Are socially conscious documentaries the exclusive domain of the left? It's hard to say otherwise given the wealth of left-leaning documentaries in recent years. And it isn't simply a matter of these movies defending liberals, or castigating conservatives, on screen.

It's the subjects themselves that appeal to core liberal values - like homelessness, war and the environment.

This week's Impact Film Festival in Denver, tied to the Democratic National Convention, is a good example of this trend. The festival isn't going out of its way to promote liberal causes, it's just gathering some of the more recent politically charged documentaries for DNC types to check out (the festival moves to the RNC next week).

But the lineup of films, from "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden" to "Flow," a film documenting the currents state of the earth's water supply, appeal more to left-leaners. Even the enjoyable new doc "Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story," about the late GOP strategist, gives Democrats plenty of red meat.

Conservatives can complain about the situation, or they can do something about it. Isn't there a social cause to be  explored with the United Nation's mishandling of the "Oil for Food" scandal? Or how about government programs that keep people in poverty rather than help them achieve independence? Those are social causes, too, but few films address these issues.

So conservative filmmakers should step up and enter the cinematic fray, like Citizens United started doing four years ago. The bar for making movies has never been lower. "Boogie Man" director Stefan Forbes told me yesterday he whipped up his film on his laptop.

(Photo: Left-leaning filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden" is being shown in Denver this week at the Impact Film Festival.)

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