In anticipation of the United States presidential election in 2020, the filmmakers Ashleigh McArthur and Barna Szász enlisted friends, colleagues and a handful of recent film-school graduates in a unique filmmaking experiment to capture the night in as many locations as possible. The result is The First Tuesday in November, a short documentary that chronicles the nail-biting evening of Tuesday 3 November 2020 from the perspectives of eager onlookers across the country. Teaming up with 15 filmmakers across several states – including the crucial ‘swing states’ of Arizona, Florida and Georgia – McArthur and Szász strip each subject of their party affiliation, instead focusing on them as individuals with their own subtle reactions. Assembled as a series of intimate black-and-white close-ups, the film conveys the intense emotional experience of election-watching in the US, regardless of party affiliation.