In the documentary Homegrown, filmmaker Michael Premo offers an unflinching look at the events of Jan. 6, 2021. On that date, a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
One of the Trump supporters Premo profiles in the film is Thad Cisneros, a member of the Proud Boys originally from Alice, Texas. In Homegrown, Premo follows Cisneros inside the extremist circles he navigates and paints a picture of what radicalization looks like in America.
During our interview with Premo, we discussed his immersive filmmaking process, the challenges of earning trust with his subjects and what Homegrown reveals about how grievance, identity and community can shape someone’s political ideology.
Homegrown is now available to rent via the Direct to Audience platform GATHR.
Did you go into the production of this documentary with a goal in mind, or did you let that naturally progress?
For this project, we were really trying to understand people. We recognized this widening partisan divide — this chasm that started happening after [President Barack] Obama was elected. We wanted to understand what people were fighting for when they said they were fighting for America and what that meant to them, and why an increasing number of them felt like violence might be the only way to remedy their grievances.
You go into the belly of the beast for the film and get the subjects to speak very candidly with you. How were you able to earn their trust?
I think we approach all our work with an authentic interest in what people’s lives are like, and we try to create a space for people to feel comfortable to share who they are and what they are. The longer you spend time with people, you develop a rapport and a relationship. Those relationships are based on this honest interest in what makes them tick. I think that was a big contributing factor that let them feel like they could be themselves.
One of your subjects is Thad Cisneros from Alice, Texas. How did he come to be in your film?
I think we first met him at a rally in Portland, Oregon, right around the start of the pandemic. He was rolling around with the Salt Lake City Proud Boys at that time. It was interesting that there was this Latino dude from South Texas who was involved in the Proud Boys. When we met Thad, I wanted to know what brought him here and what motivated him. He was very meticulous and careful to feel me out. He had to go through a series of conversations with the whole chapter and let them approve before we could start filming.
From your perspective, what was his motivation?
Across the board, regardless of cultural or ethnic background, most people we met were not motivated by ideology. People were looking for community, belonging, purpose and meaning. Some people found friends that they liked and found a common cause, which maybe led them to ideology. But it didn’t start that way. That was particularly the case for people of color and Latino folks. They didn’t feel like they were welcomed into progressive or more liberal causes. I think part of it too is this perception that the conservative movement has a stronger relationship with the machinations of American power. I think that draws some people like Thad, who self-identifies as a conspiracy theorist.
You were at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Did you know what was going to happen that day?
In the fall of 2020, it was clear that people were frustrated and fed up and that something big was going to happen. As soon as Trump sent that “will be wild” tweet sometime around Christmas 2020, the whole movement erupted in excitement around storming the Capitol. So, we knew that was the plan. It wasn’t surprising, but it was absolutely shocking.
Since Jan. 6, Trump and his supporters have attempted to change the narrative about what actually happened that day. This includes Trump pardoning all the rioters who were convicted of federal offenses. What do you hope your film contributes to history?
I think it’s fascinating that Jan. 6 is probably one of the most documented events in history, and yet the narrative of what actually happened that day has been so manipulated. So, we really hope our film can contribute an unvarnished look at what actually happened that day and what people were there to do.
What is your theory on what will happen on Jan. 20, 2029? Will Trump leave office voluntarily?
My theory is that it’s really unlikely to see him leave office peacefully. He’s said repeatedly that he thinks he’s owed a third term. I think he’s going to try his best to make that happen.
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