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Three Titles

The movie, Corruption.GOV has been fourteen years in the making. In its journey from concept to screen, this story has had three titles, each highlighting an important theme. The first title is A Mouse That Roared, the second, Conflict of Interest, and the third, the film's ultimate title, Corruption.GOV.

A Mouse That Roared

This "David and Goliath" image is an important theme in the story. Thabo Rohamba, the "mouse", is the president of the small African country of Mombaire. Having won an election against an evil and opportunist dictator, Rohamba wants change for his people. He wants them to succeed and to keep the money they've earned for their work, not see it all go to the government while they starve. From childhood, he has seen the devastating effects of selfish rulers, and he vows that his country will not follow in the steps of his predecessors. Rohamba wants justice.

This means standing up to the giant, the United States of America, in negotiating a fair price for Mombaire's exports. While self-focused men of the US Senate might try to bully and prod the rest of the world, the mouse roars - and the greedy take note.

Conflict of Interest

Back in 1996, the film's Executive Producer, David Cuddy, ran for a US Senate seat. During the election, Cuddy was amazed at how many "upright" civic leaders were willing to compromise their values for money and political favors from more powerful incumbent senators. After losing the 1996 Senate race, David Cuddy had a story to tell.

He interviewed several citizen challengers who had run campaigns similar to his own. What he learned from those interviews was this: time and time again, no matter how good the candidate, no one could beat those incumbents. And it wasn't just the incumbents' doing. The media would lambaste whichever citizen challenger happened to be in that particular race. It didn't matter if they were Republican or Democrat. The press automatically supported the incumbent.

With this information, David Cuddy set his sights on a medium that could reach an audience a book couldn't, a medium that reaches a wider spectrum of the public. The film Corruption.GOV was born, with incumbent Senator Mordire representing an amalgam of the dirty, nasty things incumbents do to hold onto their power, and the citizen challenger, Ron Garcia, representing the men and women who run against these powerful politicians.

The title Conflict of Interest reflected the politician's choice between morality and money.

Corruption.GOV

This final title emphasizes the source of conflict in the story, the problem present with many non-fictional governments today. The problem is this: some political systems seem to lend themselves to the corruption of their officials.

So often the focus of politicians is on special favors for personal advancement without concern for country or world beyond their own borders. Other politicians can't stop this corruption; the opponents are too many or they're being tempted themselves. The media, who was once the "town crier" of the world, informing the public of corruption in order to keep the government efficient, is also suspect. It seems no one is willing to keep anyone else accountable.

That's where Stan Rohamba comes in, the son of President Rohamba of Mombaire and the protagonist of Corruption.GOV. Stan has a substantial online readership through his blog, a platform free of media or government intervention and a powerful weapon in the right hands.

Through his blog, Stan has the opportunity to inform the public of the injustice in Mombaire, to become the 21st century "town crier" and to push corruption from the borders of his home.

"I hope that down the road Corruption.GOV is one of those films that is played at least once a year, or at least during the elections years. And I hope we can all take a lesson from my experiences and the experiences of these other men. That is what Corruption.GOV has always been about for me.

"This isn't just an interesting story. It's a story that needs to be told. Over and over again."

David Cuddy
Executive Producer of Corruption.GOV