The Bloody Border
Unquiet Graves
Bobby Sands: 66 Days
The Patriot Game
SIMILAR MOVIES
Bloody Sunday
IMDB 7.3 | Jan , 2002
The dramatised story of the Irish civil rights protest march on January 30 1972 which ended in a massacre by British troops.Hunger
IMDB 7.2 | May , 2008
The story of Bobby Sands, the IRA member who led the 1981 hunger strike during The Troubles in which Irish Republican prisoners tried to win political status.Road
IMDB 7.1 | Jun , 2014
Brothers addicted to speed at any price. Documentary following the motorcycle road racing careers, and fate, of the Dunlop family.The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell
IMDB 0 | Jun , 2022
With warmth, wit and honesty, Derry Girls' Jamie-Lee O'Donnell reflects on her childhood experiences and discovers what life's like for young people growing up in Derry today.Zoo
IMDB 6.7 | Jun , 2018
Young Tom and his misfit friends fight to save 'Buster' the baby elephant during the German air raid bombings of Belfast in 1941.Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story
IMDB 0 | Sep , 2012
In 1978 the Undertones released Teenage Kicks, one of the most perfect and enduring pop records of all time - an adolescent anthem that spoke to teenagers all over the globe. It was the first in a string of hits that created a timeless soundtrack to growing up, making the Undertones one of punk rock's most prolific and popular bands.Maze
IMDB 5.8 | Sep , 2017
Inspired by the true events of the infamous 1983 prison breakout of 38 IRA prisoners from HMP Maze, which was to become the biggest prison escape in Europe since World War II.Down To The Final
IMDB 0 | Dec , 1994
A unique production, featuring each member of the All-Ireland team, together with former Down footballing legends. Hear the strategies and comments from Manager Pete McGrath, interviews, comments and analysis from former Down stars like Sean O'Neill, Paddy Doherty, James McCartan, Peter Rooney and Liam Austin. Enjoy the revealing interviews from Down's previous All Ireland Winning captains Kevin Mussen - (1960), Paddy Doherty - (1961), Joe Lennon - (1968), Paddy O'Rourke - (1991) as well as current captain DJ. Kane - (1994). A history of Down football to treasure forever. Presented by Kevin Mallon Produced and Directed by Hugh HardyI Am Belfast
IMDB 6.7 | Apr , 2016
Belfast, it's a city that is changing, changing because the people are leaving? But one came back, a 10,000 year old woman who claims that she is the city itself.The Magic Box
IMDB 0 | Oct , 2012
A special live broadcast on both BBC and UTV, hosted by Eamonn Holmes, celebrating the best of Northern Ireland television over the past 60 years and marking the occasion of digital switchover.Belfast's Victory in Vienna: A Footballing Odyssey
IMDB 0 | May , 2022
Presenter Holly Hamilton tells the feelgood story of the Glentoran team who left Belfast on a European football adventure just before the First World War to win the Vienna Cup, the first ever European Cup.Poison Idea: Legacy of Dysfunction
IMDB 0 | Dec , 2017
From producer/director Mike Lastra comes the story of punk done right. Featuring live concert performances. Including lots of rare photos, interviews with many band members.Welcome to Bridgetown
IMDB 0 | Sep , 2015
Upcoming documentary directed by Adam Smith focusing on Portland Oregon's annual Bridgetown Comedy Festival and the Portland stand-up comedy scene.Hard Border
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2018
Belfast-born actor Stephen Rea explores the impact of Brexit and the uncertainty of the future of the Irish border in a short film written by Clare Dwyer Hogg.Fast Break
IMDB 10 | Sep , 1978
Evoking a cinema verite feel not found in most sports documentaries, Fast Break examines the 1977 Portland Trailblazers basketball team in a surprisingly personal and compelling fashion. Inter-cutting excerpts from the 1977 playoff / championship season, the film steps outside of the basketball court, and into the everyday lives of the Trailblazers, as well as their coach Jack Ramsey. Whether it’s biking the Oregon coast with star center Bill Walton, hosting a kids basketball camp with Dave Twardzik, or joking with Maurice Lucas at the pool – Fast Break lets the players speak for themselves: about basketball, life and playing in Portland. Fast Break, a film documentary about Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers winning the 1976-77 NBA title and the aftermath of their accomplishment, is the greatest movie I have ever seen on the subject of professional team sports, basketball as a metaphor for life, and the perfect practice of Zen Buddhism in American society.Young Plato
IMDB 6.3 | Mar , 2022
Mr. McArevey is a visionary headmaster at a Catholic primary school in one of the toughest neighborhoods of Belfast, Northern Ireland. He loves Elvis and teaches his students to connect with their feelings, while taking on the legacies of the “The Troubles.” In this exceptional portrait of a community still healing from trauma, we follow this educator extraordinaire as he uses Ancient Greek wisdom as an antidote for pessimism, violence, and historical despair.The Bloody Border
IMDB 6.3 | Aug , 2020
The painful story of Ireland and the Irish people, who struggled for centuries to free themselves from the tyrannical clutches of the British Empire; an epic tale of poverty, hunger, despair, violence and unyielding courage.Unquiet Graves
IMDB 8.3 | Jul , 2018
This feature-length documentary investigates the role the British government played in the murder of over 120 civilians in Counties Armagh and Tyrone from July 1972 to 1978.Bobby Sands: 66 Days
IMDB 7 | May , 2016
By the early 1980s, after two decades of violence and unrest, the situation in Northern Ireland took a sudden and profound turn inside the infamous Maze Prison. Seeking the right to be treated as political prisoners rather than common criminals, Irish Republicans led by Bobby Sands began a prison hunger strike that would draw international attention to the conflict. In the 66 days that he refused food, Sands would be elected to the British Parliament, put the Irish Republican struggle centre stage on the world news agenda, and pay the ultimate price for his political convictions. The film combines a powerful mosaic of archival materials, reconstructions and the illuminating accounts of former prisoners, commentators and key players in the drama. With Sands's evocative prison diary at its core, the film brings fresh insight to an iconic figure who single-handedly created a transformative moment in Ireland's history that had global aftershocks.The Patriot Game
IMDB 6.7 | Jun , 1979
Recounts Ireland's history from British colonization to the territory's division in 1922, then from 1968 details a decade of events through images and eyewitness accounts of killings and such massacres as the infamous "Bloody Sunday" as the IRA argues their cause.