Frank Capra: Mr America

Frank Capra is arguably cinemas foremost populist, and today we see a wave of populism sweeping the world. We are also in an age of unprecedented hardship, and Capra's most extraordinary skill was to speak reassuringly to audiences at moments when it mattered most. If Frank Capra was making films today, he would probably be the filmmaker of the moment.

Frank Capra has been called an idealist and a cynic, a patriot and a subversive, a communist and a fascist, a liberal and a conservative, a political filmmaker and an a-political filmmaker, a pioneer and a traditionalist, an insider and an outsider. Many of his most vocal admirers also admit to harbouring dissenting views, while his fiercest critics seem unable to deny the warmth, charm and quality of his work. Frank Capra's life and work play host to a striking number of contradictions - this is what makes him so interesting.

This new feature documentary explores Frank Capra’s life and work in all its wonderful complexity. We will tell his story, look at his major films and probe the contradictions contained in both. We will hear from people who are inspired by his legacy, people who knew him in life, and people who have immersed themselves in the papers, letters and films he left behind.