When I think of the song ‘Hey Man, Nice Shot’ by Filter, the first image that immediately comes to my mind is Jim Carrey shattering a basketball net backboard in Ben Stiller’s underrated comedy The Cable Guy. The second image that comes to mind was actually the inspiration for the song; besmirched politician Budd Dwyer’s infamous suicide during a televised press conference. The horrific video has been passed around for years and the event has been studied in broadcast media classes around the world.

Director James Dirschberger’s interest in the notorious event eventually lead to his first feature documentary, Honest Man: The Life of R.Budd Dwyer. The film chronicles the life of the troubled politician who’s career was tarnished by accusations of a bribery, driving him to desperate measures. The film traces the details leading up to the scandal as told by those closest to him. Here’s the official synopsis:

HONEST MAN is a skillfully crafted independent feature documentary that retraces the life of Budd Dwyer, a Pennsylvania politician who infamously committed suicide at a televised press conference. The film chronicles Dwyer’s meteoric rise to political power and examines the bribery scandal and subsequent trial that pushed him to his breaking point. Featuring exclusive new interviews with Dwyer’s family, friends, and colleagues, including a candid, heartfelt inte rview with Dwyer’s widow – her last before her death in 2009 – and a rare, revealing interview with William Smith, the man whose testimony convicted Dwyer, HONEST MAN reveals a story that has remained untold for over 24 years. This portrait of a man swept up in the turbulent and cutthroat political world of the 1980s will undoubtedly raise important questions about Dwyer’s presumed guilt, as well as the ethical choices that the media makes in showing violent images to the American public, an issue that is ever so present even in today’s media landscape.

Honest Man: The Life of R.Budd Dwyer premieres at Cinema Speakeasy at the Royal/T in Culver City on July 29th. It will also be available for direct downloading via Amazon VOD, Hulu, and other digital platforms. For more information on HONEST MAN, visit the film’s official website.