Just a short time before George W. announced his intentions to run for King of Amurca, the New Haven-born hopeful bought a ranch in tiny Crawford, Texas. From this suitably folksy pulpit, he engineered that down-home, aw-shucks presidential campaign persona that captivated/divided the nation, and then there were those hanging chads and...well, you know the rest.

CRAWFORD follows, through the eyes of the Crawford citizenry themselves, the crazy arc that accompanied two subsequent presidential terms of Bush-dwelling in their bitty town: the press corps filming the same appropriately rural hay bale over and over again, the proliferation of Bush souvenir shops, flocks of tourists, and, later, the arrival of Cindy Sheehan and 20,000 riled-up protesters. It's an examination of what happens when a town of 705 is forced to accommodate a Halliburton-sized PR machine, and the irrevocable growing pains that linger in town long after the fuss has died down.

We spotlighted this film back when it was shown as an AFS Doc-In-Progress, and the excellent final cut is already being sweated by no less than the likes of Richard Linklater, John Aielli, and Jake Gyllenhaal. As the divisive Dubya administration slinks to a close, the film couldn't ask for a more choice time to premiere its story of the 705 people in Crawford who were singed by the klieg lights of the past seven years.

Austinist recently caught up with CRAWFORD director David Modigliani to talk about the film, his motivation, and the hazards of a Crawford commute.

How did you get the idea to focus on Crawford? There was no way you could have known the town would become such a media circus at the time you started filming. Was there a point where you realized the story was going to become bigger than you envisioned?

I was initially drawn to Crawford because I'd been effectively duped. I didn't know that Bush wasn't from Crawford. When I found out that he'd moved there in 1999, just a few months before announcing his candidacy for President, I got curious about this 705-person town that he'd chosen as a prop in his origin myth. I went there with the intention of making a film about political stagecraft -- and that element is still part of the film -- but I found something much more interesting -- the people of Crawford.

By forming relationships with the people of Crawford well before Cindy Sheehan showed up in August of '05, I was able to follow the protests (and counter-protests) through their eyes. The arrival of the press corps in previous summers had been a circus; the summer of '05 was something else. On one Saturday, 20,000 people battled in this 700-person town. I realized at that point that the impact of Bush's political stagecraft on the characters in my film had become far more dramatic than I had ever thought it would.

Early on, I felt that Crawford was a microcosm - a symbol that Bush was holding up for the world as perfect small town America. That town, like the country, has born the brunt of Bush's actions. As we get ready to turn the page on the Bush era, we're just now beginning to reflect on it. We can choose to look back through the eyes of the media, through pundits, through historians who will write articles and essays and books, or we can step through all of that and get the story from the people who had a front-row seat. I think CRAWFORD is a unique reflection on the last seven years -- a people's history of the Bush era told by some of the most dynamic people you'll ever see on screen.

Was it hard to gain the people of Crawford's trust? The film does a great job of resisting the urge to turn Crawford's citizens into caricatures. How did you explain your intentions to them?

When the people of Crawford understood that I was interested in their story -- and that I was there for the duration -- they really opened up. They had a story to tell. I'm not a fan of the Michael Moore-style film in which the filmmaker inserts himself or herself into the movie. I don't want to follow a filmmaker. I want to follow someone more interesting. I tried to stay true to the characters in the film and then get as far out of the way as I could.

Did you live in Crawford for the duration of filming?

I've lived in Austin while making the film. Crawford is a 2 hour drive north. I can tell you where the speed traps are in Moody and McGregor by now.

Did you speak with Cindy Sheehan during the time she was installed in Crawford or did you try to stay more behind-the-scenes?

No, I never spoke directly to Cindy Sheehan. The film is told through Crawford's eyes. I wanted her to appear in the film as the our characters saw her -- at an observational distance. Instead, I went into the junior -year US History classroom of one of the characters -- a teacher -- and we had a discussion with all of the kids about what was going on a mile away.

Have you kept in touch with any of the people of Crawford?

I recently sent copies of the film to everyone who appears in it and many of them are coming to the premiere. It should be very, very interesting.

How did you come by such a high-profile advisory board (Jake Gyllenhaal, Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson)? Has having "names" attached help spread the message of the film?

Those folks really responded to the film -- to the idea that Crawford is a microcosm of the country. They found themselves identifying with people they thought they never would because they had shared the same experience of the Bush era. The same boom and bust. The same feeling of having been used. Their interest probably helped a bit with fundraising, but their real contribution to the film was their notes on an early cut of the film. They're good storytellers, with a great feel for film.

What's next? After you're done showing Crawford on the festival circuit, do you have any other projects shaping up on the horizon?

I'm really excited that SxSW has gotten behind the film. 3 screenings at the Paramount Theater is not something I could have envisioned when I walked into the gas station in Crawford three years ago to look for my first interview. I've been so focused on finishing the film and preparing for it to hit the world that I haven't had the chance to begin new projects. But I'm beyond grateful to have found exactly what I want to do.

CRAWFORD will have its World Premiere Saturday March 8th at the Paramount Theatre as part of the SXSW Film Festival. For more info, check out the Film Threat / B-Side SXSW Guide.