Review Fix Exclusive: Jen Senko Talks ‘The Brainwashing of My Dad’

Review Fix chats with Director / Producer / Writer of “The Brainwashing of My Dad” Jen Senko about the film, the nerve-wrecking process of interviewing experts, the film’s “Kickstarter” campaign, the massive positive reaction to it and right-wing media.

Review Fix: Tell us about “The Brainwashing of My Dad.”

Jen Senko: “The Brainwashing of My Dad” is a hybrid documentary. It’s both about the story of the change my dad went through after his exposure to hate radio on a lengthened commute to work and the history of right-wing media. The film explains how and why it is so powerful.

Review Fix: What was filming like?

Senko: There were only four different set ups we filmed. We filmed experts, the personal stories from others with similar experiences, my parents and B-Roll so the film with all of its history and facts would not just be talking heads. Filming the experts was both nerve-wracking and exciting. The majority of the time we had a very small all-woman crew. Rachael Levine and Melodie Bryant on 3 cameras and myself. Since it was such a small crew we had to really plan interviews carefully. We were all psyched for our Noam Chomsky one and it fortunately went down really well! The personal stories were mostly shot by me setting up a camera at my desk and doing it through Skype. Filming my parents was a blast as they are a little “hammy” and comfortable in front of a camera.

Review Fix: Tell us about the “Kickstarter” campaign.

Senko: The “Kickstarter” campaign took almost a year to prepare for. I knew I had to get many of the interviews for the trailer and I had to work with my editor on the trailer itself. At first it sputtered, then all of a sudden after “CODEPINK” co-creator and executive producer Jodie Evans kicked in $5,000, it exploded. Our goal was around $15,000 but we ended up with around $40,000. One of the most surprising things we got out of the “Kickstarter” campaign was all of the people reaching out to us from the campaign telling us how they shared a similar experience.

Review Fix: You have people who give their stories of loved ones being affected by conservative media. Tell us about them and how did you go about finding them.

Senko: As I mentioned previously, many people from the “Kickstarter” campaign were already contacting us about their own personal stories. Since so many were contacting us we got the idea of including their stories. We sent a “Kickstarter” update asking those who would be willing to tell their story on camera to contact us. Then we also put an ad on Craig’s list. Then word just spread. Many were desperate to tell their story. I think it was a measure of catharsis for them. They all shared one thing in common – which was they felt a relationship with someone they loved was broken by anger generated by the far right media their loved one watched or listened to. I refuse to call it “conservative” media because to me and those who’ve experienced the change in loved ones, it is radical.

Review Fix: Has anyone mentioned in the film (“Fox News,” Rush Limbaugh) ever mention your film or contacted you in any way?

Senko: Actually, yes. I was quite shocked when someone from our team told me that Rush Limbaugh went on about it for quite a bit on his radio show last week. Leslie Salzillo from the “Daily Kos” wrote an article about Limbaugh’s reaction.

Review Fix: What has the reaction to the film been like?

Senko: The reaction to the film has been incredible. So many people relate to it – which is great but at the same time, frightening. But they feel happy, relieved and vindicated that this movie speaks for them. We are currently #11 on “iTunes” top 20 documentaries! That’s amazing. That number gets smaller every day. We’ve had a lot of interest in the film, which is so gratifying and wonderful.

Review Fix: Has your father seen the film?

Senko: I can’t talk about this too much otherwise it will give away the ending. Yes, he saw the film. He was proud of me. That much I can say.

Review Fix: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Senko: Just that I hope it not only gives people hope, but that it enlightens them as to how the country became so divided. I hope ultimately, it foments change. I hope that when people go into a bar or doctor’s office or bus station or hospital and they see Fox “News” on they will politely ask to have it turned off. I hope there’s a push to have Rush Limbaugh taken off military bases. I hope people will sign the petition on “CODEPINK” to get “Fox” out of the “YMCA.” I hope people will pay better attention to the language they use and not just adopt the language the Right invented. And I hope that people who see this film and feel strongly about it will both read and support independent media. And of course, I hope the country can begin to heal. That can happen if average Americans who have become victims of this poison media can begin to realize that they’ve been bamboozled.