Celebrate President Obama’s 59th Birthday With First Trailer For THE WAY I SEE IT

Focus Features has released the poster and first trailer for Dawn Porter’s documentary and official 2020 selection of the Telluride Film Festival, The Way I See It, which follows former Chief White House Photographer Pete Souza’s time behind-the-scenes covering Presidents Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan.

The trailer for The Way I See It has been released today, Tuesday, August 4^th on President Obama’s 59^th birthday. 

This comes on the heels of Porter’s recent moving documentary, John Lewis: Good Trouble, chronicling the now-late Congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis. The Way I See It is produced by Porter alongside Academy Award®, BAFTA® and Emmy Award® winning producer Evan Hayes (Free Solo), Academy Award® and Emmy Award®-winner Laura Dern and her Jaywalker Pictures partner Jayme Lemons, in association with Platform One Media. The documentary is a co-presentation from Focus Features and MSNBC Films, a division of NBC News Studios. The Way I See It will open in theaters this September. 

Pete Souza commented, “I hope this film serves as a reminder about importance of the Presidency, but also how the power of the still image in behind-the-scenes moments can reveal the true character of the person holding that office.”

Based on the New York Times #1 bestseller comes The Way I See It, an unprecedented look behind the scenes of two of the most iconic Presidents in American History, Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan, as seen through the eyes of renowned photographer Pete Souza. As Official White House Photographer, Souza was an eyewitness to the unique and tremendous responsibilities of being the most powerful person on Earth. The movie reveals how Souza transforms from a respected photojournalist to a searing commentator on the issues we face as a country and a people.

The documentary is based on Souza’s New York Times #1 bestsellers, “Obama: An Intimate Portrait” and “Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents.”  He is a professor emeritus at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication and was a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism in 2001 as part of the Chicago Tribune staff. 

Souza, the filmmakers and Focus Features will also launch at the film’s release #VoteTheWayYouSeeIt, a social impact campaign aimed at engaging and encouraging all Americans to register to vote in the November elections. They will work together with HeadCount, a non-partisan organization that promotes participation in democracy through music, culture, and digital media. With HeadCount, they will provide resources to register all Americans to vote and understand their voting options — whether it is in-person at the polls, absentee or mail-in based on their state.

Pete Souza was the Chief Official White House Photographer for President Obama and the Director of the White House Photo Office from 2009-2017.  Previously, Souza was a national reporter for the Chicago Tribune from 1998-2008, a freelancer for National Geographic and Life, and the Official White House Photographer for President Reagan from 1983-1989.  His books include Images of Greatness: An Intimate Look at the Presidency of Ronald Reagan,” the New York Times bestseller The Rise of Barack Obama, which documents President Obama’s meteoric ascent from his first day in the United States Senate through the 2008 presidential primary, and the #1 New York Times bestsellers Obama: An Intimate Portrait and Shade: A Talk of Two Presidents.  Pete also published the children’s book “Dream Big Dreams” which also debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.  Souza is a native of South Dartmouth, MA.  He graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in public communication from Boston University and received his masters degree in journalism and mass communication from Kansas State University.  He is currently based in Madison, WI and is a Professor Emeritus at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication.