Do we need another documentary about the 1968 Democratic National Convention? More importantly, after almost 40 years, do we need even one film about that turbulent week in August? The answer to both questions is, yes. The thing is, aside from Medium Cool, which is only part-documentary, I can't think of any docs that actually focus specifically on the convention and the infamous protests/riots that ensued in Chicago at the time (that doesn't mean there are none). And as far as the significance and relevancy of such a film, well, in my opinion it could serve us an inspiration for young people looking to take action in 2008.

Anyway, there is a new film about the DNC, and it is called Chicago 10. The doc, which was directed by Brett Morgen, has just been announced as the opening film for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. It may seem strange for a nonfiction film to kickoff the fest, but it isn't the first time. In 2004, Stacy Peralta's Riding Giants was the opener.

Chicago 10 reportedly tells the story of the DNC protests thoroughly, including the courtroom trial of the "Chicago 7" a year later, using an innovative style combining animation, archival footage and interviews. The film will also feature music from the period as well as revolutionary music of today, which is likely meant to parallel the current political atmosphere with that of the late 1960s.

The rest of the Sundance line up will be announced after the Thanksgiving weekend.

Election Day is not a federal holiday in America (yet), and it doesn't call for any exploitation by Hallmark. Each year it even results in a lot of unhappiness. But the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November is a day for celebration, because it is a day to recognize the right to vote as much as it is a day to exercise that right. When I think of Election Day festivities, I envision the "Election Day bonfire" described by Harpo Marx in his autobiography "Harpo Speaks." This was a biennial tradition in the Tammany-era New York City that the Marx Brothers grew up in, and I can only imagine what a delight it was to have such an observance on this day. For me, festivities are as simple as renting a political-themed film, particularly one about democracy, such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or Manderlay. This year, I decided to choose a non-fiction title, but with so many political documentaries coming out these days, it was hard to pick just one.

This year alone has seen a number of election-related docs released, including one nominated for an Oscar (Street Fight). There is a yet-to-be-released film on the political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is up for re-election today. There is a doc about voting machines called Hacking Democracy which premiered on HBO last Thursday and which will be airing again today (unfortunately, I don't have cable). And of course, An Inconvenient Truth will be released on DVD later this month. It isn't directly about an election or voting, but it is sort of marked by the reminder of Gore's loss in the 2000 election.

So, with all the choices out there for me and you for doc-watching on Election Day, I've narrowed down a list of seven that are worth checking out for different reasons. They aren't all great, they aren't all liked by me and there's one I haven't actually seen (I'll give you a hint: it just recently came out on DVD and isn't available yet from Netflix).

You should know Haskell Wexler for his cinematography work, which has gotten himself two Oscar wins (for Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf? and Bound for Glory) and another three nominations. You should definitely know him for his directorial masterpiece, Medium Cool, a drama that was filmed amidst the riots outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention. But do you know him for his documentary career? Sure, Medium Cool could fit on his documentarian resume for featuring so much non-fiction content, but I'm talking about the films he's made that are straight docs. The Bus, The Bus II, Bus Rider's Union, Underground, etc. You probably haven't, because they aren't easily available. If it weren't for his son Mark's recent film Tell Them Who You Are, a sort of bio-doc that is actually more like an autobio-doc, I wouldn't have even seen the few bits and pieces that I've seen. But just because his stuff is hard to find doesn't mean he hasn't been influential to many other documentarians, and for that he's being honored by the International Documentary Association with their 2006 Career Achievement Award.

Wexler's directorial work, in drama and documentary, has been known to be controversial. His second fiction film, Latino, was barely distributed for being too supportive of Nicaragua's Sandinista government, and his documentaries include Introduction to the Enemy, which followed Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden in their anti-war travels through Vietnam. His latest, Who Needs Sleep? deals with the dangerously long hours worked by film and TV crew members.

I think it is great that Wexler is being recognized in his lesser-mentioned career, and I have to say he deserves the award just for appearing in Mark's documentary, which you should run out and rent (or queue up) for a better appreciation of the elder Wexler. You may even possibly appreciate the film itself, as it rises above being a horribly shot and edited, offensively self-involved portrait of the artist to become, in the end, a touching essay on father-child relationships (it comes to real fruition while Fonda discusses her own dad).