01.08.2009
The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival announced their 2010 lineup today and CLEANFLIX has been chosen for competition. Big Sky is a great festival in Montana that showcases some of the best documentary films in the world. We are thrilled to be included in the festival and are looking forward to a great time in Missoula. CLEANFLIX will be screening alongside some very good films, including Last Train Home, and H2oil.
CITY WEEKLY INTERVIEW
12.31.2009
The last day of 2009 is here and we're celebrating another successful year for Beachfire Pictures. So it only seems fitting that a great interview about CLEANFLIX was published today on City Weekly's website.
The last day of 2009 is here and we're celebrating another successful year for Beachfire Pictures. So it only seems fitting that a great interview about CLEANFLIX was published today on City Weekly's website.
...
Cleanflix
by Gavin Sheehan
Its no grand secret that a number of local practices and cultural habits in Utah are viewed by the rest of the country as ridiculous or near bumpkin-backward. But of the more recent years, one that got us the most attention was a privately owned business by the name of CleanFlicks. The humble video store catering to a mostly LDS crowd took major studio films and chopped the content down to a G-rating for distribution. Ultimately drawing heat from the directors and the studios themselves to take legal action, and in a twist ending fit for the very films they were slicing up, a sex scandal and subsequent arrests that eventually became the final nail in the coffin.
During the last few years of their time open, two filmmakers were making a documentary about the business and its affects from Hollywood down to the dedicated families renting them. “Cleanflix” eventually made it to the Toronto International Film Festival this year with hopes of distribution and more festivals down the road for 2010. I got a chance to chat with the two men behind it about the entire experience, plus their thoughts on film in general.
Andrew James & Joshua Ligairi
Gavin: Hey guys! First thing, tell us a bit about yourselves.
Andrew: I was born in St. Louis and spent several years in Chicago before attending high school in Atlanta. I came out to Provo to attend BYU where I studied English and planned on either becoming a teacher or going to law school. I was even starting some philosophy classes and prepping for the LSAT. But after a short time, I knew that I wasn't being true to myself, so I decided to drop my plans for law school and focus my remaining classes on film, art, and writing.
Joshua: Joshua Ligairi. My family is from Fiji. I grew up in Hawaii, San Diego, and Idaho. Went to high school and college in Utah. Lived in Europe (Amsterdam, Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona) off and on for extended periods of time. Been working in the Utah film industry for about six years. My day job used to be in the Art Department. Now I Direct almost exclusively. I've directed two released documentaries and two upcoming documentaries as well as several commercials and music videos. Played the bass in several punk bands. Like to snowboard and play soccer.
Gavin: What got you interested in filmmaking and what were some of your favorite films growing up?
Joshua: Like most filmmakers these days, I was always the kid with the video camera, running around making movies with my friends. Unlike most kids, I was fortunate to have a successful cinematographer and production designer in my neighborhood growing up and they got me on professional movie sets from a very early age. Being a child of the eighties and nineties, I was into the typical mainstream blockbuster stuff like "Star Wars", "Back To The Future", and "Indiana Jones". I got into more serious film in high school, around the time I started working on film sets. Hitchcock, Truffaut, Kurosawa, and David Lynch changed my life, but my favorite movies are still "The Goonies" and "The Lost Boys".
Andrew: My interest in filmmaking came from "Star Wars" - no question about it. As a kid, I used to watch one of the three Star Wars films every day after school. I was so obsessed with them, that even as a kid, I would watch the behind scenes specials and try and learn how they made the films. I think this prompted me to experiment with my parents video camera. I started with stop-motion animation. I would use toys and bring them to life in my parents basement. I also experimented with more traditional animation. I would draw little scenes and bring them to life one page at a time. In fact, I spent many of my weekends and after school hours making videos. This trend continued for many years. I shot dozens of short films in middle school and high school. When I was thirteen, I spent the summer re-making "The Empire Strikes Back" with my friends. We built ships, painted backdrops, designed sets, bought models, and made costumes. It was epic. Unfortunately, by the time I got to college, social and cultural pressure had all but convinced me to give up on being a filmmaker.
Gavin: Andrew, you went to BYU for your degree in English Lit. What was their program like for you, and what did you do while going through their film classes?
Andrew: The English program at BYU was great. I read a lot and learned to think critically about art. I took some great classes on literature and film and watched a lot of great classic films. In one of my classes, I studied Alfred Hitchcock and Edgar Allan Poe's influence on his films. In particular, I remember watching Hitchcock's "Vertigo" for the first time and learning about his fascination with vortex imagery and the similarities in Poe's writings. I was utterly blown away and it inspired me to write a film of my own. I've always been a hands-on learner and I knew the best way to learn was to start making my own films again. So I wrote a short film based on The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe and tried to employ some Hitchcock tension. I shot the film in an old house that we rented for twenty bucks a day and I cast my friends in the roles. The end result was certainly a mixed bag, but I came away from that experience with a renewed confidence in my abilities as a filmmaker. After that, I began writing another film, a social-political drama set against the backdrop of the immigration debate. I went through several drafts, modifying content to be more realistic with the shoestring budget that my wife Jolyn and I had set for ourselves. I decided to shoot the film in black and white and to approach the material like a documentarian would. I knew that this would lend itself to low-budget filmmaking and create a palpable style and tone for the film. We called the film "Una Vida Mejor", or "A Better Life". We shot the film over the course of two summers entirely on location in Utah, San Diego, and Tijuana. We cast local talent based on their passion for the script and found some great people who believed in the film enough to work for free. After two years of production and editing, we finished the film in December 2007 and submitted it to several film festivals. "Una Vida Mejor" was accepted to the 2008 CINEQUEST film festival in San Jose and won the Special Jury Prize for artistic vision. After that, the the film played internationally at Flanders International Film Festival alongside such films as "Man On Wire", "The Wrestler", "The Visitor", "Heavy Metal in Baghdad", "Wendy & Lucy", and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". This was the same year that I graduated from BYU.
Gavin: Joshua, you studied under Trent Harris before going to college, how was that experience?
Joshua: It was pretty amazing. I'd been a huge fan of "Rubin & Ed" growing up, and I was excited just to meet him. I studied directing and producing under him. This was right around the time "The Beaver Trilogy" was having its huge resurgence. I've talked to Trent on several occasions since then, he even advised us on another documentary project, but I've realized since hooking up with him on Facebook that he has no idea who I am. But I'm still a big fan. I love his films. "Plan 10" is canonical for me. I love the spirit of his "Wild Goose Chronicles". He has such a unique perspective and approach to his work, but on the other hand he is just a very normal guy from Utah. He's got kind of a Dottie S. Dixon quality to him. Dottie S. Dixon on peyote.
Gavin: What made you decide on UVU, and how was their program?
Joshua: It had nothing to do with the school. Utah Valley is where all the filmmaking action was at back then. Say what you will about the Mormon-themed films, I've worked on some stinkers, but those guys were getting their movies made. They were scraping funding together and making feature films. There was a real independent spirit down there that just wasn't present in SLC, or really, many places in the country outside of New York and LA. UVU is fine. They don't have a film program. I went the Integrated Studies route and tried to create my own film program combining classes from theater, multimedia, and communications. I got theory, directing, editing, writing, publicity, and cinematography, so I guess it all worked out, but I'm not sure I'd take the same path again. There are a few really great instructors there, though.
Gavin: How did the two of you eventually meet up and start working together?
Andrew: Josh and I met through a mutual friend, Xavier Gutierrez. During production on "Una Vida Mejor", Xavier suggested that he and I make a documentary about CleanFlicks. CleanFlicks had just been forced to close by Hollywood and Xavier thought it would make an interesting documentary. Of course, I was pretty familiar with CleanFlicks as a BYU student. I knew lots of people who loved it. I had even seen the CleanFlicks versions of "The Matrix", "Saving Private Ryan", and "Traffic" with LDS friends who refused to watch R-rated films. As an aspiring filmmaker in Utah, I was very interested in the topic and would often debate with my friends about it. So, I agreed to work on the film. After a few weeks of discussion, Xavier suggested that we meet up with Josh Ligairi, another local filmmaker. The three of us met for lunch and discussed the film, our ideas, and our tentative plan to move forward. The next week, Josh and I were driving all over Utah shooting footage of CleanFlicks stores and trying to get interviews. So interestingly, we became friends and developed our working relationship as we worked on this project together.
Joshua: We met purely by chance through one of the co-producers of the film, Xavier Gutierrez. We met for lunch once, talked about our vision for the documentary, and then started shooting right away. During the three years we were making the film we also worked together on a couple of short films, Andrew's first feature, two of my music videos, and another documentary I co-directed called "The BYU 25" about the Dick Cheney debacle at BYU. I'd been thinking about doing something on the topic for a long time, but it was seeing "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" that made me realize what a movie about CleanFlicks could be. Xavier and I had been talking about it from time to time and he was the one that brought Andrew and I together.
Gavin: How did you go about planning the initial story and what you intended to cover and document?
Joshua: Originally, the idea was the basic debate, to edit or not to edit, with the idea being that the movie would end with the David of CleanFlicks Media being crushed by the Goliath of the Director's Guild of America. CleanFlicks had lost a major lawsuit and were being ordered to close their doors. There was real human drama there and emotions ran high on both sides of the debate. It was an easy in and out story. I assumed we'd be done in a couple of months. But, on our first day of filming we found that many of the stores were defying the court ruling and were going to try and stay open under the radar. The story then became a study of these supposedly pious people running a morality-based business while knowingly breaking the law. Things only escalated from there.
Andrew: When we first started, Josh and I thought we were making a documentary about what CleanFlicks was and why it was shut down. In some respects, that's what the film ended up being about, but we didn't realize that there was much more to the story than that. During the first week of production, we learned that there were all kinds of edited movie retailers who were going to defy the judgment and try to stay in business. Of course, this excited us. We felt like investigative journalists. Honestly, we really had no idea what the future held. We were just shooting anything and everything related to edited movies - and there was a lot. In fact, it was challenging to keep up. We found sanitized video stores all over Utah and Idaho and spent a lot of time trying to get inside and secure interviews with the owners. We also found a dozen companies online who were still offering edited films. So for a while, our focus was to investigate the stores that were defying the ruling against CleanFlicks. Of course, we also followed the story of Daniel Thompson, the former owner of Flix Club in Orem. He was the most vocal and most willing sanitizer to participate in the film, so things kind of naturally went in that direction. I think the glue that finally held everything together for us was Mormonism. It didn't take long to see that Mormonism was at the root of the edited movie movement and that most customers not only here, but all over the country were Mormon. How Mormonism informed our characters became central to the film and allowed us to ask some interesting questions about a culture that consistently tries to repress sexuality in the name of family values.
Gavin: When you first started filming, what was the reaction from people towards CleanFlicks itself?
Andrew: We tried very hard to contact the DGA for a statement or possible interview, but they more or less ignored us. We had a bit more luck with individual filmmakers but were still unable to schedule an interview with any of the directors involved in the lawsuit. However, many of the filmmakers we contacted were very gracious, including James Cameron and Martin Scorsese, who both responded favorably to the idea of the film, but were too busy to participate. Finally, we landed an interview with Neil LaBute, who generously agreed to take part in the film and we ended up interviewing him on the set of "Lakeview Terrace" in Los Angeles. After the success of the LaBute interview, we decided to include Richard Dutcher, realizing that the Mormon background of both directors would be a good way to build connective tissue.
Joshua: There were mixed reactions from within the the edited movie community, but ultimately everyone decided to speak with us, although some hid their identities. Dealing with our subjects was a major challenge. Those that had been involved with the lawsuit were understandably guarded, and those that had stayed in operation were rarely honest and open with us. We had to do a lot of gum-shoeing to uncover the story.
Gavin: How long did it take you both to make this documentary and what were some of the challenges you met along the way?
Joshua: There were many twists and turns that kept us following these guys for two years. Then, we edited the hundreds of hours of footage for another year until we got it down under ninety minutes. But, as I mentioned earlier, we did a lot of other things in the meantime. This was a slow-burner and we just had to be patient and follow the story.
Andrew: The most obvious challenge that comes to mind is time. It took time for us to actually cover the story properly. It took time for important events to unfold. It took time for us to get the shots we needed. It took time for us to hone our vision. It took time for us to find the best way to approach the material in the editing room. It took time for us to actually edit the film. Everything just took a lot of time. Luckily, Josh and I were both in a place in our lives where we could afford to be patient with the material and allow things to progress organically. All in all, "Cleanflix" took about three years to finish.
Gavin: Were you shocked at the amount of content edited from these films, or did it make sense as you were exploring the culture and the people who buy them?
Andrew: Yes and yes. It was shocking, but it also made a lot of sense. CleanFlicks was editing out every use of a curse word, every instance of nudity, and almost every suggestive comment. They would even edit out scenes that suggested that sex had taken place outside of marriage. For example, if a scene depicted a couple in bed together who were not married, that scene would be excised. Personally, I found it shocking, but of course it made sense. Most CleanFlicks patrons were Mormon, most edited video companies were started in Utah, and overwhelmingly, most patrons of other edited video companies were also Mormon. Of course, the idea of sanitized films appeals to a much wider demographic, and there were signs that CleanFlicks and their competitors were going to blow up nation wide, but it took the culture of Mormonism to create the edited movie movement. Ask a typical person on a city street in any state in the country and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who even knows what CleanFlicks is. On the other hand, Mormons all over the country know about edited films, even if they never supported the cause. This makes a lot of sense because of the cultural stigma with the LDS community surrounding the R-rating. In 1986, Mormon Prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, mentioned the R-rating specifically, calling such content "pornographic." Since that time, it has become a Mormon faux pas to watch rated-R films. The LDS community cares deeply about family values and they perceive R-rated content as spiritually damaging. They place heavy emphasis on the negative effects of media and try very hard to be spiritually and morally clean. Of course, the meaning of the word clean within a Mormon paradigm refers to the idea of sexual purity. The fact is, sanitized movie supporters are not overly concerned with depictions of violence. They are instead worried about the negative effects of sexual representation. But I always found it ironic that even in LDS culture, sex (or in this case, the lack thereof) is what sold the DVDs.
Joshua: Considering the culture, I wasn't too surprised for the most part, but there were some things that would blow your mind and we've included them in the film.
Gavin: I've heard in a prior interview the ideal that a lot of it comes down to money, the fact that they know there's an audience for a clean R-rated film. Do you feel that cheapened the aspirations of their business?
Joshua: Honestly, I don't think there was too much crossover between the idealists and the capitalists. The guys who were in it for the money were always in it for the money. The guys who were in it for the cause claim that they would have gladly stopped at any time if Hollywood would provide the edits themselves. So, as far as cheapening it, I'm not sure. There were definitely a lot of these guys who were taking advantage of their good intentioned (if misguided) patrons. But they weren't all bad either. Many of them were trying to serve their community in the best way they knew how.
Andrew: I think the guys behind CleanFlicks really believed in what they were doing, but I don't think that the desire to make money and the desire to provide clean entertainment is mutually exclusive, at least not in the minds of the sanitizers. Most of the people behind the edited movie movement are very conservative, both politically and socially, and they share an intense belief in private ownership and private enterprise. So its hard to say if the business side of the sanitized movie industry cheapened the more religious aspirations that came with it. The desire to make money is deeply entrenched in their cultural and religious worldview. They would call it free enterprise and the righteous pursuit of wealth.
Gavin: What were your opinions about CleanFlicks as filmmakers going in, and now having documented it and researched it, what's your take on now?
Andrew: I try to appreciate an artist's vision, I like to be challenged, and I believe that art is one of the most important teachers we have as a society. So naturally, CleanFlicks and the ideas behind it, frighten me a little bit. I oppose censorship in all its forms, plus, it's clearly wrong to turn a profit by altering and selling copyrighted material that doesn't belong to you. That being said, I can understand a parents desire to protect their children from harmful influences. Of course, we can argue all day about what's harmful and what's not, but I respect the notion of protecting one's child. But there's a lot more to the sanitized movie movement than protecting children. According to Robert Rosen, Dean of UCLA Film, "This has very little to do with protecting children. There are all kinds of religious, political and ideological biases at work." To put it bluntly, I believe that for the most part, the men and women behind the sanitized movie movement were fighting a moral crusade. They were not out to expand the role of copyright law. They were not out to fight for the rights of the end user or the consumer. They were blanketly excising "objectionable" material with no thought of context in the name of religion and conservative family values. So no matter how I look at it, even now, after three years of thinking about it, its hard for me to see an upside to what CleanFlicks and their competitors were doing. Of course, I met many people who were involved with sanitized films, and I don't judge them. Many of them were great people, but I can't condone or defend the business they were involved with.
Joshua: For me, the film was a way to explore the issue. I had never watched an edited movie before we began, I wasn't a supporter of edited movies, and I probably leaned toward protecting artistic vision, but I also saw that there were some very reasonable arguments for edited movies. My goal was to stay as objective as possible and ask a lot of hard questions to everyone on both sides. It is a really grey issue. It is polarizing and easy to defensively take sides, but for me it is grey. I am apposed to censorship. I want to make that clear, but I also think the end-user has some rights and, moving into the digital age, Hollywood needs to catch up with the reality that their audience is going to remix, mash-up, and re-shape their products in any way they see fit, just like they do now with music. There are so many issues at play here. I hope our film will make audiences think about and discuss those issues. I hope that the people who watch our movie will feel as conflicted as I do and have to deal with the information we present them with on their own terms. A movie can't answer all the questions, but it can tell a good story and be the jumping off point for some good conversation.
Gavin: Does it feel odd being a film using Fair Use rules doing a documentary on people who, for lack of a better term, ignored those rules for the most part?
Joshua: Yeah, that was a tricky part of the equation, so we just decided to leave it up to our lawyers. Anything that they felt was questionable we pulled. When we were in production we followed general guidelines accepted by the documentary community and when we were done we ran everything by the pre-eminent Fair Use attorneys in the industry.
Andrew: Honestly, it wasn't that odd because we worked closely with our lawyer to make sure we were following fair use rules properly. There are number of movie clips in the film which had to be trimmed or cut according to the guidelines provided by our attorney. However, I should point out that CleanFlicks and their competitors did not completely ignore fair use. One could argue that they did not totally understand it, but the fact is, they tried very hard to argue fair use for themselves.
Gavin: How was it adjusting to the real-life happenings of both the major lawsuit and the surprising arrests that happened down the road?
Andrew: During the two year period we were in production, events were taking place that we did not foresee, and it caused us to re-evaluate a bit. We realized that the story was unfolding before us and that we really couldn't plan on anything. The fact is, we never imagined that Daniel Thompson would become the main character of the film, but his refusal to stop selling edited movies and the popularity of his store provided the narrative that we were looking for. Of course, his arrest was shocking. We were all shocked. But we had been shocked before. We were shocked to find out that dozens of sanitized movie retailers were still open after the lawsuit and we were equally shocked that Daniel opened Flix Club. I think adjusting to the arrest was the most difficult though. We had to make a decision as to whether or not we were going to cover Daniel's allegations and trial or just focus on what had happened with CleanFlicks. Ultimately, we decided to follow Daniel's story to the end because we felt like he and his store represented something important - the cultural struggle to hold on to edited movies.
Joshua: It was tricky because we were dealing with what had become long-standing relationships and real people. Friends start texting and emailing you, congratulating you on your subjects getting arrested, and it is a weird thing to deal with ethically and emotionally. Again, we just tried to be fair and professional. You've got to keep going. Some people don't like that the documentary goes down that road, but it would have irresponsible to leave it out, and yes, it ups the ante in terms of real human drama.
Gavin: When all was finished filming, what was the process like putting everything together while keeping an eye on them for possible updates?
Joshua: That was always the question. When do we end this film? Things are still happening, even now. At some point you just have to draw a line. We had characters with arcs, we were telling an interesting story, we were as honest as possible, we had a twist ending, and had represented both sides as best we could. We decided that was enough.
Andrew: The editing process was daunting, to say the least. We had hundreds of hours of footage. So at first, Josh and I were just editing little clips. Eventually, those clips helped form a 45 minute preview which led to a rough cut. From there, we screened the film to close friends and colleagues who took notes and provided feedback. Josh would come over to my house and we'd take turns editing and have meetings to discuss our progress. Then last April, after a year of intense editing, Josh went on vacation and we decided to take a three month hiatus. It seemed like a great plan and a well-deserved break, but shortly after Josh left, we found out that the Toronto International Film Festival had heard of the film was interested in seeing a cut. So we had no choice but to finish the editing once and for all. We barely finished the cut in time and fortunately, the programmers liked the film and accepted "Cleanflix" into the festival.
Gavin: When it was done did you immediately start looking for a distributor or were you more interested in going the film festival route?
Andrew: We've been interested in both festivals and distribution from the start and acquired a sales rep, Submarine Entertainment, shortly after being accepted into Toronto. Our plan is to screen "Cleanflix" at as many festivals as possible because that's where a good number of buyers like to make acquisitions. In fact, there is a lot of interest in "Cleanflix" at festivals nationwide and we are currently making plans for more festivals in the coming months. We should be announcing specifics on our website sometime in January.
Joshua: We've always felt that this was a festival film. We think there is a market in Utah, but for the most part this is made for film fans and festivals is where you find them. Of course, distributors and bloggers and critics are all at the festivals as well, so it works out perfectly.
Gavin: How was it getting into the Toronto Film Festival, and what was the experience like for both of you being a part of it and seeing the audience reactions?
Joshua: Toronto was a dream come true. It was wonderful being associated with the best filmmakers in the world. Screening alongside films by Steven Soderbergh, The Coen Brothers, Werner Herzog...it was a singular experience for a young filmmaker. The staff was amazing. The audiences were great. We'd never watched the film with an uninitiated audience before and hearing their shocked reactions to daily life in Utah was priceless.
Andrew: Well, the Toronto International Film Festival is one of the top three film festivals in the world and being accepted was very exciting. Really, it was like a dream come true. I'm not sure how else to describe it. We all celebrated for several nights in a row. But after the initial excitement wore off, reality set in and there was a lot of work to do to get the film ready. We had to acquire insurance and there was paperwork to be done and so on. Our festival experience was wonderful, and it was largely due to the fact that we had a great audience at every screening. After each screening, a large number of people stayed for the Q&A's and asked very thoughtful, intelligent questions. Our audiences were very gracious and complimentary of the film and showed no hesitation in approaching us to talk about the film, take pictures, and show support. We were also lucky enough to have several really great reviews written on the film, so all in all, people seemed to be liking the film. Its just a total blast to see your film on the big screen in a crowded auditorium. Audiences laughed and cheered and clapped. It was surreal. We also met some other great filmmakers and were able to participate in dinners and various social events for directors. Thom Powers, one of the documentary programmers in Toronto, took a special interest in us and made sure all of our needs were being met. I really can't say enough about how special the experience was for us and the entire crew.
Gavin: With everything you've done so far, what are the plans for the film from here?
Andrew: We have several festivals lined up over the next few months and we will continue to screen the film all over the country, as well as internationally. We also hope to acquire DVD and television distribution in the near future.
Joshua: We want to keep playing festivals for awhile and then distribution. I think we could play theatrically in major cities where documentaries do best, as well as in Utah. The documentary market and the Mormon movie market are almost exactly the same size, so if we can serve both niches, we'll be happy. This film will have great television and DVD distribution, but we're also looking into online distribution because that is where the industry is going.
Gavin: Moving to local filmmaking, what’s your opinion of the Utah film scene, both good and bad?
Joshua: Well, like I was saying before, there have been a lot of sub par-movies made around here, and sometimes I'm embarrassed to say that I worked on most of them, but those Mormon filmmakers created a huge independent film community and have left behind the legacy of infrastructure. The next generation will really benefit from their pioneering. There are extremely talented crews here, great rental houses, and sound stages, all waiting to be utilized.
Andrew: There are many talented artists here and I'm always excited and thrilled to see great work coming out of Utah. I've worked with some great people here and have nothing but the highest regard for the other filmmakers that I've met. It's an exciting time to be working on films in Utah.
Gavin: Anything you think could be done to make it bigger or better?
Andrew: I think the most important thing is to be true to yourself and to your story. As long as artists strive to be honest and to tell a good story, good work will follow.
Joshua: Unity. As one, step together. There is a lot of competitive back-biting. The Disney guys don't like the horror guys don't like the Mormon guys, etc. Film students are the worst. There is a lot of talent here and a lot of hands to hold each other up.
Gavin: Are there any local directors or production companies you feel are at the top of their game?
Joshua: I'm not sure about the top of their game, but many of them have continued to progress. Dave Boyle and Duane Andersen, who just made "White On Rice", are huge talents that are finding success. Jared Hess, whether you like his films or not, is at least making wholly original work. E.R. Nelson is going to continue to be successful. Maclain Nelson is one to watch for. There are a lot of great documentarians out there right now. The team behind "New York Doll" and "Resolved", the guys who made "Hi, My Name Is Ryan", and "The Best Worst Movie" guy are all having major success right now. The guys who made "The Sonosopher" are poised to strike. So many up-and-comers. Of the old guard, Richard Dutcher and Kurt Hale have gone in very different directions and are both doing horror now, which is pretty interesting. Trent Harris is still working. Andrew Black should be making some great films from scripts by Kynan Griffin and Jason Faller. Ryan Little and Adam Abel, who made "Saints & Soldiers", seem to make bigger and better movies each time out. That is all you can ask for, a community that is trying to progress.
Andrew: There are many local filmmakers who are doing remarkable things, but I would like to mention Torben Bernhard and Travis Low, the directors of "The Sonosopher". Torben and Travis are first rate filmmakers and their film, "The Sonosopher", is first rate as well. Its an experimental documentary that chronicles the life and work of Alex Caldiero, an avant-garde poet who lives in Utah County. Its a very powerful film that both challenges and inspires while simultaneously expanding our perceptions about art, film, and the documentary form. Like us, Torben and Travis will be screening their film at festivals throughout the coming year.
Gavin: Since we're approaching the season, what are your thoughts on the film festivals that come through every year, and are there any changes you wish you could make?
Andrew: Well, Sundance is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world and we are lucky to have it here in Utah. In fact, I attend the festival every year and have yet to see a film that I didn't like. I hope to be able to screen a film there at some point in the future. There seem to be more festivals opening up every year, which is great because that means that more films will find an audience. I'm happy to be a part of it. As the festival circuits expand, I hope that the ability for festivals to connect filmmakers with distribution opportunities will also expand. I have seen evidence of that happening and hope the trend continues.
Joshua: We're very lucky to have the entire film industry show up in town every year. That doesn't happen anywhere else in the US other than New York and LA. I think a lot of people take it for granted. Sundance is one of the best things Utah has going for it, film wise, and I hope local politicians and filmgoers will continue to support it. We can't afford to have the festival move to New York, as is rumored. We just lost Tromadance after ten years. Slamdance is great too and I would recommend that anyone into independent film check them out. It is a smaller affair, more punk rock, and they have some good movies.
Gavin: What have you got planned for your next film, and what can we expect from you both going into next year?
Joshua: We'll be taking "Cleanflix" around to festivals all over the world off and on for the next year. We're currently looking for a good venue for a US premiere. Our next screening is in Sweden. My next film is a documentary called "Skeleton Picnic". I'm doing it with a really talented guy named Ben McPherson and some of the guys behind Nitro Circus. The plot is kind of under wraps right now, but it deals with important Native American issues and will feature reenactments with major Native actors including Adam Beach from "Smoke Signals" and "Flags Of Our Fathers". I'm more excited about this than anything else I've ever worked on. We've already shot some footage and are finishing it up in February. I've also got a doc called "Gay & Mormon" on the way, which I'm doing with the director of "The Up Beat", but we are holding off on that for a while because there is a competing project coming out first.
Andrew: The next year should be a busy one for both us as we promote "Cleanflix" at film festivals all over the world. Plus, I'm already in pre-production on my next film, a documentary called "Salt City Pusher". It's an incredible true story that takes place amidst Ronald Reagan's war on drugs, about a man who smuggled cocaine from Lima, Peru to Salt Lake City, Utah, disguised as a Mormon missionary. "Salt City Pusher" will make use of dynamic interviews and visionary re-creations, transporting audiences from the jungles of Peru, through the sewers of San Diego, and ultimately here, to Salt Lake City. I'm directing the film with Torben Bernhard, co-director of "The Sonosopher", and we are planning on shooting it in the fall of 2010.
Gavin: Aside the obvious, is there anything you’d like to plug or any final thoughts you wanna voice?
Andrew: I would like to encourage your readers to keep an eye out for a "Cleanflix" screening in Utah. Sometime during the next year, we'll be screening the film in Salt Lake City and we would love to have some local support. So check out our website and become fans on Facebook.
Joshua: Hup Real Salt Lake!
LONG DAY IN THE STUDIO
12.13.09
The first interview for Salt City Pusher is in the can, but not without incident. The shoot was exciting, magical, illuminating, surprising, and disastrous all at once. It was a 10 hour shoot and there were definitely some tense moments. Our subject, Jorge, was really nervous and it took quite some time to get into a rhythm with him. He even vomited about halfway through the day. But thankfully, he stuck it out, had a great attitude, and worked hard to help us get the material we needed. In fact, after Jorge loosened up, the interview was utterly amazing. He was expressive, lovable, descriptive, and dynamic. He was open, funny, and honest, often times finding the humor and irony in his own words. At one point, Jorge even wept on camera as he lamented his poor decisions, remembered his mother, and asked forgiveness from his loved ones. It was a hard day for him emotionally and for us as well, but the amazing material we captured was worth it for everyone.
SALT CITY INTERVIEW
12.09.09
After several months of pre-production on Salt City Pusher, we are finally ready to shoot our first interview with Jorge. We have a studio space rented in West Provo and we are anticipating a 10-12 hour shoot. The outline is ready, the questions are ready, our subject is ready, the production design is ready, and we are ready. Torben and Marissa are moving to Thailand next week, so things have been kind of crazy, but everything has come together nicely. Our producer, Michael Van Orden, is amazing. He's really helped us get everything ready for the shoot.
Torben and I have spent the last several months working closely with Jorge to hash out the details of the story. In fact, Jorge has signed off on every draft of the outline so far. We have tried to keep him involved in the process as much as possible so that nothing is a surprise when we shoot the interview and when he finally sees the film.
MOVING ON . . .
12.03.09
CLEANFLIX was not accepted into Sundance and now, we can move on. The impenetrable fortress (as I like to call it) had a record number of submissions once again, and fewer slots to fill. Ironically, our success at TIFF was probably one of the main reasons for not being selected. Sundance loves their world premieres and they work hard to select films that haven't played anywhere else. But the films that were selected look fantastic and my hat goes off to them. Sundance is just one hard egg to crack. Of course, I'll try again with future films, but for now, I'm moving on. We are currently evaluating our options for CLEANFLIX and developing a festival strategy for 2010.
CLEANFLIX was not accepted into Sundance and now, we can move on. The impenetrable fortress (as I like to call it) had a record number of submissions once again, and fewer slots to fill. Ironically, our success at TIFF was probably one of the main reasons for not being selected. Sundance loves their world premieres and they work hard to select films that haven't played anywhere else. But the films that were selected look fantastic and my hat goes off to them. Sundance is just one hard egg to crack. Of course, I'll try again with future films, but for now, I'm moving on. We are currently evaluating our options for CLEANFLIX and developing a festival strategy for 2010.
CHRISTMAS GIFT
11.30.09
My short doc, The Cottage, is coming along nicely. In fact, I'm planning on having the film done in time for Christmas so I can give it to my family as a gift. Over Thanksgiving break, I was able to shoot some b-roll and interview my father. It went really well. I should have the entire film on-line by the beginning of next year.
My short doc, The Cottage, is coming along nicely. In fact, I'm planning on having the film done in time for Christmas so I can give it to my family as a gift. Over Thanksgiving break, I was able to shoot some b-roll and interview my father. It went really well. I should have the entire film on-line by the beginning of next year.
NOT YET
11.24.09
Well, the Bee Money documentary has been officially shelved. Bee Money would make a great subject and his story is incredible. However, for reasons not worth discussing here, Bee Money isn't quite ready to openly share himself with the world. We had a conversation on the phone the other day and decided to hold off on the film for now. Maybe in a few years...
Well, the Bee Money documentary has been officially shelved. Bee Money would make a great subject and his story is incredible. However, for reasons not worth discussing here, Bee Money isn't quite ready to openly share himself with the world. We had a conversation on the phone the other day and decided to hold off on the film for now. Maybe in a few years...
CLEANFLIX - NOVEMBER UPDATE
11.18.09
After the success of TIFF, we are anxious to get moving again. We have submitted CLEANFLIX to a lot of film festivals and have been invited to play even more. Right now, we are hoping to play Sundance, but if we don't get in, we have our sights set on SXSW, Tribeca, and a few others. Because Sundance is so selective, you can't premiere anywhere else. This means that right now, we are on a kind of hiatus and can't play festivals, even though we could have, while we wait to hear back from Sundance. During the past two months, we've been able to catch our collective breath, but as November comes to a close, Sundance is looming on the horizon. We expect to hear back during the coming weeks.
NEW DOCUMENTARY: SALT CITY PUSHER
10.15.09
Well, we are excited to announce that we have begun pre-production on a new documentary, Salt City Pusher. The new film is being produced by Beachfire Pictures, Ginnaree Productions, and Michael Van Orden. We have a great team in place. Travis Low, co-director of The Sonosopher, will be editing the film and Torben Bernhard, the other half of The Sonosopher, will be sitting in the director's chair with Beachfire's Andrew James. Production is tentatively scheduled to begin in late summer or early fall of 2010 but we are planning on shooting our main interview this December.
We first encountered the story for Salt City Pusher through a friend and colleague, Eli Gabriel. While attending CINEQUEST 18 for the world premiere of Una Vida Mejor almost two years ago, Gabriel told us the incredible story of his father's journey to America and we knew right away that it would make a great film. However, we just weren't ready. We stored the idea away, hoping to come back to it someday. Well, I guess that day is today. With CLEANFLIX and The Sonosopher under our belts, we feel ready to tackle this epic project and tell the incredible true story of Jorge Garcia, the Salt City Pusher.
We are currently in the earliest stages of pre-production, but have been able to write a short synopsis to be included with a treatment as we seek out investors.
...
Amidst Ronald Reagan's war on drugs, Jorge Jesus Garcia strapped two kilos of cocaine to his torso and smuggled his new life into the United States from Lima Peru to Salt Lake City Utah, disguised as a Mormon missionary.
Salt City Pusher will chronicle Jorge's epic journey through the use of dynamic interviews and visionary re-creations, transporting audiences from the jungles of Peru, through the sewers of San Diego, and ultimately to the Mormon mecca of Salt Lake City. Within three years, Jorge successfully transitioned from living in a chicken coop to accumulating $200,000, and was well on his way to building a small empire.
Featuring a dynamic, honest, and emotional interview with the enigmatic Jorge Garcia, as well as archival materials, and cinematic re-creations that will be shot on location, Salt City Pusher will depict firsthand Jorge's experiences, successes, and regrets on his path to carving out a life for himself in America.
ROTTEN TOMATOES
10.09.09
CLEANFLIX has officially been added to Rotten Tomatoes and we had absolutely nothing to do with it. Somehow, these things just happen. CLEANFLIX doesn't have enough reviews to be considered fresh or rotten yet, but hopefully all of our reviews will be counted sooner than later, because so far, our page feels a little sparse. In the meantime, you can read all of the CLEANFLIX reviews here.
CLEANFLIX has officially been added to Rotten Tomatoes and we had absolutely nothing to do with it. Somehow, these things just happen. CLEANFLIX doesn't have enough reviews to be considered fresh or rotten yet, but hopefully all of our reviews will be counted sooner than later, because so far, our page feels a little sparse. In the meantime, you can read all of the CLEANFLIX reviews here.
OUR TORONTO EXPERIENCE
09.26.09
TIFF was amazing to say the least. After our successful world premiere, CLEANFLIX had three more screenings, one for press and industry and two more for the public. Because of our publicist, festival programmers, bloggers, critics, and a lot of twitter activity, CLEANFLIX was getting a lot of buzz. In fact, the film was sold out and audiences were fighting for tickets in the rush line.
All three of our public screenings were held at the AMC theater right downtown at Young and Dundas. If you don't know, Dundas square is kind of like the times square of Canada and its a pretty exciting part of downtown Toronto. Every night, the festival hosted great events in the square. One of the highlights this year was Neil Young. But the most rewarding thing about screening CLEANFLIX at TIFF were the audiences. We had a really great audience at every screening. In fact, after each screening, a large number of people stayed for the Q&A and asked very thoughtful, intelligent questions. Audiences were very gracious and complimentary of the film and showed no hesitation in approaching us to talk about the film, take pictures, and show support. Like I said, it was pretty amazing.
TIFF was amazing to say the least. After our successful world premiere, CLEANFLIX had three more screenings, one for press and industry and two more for the public. Because of our publicist, festival programmers, bloggers, critics, and a lot of twitter activity, CLEANFLIX was getting a lot of buzz. In fact, the film was sold out and audiences were fighting for tickets in the rush line.
All three of our public screenings were held at the AMC theater right downtown at Young and Dundas. If you don't know, Dundas square is kind of like the times square of Canada and its a pretty exciting part of downtown Toronto. Every night, the festival hosted great events in the square. One of the highlights this year was Neil Young. But the most rewarding thing about screening CLEANFLIX at TIFF were the audiences. We had a really great audience at every screening. In fact, after each screening, a large number of people stayed for the Q&A and asked very thoughtful, intelligent questions. Audiences were very gracious and complimentary of the film and showed no hesitation in approaching us to talk about the film, take pictures, and show support. Like I said, it was pretty amazing.
IN THIS WEEK
09.22.09
Local filmmakers show 'CleanFlix' at Film Festival in Toronto
by Spencer Sutherland
Looking for all the action, adventure, and comedy of Hollywood's biggest hits -- without the pesky sex, swearing, or violence? For no-R-rated-movie-abiding Mormons, CleanFlicks and its edited films were a godsend. The only problem was that the films' copyright holders weren't happy with the idea of someone else chopping up their intellectual property.
In their new documentary, "CleanFlix," Utah filmmakers Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi tell the story of the rental chain -- and the culture that spawned its success -- while following founder Daniel Thompson through a bitter lawsuit and public sex scandal. Throughout the film, the directors refuse to take sides (even they seem to have different opinions on the matter), but certainly raise plenty of questions about censorship, religion and Hollywood.
IN recently caught up with the two filmmakers as "CleanFlix" made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Why was this was an important story to tell?
James » It is a topic that is widely misunderstood. We also wanted to ask questions about art, censorship, religion and sex, and I think the film brings up a lot of ideas that are worth talking about.
Ligairi » I'm interested in art that expands understanding of the human experience. We're showing the world this specific cross-section of American culture that many people have no idea even exists. But the film is even fresh for those that think they know the culture and the topic.
You are heavily ingrained in both the art of film and Utah culture. Is there a clear-cut right and wrong in this story from either side?
James » Yes and no. It's clearly wrong to make money by altering and selling copyrighted material that doesn't belong to you. That's as clear-cut as it gets, at least for me. However, if there were legal ways to do it, I think that question becomes much more difficult to answer.
Ligairi » The movie answers a lot of questions, but it also challenges the audience to ask some questions of themselves. There are a lot of gray areas here. I have varying opinions on the issue depending on what angle I am looking at it from. The idea of censorship is very troubling, and that is key here, but if we look beyond that for a moment, there are all kinds of other issues at play. Making the film has helped me realize how nuanced the potentially polarizing discussion actually is. The film is full of information (and hopefully insight), but it also requires some work on the part of the viewer. I'm more proud of that than anything else.
As a filmmaker, what would be your response if you found that edited copies of "CleanFlix" were floating around?
James » I would be upset, especially considering the fact that we've talked about doing our own "clean" version of the film. We've spent three years making it and labored over every little decision. It would be frustrating to see a lot of that work being arbitrarily changed by a third party.
Ligairi » Personally, I could care less. I don't believe in auteurs. Art belongs to the world. While there is great meaning for me personally in the act of creation, I can't deny that the film changes depending on the viewer. Each audience member brings something different to the table and what they bring literally has the power to change the meaning of the film -- if only to them.
The end user has some rights. I'm not talking about this in the capitalistic sort of way that the sanitizers often do -- the 'I bought it and I can do what I want' argument. I'm speaking from the theoretical standpoint that, as a filmmaker, my transmission hasn't served its full purpose until it is decoded by a receiver, and try as I might, I can never control the way it is received. If that answer is pretentious or over-intellectualized, the shorter answer is that we are toying with doing our own clean version anyway, so it probably won't come up."
If clean movies were ever able given a legal green light, do you think there is a market for edited films outside of Utah?
James » "People often talk about this large market for sanitized films outside of Utah, and I suspect that there probably is, but one can only speculate. People tend to point at polls or cultural identity as a way to identify such a market, but CleanFlicks and companies like CleanFlicks never really took off in other places, so it's difficult to say."
Ligairi » "Time will tell. All indicators point to a considerably large market. My guess is that it is as big as the market for unrated films, for instance. CleanFlicks had about 70 locations across the United States and was substantially bigger online. In the end, 80 percent of their business was online and outside of the state. We focus on Utah because it took Mormon culture to create CleanFlicks, but it was spreading everywhere and they were still growing at a rapid rate when they were shut down."
Because Walmart refuses to sell CDs with an Explicit Lyrics label, any artist who wants to sell records puts out a clean version. Would filmmakers be willing to do the same if a big retailer said 'No more R-rated movies'?
James » Filmmakers edit their films for airlines and television, so I imagine that they probably would, but again, that is just speculation. I guess it depends on the studios that own the films in question.
Ligairi » The music industry is probably the best comparison, yet it almost never comes up. Mainstream artists like Eminem, or whoever, don't complain about doing their clean versions because it is just part of the industry -- the same way television and airline edits are part of the movie industry. A lot of cooler independent musicians opt out and decide that they would rather leave their music intact than have it play on the radio or be sold at Walmart. That is a financial sacrifice that they make for their art. You don't see a lot of filmmakers willing to do that.
Though James and Ligairi are busy showing the film off at foreign festivals, they hope to have their U.S. debut at Sundance in January. Until then, Utah audiences can follow the movie's journeys at www.cleanflixthemovie.com.
Local filmmakers show 'CleanFlix' at Film Festival in Toronto
by Spencer Sutherland
Looking for all the action, adventure, and comedy of Hollywood's biggest hits -- without the pesky sex, swearing, or violence? For no-R-rated-movie-abiding Mormons, CleanFlicks and its edited films were a godsend. The only problem was that the films' copyright holders weren't happy with the idea of someone else chopping up their intellectual property.
In their new documentary, "CleanFlix," Utah filmmakers Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi tell the story of the rental chain -- and the culture that spawned its success -- while following founder Daniel Thompson through a bitter lawsuit and public sex scandal. Throughout the film, the directors refuse to take sides (even they seem to have different opinions on the matter), but certainly raise plenty of questions about censorship, religion and Hollywood.
IN recently caught up with the two filmmakers as "CleanFlix" made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Why was this was an important story to tell?
James » It is a topic that is widely misunderstood. We also wanted to ask questions about art, censorship, religion and sex, and I think the film brings up a lot of ideas that are worth talking about.
Ligairi » I'm interested in art that expands understanding of the human experience. We're showing the world this specific cross-section of American culture that many people have no idea even exists. But the film is even fresh for those that think they know the culture and the topic.
You are heavily ingrained in both the art of film and Utah culture. Is there a clear-cut right and wrong in this story from either side?
James » Yes and no. It's clearly wrong to make money by altering and selling copyrighted material that doesn't belong to you. That's as clear-cut as it gets, at least for me. However, if there were legal ways to do it, I think that question becomes much more difficult to answer.
Ligairi » The movie answers a lot of questions, but it also challenges the audience to ask some questions of themselves. There are a lot of gray areas here. I have varying opinions on the issue depending on what angle I am looking at it from. The idea of censorship is very troubling, and that is key here, but if we look beyond that for a moment, there are all kinds of other issues at play. Making the film has helped me realize how nuanced the potentially polarizing discussion actually is. The film is full of information (and hopefully insight), but it also requires some work on the part of the viewer. I'm more proud of that than anything else.
As a filmmaker, what would be your response if you found that edited copies of "CleanFlix" were floating around?
James » I would be upset, especially considering the fact that we've talked about doing our own "clean" version of the film. We've spent three years making it and labored over every little decision. It would be frustrating to see a lot of that work being arbitrarily changed by a third party.
Ligairi » Personally, I could care less. I don't believe in auteurs. Art belongs to the world. While there is great meaning for me personally in the act of creation, I can't deny that the film changes depending on the viewer. Each audience member brings something different to the table and what they bring literally has the power to change the meaning of the film -- if only to them.
The end user has some rights. I'm not talking about this in the capitalistic sort of way that the sanitizers often do -- the 'I bought it and I can do what I want' argument. I'm speaking from the theoretical standpoint that, as a filmmaker, my transmission hasn't served its full purpose until it is decoded by a receiver, and try as I might, I can never control the way it is received. If that answer is pretentious or over-intellectualized, the shorter answer is that we are toying with doing our own clean version anyway, so it probably won't come up."
If clean movies were ever able given a legal green light, do you think there is a market for edited films outside of Utah?
James » "People often talk about this large market for sanitized films outside of Utah, and I suspect that there probably is, but one can only speculate. People tend to point at polls or cultural identity as a way to identify such a market, but CleanFlicks and companies like CleanFlicks never really took off in other places, so it's difficult to say."
Ligairi » "Time will tell. All indicators point to a considerably large market. My guess is that it is as big as the market for unrated films, for instance. CleanFlicks had about 70 locations across the United States and was substantially bigger online. In the end, 80 percent of their business was online and outside of the state. We focus on Utah because it took Mormon culture to create CleanFlicks, but it was spreading everywhere and they were still growing at a rapid rate when they were shut down."
Because Walmart refuses to sell CDs with an Explicit Lyrics label, any artist who wants to sell records puts out a clean version. Would filmmakers be willing to do the same if a big retailer said 'No more R-rated movies'?
James » Filmmakers edit their films for airlines and television, so I imagine that they probably would, but again, that is just speculation. I guess it depends on the studios that own the films in question.
Ligairi » The music industry is probably the best comparison, yet it almost never comes up. Mainstream artists like Eminem, or whoever, don't complain about doing their clean versions because it is just part of the industry -- the same way television and airline edits are part of the movie industry. A lot of cooler independent musicians opt out and decide that they would rather leave their music intact than have it play on the radio or be sold at Walmart. That is a financial sacrifice that they make for their art. You don't see a lot of filmmakers willing to do that.
Though James and Ligairi are busy showing the film off at foreign festivals, they hope to have their U.S. debut at Sundance in January. Until then, Utah audiences can follow the movie's journeys at www.cleanflixthemovie.com.
CLEANFLIX WORLD PREMIERE AT TIFF
09.11.09
The world premiere of CLEANFLIX was incredible. The theater was sold out and the audience was lively and enthusiastic. The film looked and sounded great on the big screen, thanks to our HD conversion. The Q&A after the screening went really well, thanks in large part to Thom Powers, who also introduced the film.
It was really exciting and interesting to watch the film with an audience. In fact, the dynamic of watching your work with an audience is really hard to wrap your head around. The big screen really changes everything. A lot of nuance can be lost in a big theater and interestingly, the reactions of a few can affect the overall viewing experience for everyone.
Another thing to mention is that as soon as the screening was over, Twitter was alive with comments, mini-reviews, and recommendations. Ultimately, CLEANFLIX had two more sold-out screenings, a dozen or so reviews, and a lot of buzz at the festival. Sean Means (from The Salt Lake Tribune) was there as well and posted his thoughts regarding the premiere on his blog.
. . .
The world premiere of "Cleanflix," the documentary by Provo filmmakers Andrew James (right) and Joshua Ligairi (left) about the edited-DVD industry that sprung up in Utah and then died earlier this decade, was met with rousing applause from a Friday afternoon audience at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Q-and-A that followed showed that the movie-savvy festival audience was fascinated by the Mormon culture that spawned the edited-movies phenomenon.
The world premiere of CLEANFLIX was incredible. The theater was sold out and the audience was lively and enthusiastic. The film looked and sounded great on the big screen, thanks to our HD conversion. The Q&A after the screening went really well, thanks in large part to Thom Powers, who also introduced the film.
It was really exciting and interesting to watch the film with an audience. In fact, the dynamic of watching your work with an audience is really hard to wrap your head around. The big screen really changes everything. A lot of nuance can be lost in a big theater and interestingly, the reactions of a few can affect the overall viewing experience for everyone.
Another thing to mention is that as soon as the screening was over, Twitter was alive with comments, mini-reviews, and recommendations. Ultimately, CLEANFLIX had two more sold-out screenings, a dozen or so reviews, and a lot of buzz at the festival. Sean Means (from The Salt Lake Tribune) was there as well and posted his thoughts regarding the premiere on his blog.
. . .
The world premiere of "Cleanflix," the documentary by Provo filmmakers Andrew James (right) and Joshua Ligairi (left) about the edited-DVD industry that sprung up in Utah and then died earlier this decade, was met with rousing applause from a Friday afternoon audience at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Q-and-A that followed showed that the movie-savvy festival audience was fascinated by the Mormon culture that spawned the edited-movies phenomenon.
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
09.10.09
Just prior to leaving town, Josh and I caught up with Sean Means of the Salt Lake Tribune for an interview. The interview went really well and both Josh and I left town feeling good about the press we were going to be receiving back home while we were at TIFF. Sean released the article the day before the world premiere of CLEANFLIX as a way to capitalize on the event. In fact, Sean was in Toronto for the premiere of the film and covered our experience for the Tribune.
. . .
'Cleanflix' exposes Utah's conservative culture to the world
by Sean Means
When a video store in American Fork started editing a Kate Winslet nude scene from copies of "Titanic," Hollywood barely noticed.
When a cottage industry sprung up to trim "naughty bits" from VHS tapes and rent out pre-edited versions of R-rated films, movie studios responded with a copyright lawsuit that put the stores out of business -- and the rest of the industry tried to ignore the dust-up.
At North America's biggest film festival, the short-lived edited-movie industry and the Utah culture that spawned it will get lots of attention from movie lovers and Hollywood power players -- thanks to two Provo filmmakers whose documentary, "Cleanflix," premieres today at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The documentary considers how the Cleanflix industry "has been popular other places, but it took this culture to create it," said co-director Andrew James.
Two conflicting influences combined in Utah to create Cleanflix stores, said James and co-director Joshua Ligairi, both 30. One is "this idea of the culture wanting to protect themselves from what they perceive to be evil or bad influences," James said. "There's this cultural understanding not to watch R-rated movies."
The other, Ligairi said, was "the Mormon movement to align itself with contemporary mainstream conservative Christianity, and just to homogenize with American culture, too."
Some faithful church members, despite being proud of their moral values, feel conflicted about being out-of-step with popular or artistic culture. As Ligairi explained the conflict: "Mormons are sick of being compared with the Amish or whatever. They want to be part of the cultural zeitgeist."
That paradox, of not being able to see movies like "The Matrix" -- which was one of the Cleanflix stores most popular titles -- created a problem.
Both filmmakers grew up steeped in Mormon culture. James, originally from Atlanta, graduated from Brigham Young University with an English degree. Ligairi grew up in San Diego, and attended what was then Utah Valley State College -- until one semester, when he was working on Steven Greenstreet's "This Divided State," the documentary about Michael Moore's 2004 visit to the Orem campus, and failed all his classes that semester.
Ligairi and James had started to work separately on films about the Cleanflix phenomenon when a mutual friend -- one of the film's producers, Xavier Gutierrez -- suggested they join forces. They started shooting in 2006, just before U.S. District Judge Richard P. Matsch ruled against the video-cutting companies in a copyright lawsuit filed by 16 Hollywood directors, and forced the firms to shut down operations.
While making the film, James and Ligairi found much of Hollywood didn't want to reopen the issue. "For them, the issue was finished," Ligairi said. "They had won the lawsuit, they put it behind them, they didn't want to continue the dialogue."
They requested interviews with some of the directors in the lawsuit -- such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Robert Redford -- to no avail. "We were nobodies," Ligairi said.
They did get interviews with directors familiar with the culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including BYU alum Neil LaBute and Utah County maverick Richard Dutcher.
Since the movie was accepted by Toronto, the pair have gotten plenty of attention from Hollywood. Daily Variety , the Hollywood trade paper, named "Cleanflix" as one of the 10 documentaries to watch at this year's festival, while Toronto programmer Thom Powers praised the film because it "raises all kinds of provocative questions and delivers a powerful ending."
Still, in a festival where more than 300 titles will be screened, including some big Hollywood titles, the two emerging filmmakers from Provo know the challenge will be to get noticed.
"We're playing against films by the Coen brothers and Steven Soderbergh and Michael Moore," Ligairi said. "Heath Ledger's last film is there, George Clooney has two movies there. How do we get some attention in that crowd?"
The filmmakers hope the compelling subject matter of "Cleanflix" will draw an audience. "People love movies about movies, and people are interested in Mormonism," James said, "and clearly our movie is about both of those things."
Just prior to leaving town, Josh and I caught up with Sean Means of the Salt Lake Tribune for an interview. The interview went really well and both Josh and I left town feeling good about the press we were going to be receiving back home while we were at TIFF. Sean released the article the day before the world premiere of CLEANFLIX as a way to capitalize on the event. In fact, Sean was in Toronto for the premiere of the film and covered our experience for the Tribune.
. . .
'Cleanflix' exposes Utah's conservative culture to the world
by Sean Means
When a video store in American Fork started editing a Kate Winslet nude scene from copies of "Titanic," Hollywood barely noticed.
When a cottage industry sprung up to trim "naughty bits" from VHS tapes and rent out pre-edited versions of R-rated films, movie studios responded with a copyright lawsuit that put the stores out of business -- and the rest of the industry tried to ignore the dust-up.
At North America's biggest film festival, the short-lived edited-movie industry and the Utah culture that spawned it will get lots of attention from movie lovers and Hollywood power players -- thanks to two Provo filmmakers whose documentary, "Cleanflix," premieres today at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The documentary considers how the Cleanflix industry "has been popular other places, but it took this culture to create it," said co-director Andrew James.
Two conflicting influences combined in Utah to create Cleanflix stores, said James and co-director Joshua Ligairi, both 30. One is "this idea of the culture wanting to protect themselves from what they perceive to be evil or bad influences," James said. "There's this cultural understanding not to watch R-rated movies."
The other, Ligairi said, was "the Mormon movement to align itself with contemporary mainstream conservative Christianity, and just to homogenize with American culture, too."
Some faithful church members, despite being proud of their moral values, feel conflicted about being out-of-step with popular or artistic culture. As Ligairi explained the conflict: "Mormons are sick of being compared with the Amish or whatever. They want to be part of the cultural zeitgeist."
That paradox, of not being able to see movies like "The Matrix" -- which was one of the Cleanflix stores most popular titles -- created a problem.
Both filmmakers grew up steeped in Mormon culture. James, originally from Atlanta, graduated from Brigham Young University with an English degree. Ligairi grew up in San Diego, and attended what was then Utah Valley State College -- until one semester, when he was working on Steven Greenstreet's "This Divided State," the documentary about Michael Moore's 2004 visit to the Orem campus, and failed all his classes that semester.
Ligairi and James had started to work separately on films about the Cleanflix phenomenon when a mutual friend -- one of the film's producers, Xavier Gutierrez -- suggested they join forces. They started shooting in 2006, just before U.S. District Judge Richard P. Matsch ruled against the video-cutting companies in a copyright lawsuit filed by 16 Hollywood directors, and forced the firms to shut down operations.
While making the film, James and Ligairi found much of Hollywood didn't want to reopen the issue. "For them, the issue was finished," Ligairi said. "They had won the lawsuit, they put it behind them, they didn't want to continue the dialogue."
They requested interviews with some of the directors in the lawsuit -- such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Robert Redford -- to no avail. "We were nobodies," Ligairi said.
They did get interviews with directors familiar with the culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including BYU alum Neil LaBute and Utah County maverick Richard Dutcher.
Since the movie was accepted by Toronto, the pair have gotten plenty of attention from Hollywood. Daily Variety , the Hollywood trade paper, named "Cleanflix" as one of the 10 documentaries to watch at this year's festival, while Toronto programmer Thom Powers praised the film because it "raises all kinds of provocative questions and delivers a powerful ending."
Still, in a festival where more than 300 titles will be screened, including some big Hollywood titles, the two emerging filmmakers from Provo know the challenge will be to get noticed.
"We're playing against films by the Coen brothers and Steven Soderbergh and Michael Moore," Ligairi said. "Heath Ledger's last film is there, George Clooney has two movies there. How do we get some attention in that crowd?"
The filmmakers hope the compelling subject matter of "Cleanflix" will draw an audience. "People love movies about movies, and people are interested in Mormonism," James said, "and clearly our movie is about both of those things."
A DAMN MOVIE PODCAST
09.04.09
Last night, Josh and I had the pleasure of meeting the guys behind A Damn Movie Podcast, Adam Sherlock and Adam Palcher. We screened the first thirty minutes of the film for them and had a great discussion about Utah, Mormons, and edited movies. You can listen to the entire interview on their website. Make sure and check these guys out on iTunes as well.
Last night, Josh and I had the pleasure of meeting the guys behind A Damn Movie Podcast, Adam Sherlock and Adam Palcher. We screened the first thirty minutes of the film for them and had a great discussion about Utah, Mormons, and edited movies. You can listen to the entire interview on their website. Make sure and check these guys out on iTunes as well.
PRE-FESTIVAL BUZZ
08.27.09
CLEANFLIX is getting a lot of pre-festival buzz and we don't even have a publicist yet. In fact, programmers from other festivals have been blogging about the film on the TIFF website. CLEANFLIX was also mentioned as one of the hot docs to see at Toronto by Variety. Check it out:
Hot docs include the world preems of "Collapse," a portrait of radical futurist Michael Ruppert from helmer Chris Smith ("American Movie"); Carter Gunn and Ross McDonnell's debut "Colony," about U.S. beekeepers coping with colony collapse disorder; Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi's "Cleanflix" (scandals erupt when Utah entrepreneurs clean up Hollywood pics for Mormon audiences); Don Argott's art-world whodunit "The Art of the Steal"; and Emmett Malloy's intimate rock docu "The White Stripes Under the Great White Northern Lights."
INDIEWIRE
"Sense of Immediacy" in Toronto Fest's 17 Docs
EDENDALE BLOG
Toronto 2009: Thom Powers Previews This Year's Doc Lineup
VARIETY MAGAZINE
'Jennifer's Body' to Bow at Toronto
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Muslims, Mormons featured in Toronto
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE BLOG
Cleanflix Going to Toronto
THE SALT LAKE EXAMINER
Cleanflix The Movie
THE TORONTOIST
TIFF 2009: The Story So Far
TORONTO SCREEN SHOTS
TIFF 2009: Preliminaries Part 1
FILMWELL
TIFF 2009 Festival Preview
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Two More Sneak Into Toronto Lineup
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
'Cleanflix' exposes Utah's conservative culture to the world
CLEANFLIX is getting a lot of pre-festival buzz and we don't even have a publicist yet. In fact, programmers from other festivals have been blogging about the film on the TIFF website. CLEANFLIX was also mentioned as one of the hot docs to see at Toronto by Variety. Check it out:
Hot docs include the world preems of "Collapse," a portrait of radical futurist Michael Ruppert from helmer Chris Smith ("American Movie"); Carter Gunn and Ross McDonnell's debut "Colony," about U.S. beekeepers coping with colony collapse disorder; Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi's "Cleanflix" (scandals erupt when Utah entrepreneurs clean up Hollywood pics for Mormon audiences); Don Argott's art-world whodunit "The Art of the Steal"; and Emmett Malloy's intimate rock docu "The White Stripes Under the Great White Northern Lights."
INDIEWIRE
"Sense of Immediacy" in Toronto Fest's 17 Docs
EDENDALE BLOG
Toronto 2009: Thom Powers Previews This Year's Doc Lineup
VARIETY MAGAZINE
'Jennifer's Body' to Bow at Toronto
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Muslims, Mormons featured in Toronto
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE BLOG
Cleanflix Going to Toronto
THE SALT LAKE EXAMINER
Cleanflix The Movie
THE TORONTOIST
TIFF 2009: The Story So Far
TORONTO SCREEN SHOTS
TIFF 2009: Preliminaries Part 1
FILMWELL
TIFF 2009 Festival Preview
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Two More Sneak Into Toronto Lineup
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
'Cleanflix' exposes Utah's conservative culture to the world
TIFF
07.21.09
Well, CLEANFLIX has been accepted into the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. We are excited to be included in one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, but stressed about getting everything done in time. The festival is just a few months away and we still have a lot of work to do. Click here to see a list of all the latest films slated for this year's festival. More to come.
Well, CLEANFLIX has been accepted into the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. We are excited to be included in one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, but stressed about getting everything done in time. The festival is just a few months away and we still have a lot of work to do. Click here to see a list of all the latest films slated for this year's festival. More to come.
BEE MONEY DOC COMING INTO FOCUS
04.15.09
The Bee Money documentary may have found a home. We have decided to develop a short doc on the quirky rap artist / door-to-door salesman for This American Life. Bee Money's story is a perfect fit for the show. Now all we have to do is create something compelling enough. Easier said than done. I should also mention that Torben and Marissa are no longer on the project due to scheduling issues. Is this project dying? Perhaps, but I think This American Life would be a perfect fit for Bee Money. We'll keep you posted.
The Bee Money documentary may have found a home. We have decided to develop a short doc on the quirky rap artist / door-to-door salesman for This American Life. Bee Money's story is a perfect fit for the show. Now all we have to do is create something compelling enough. Easier said than done. I should also mention that Torben and Marissa are no longer on the project due to scheduling issues. Is this project dying? Perhaps, but I think This American Life would be a perfect fit for Bee Money. We'll keep you posted.
CLEANFLIX - MARCH UPDATE
03.26.09
We are still editing the CLEANFLIX rough cut and it looks like we probably will be for the rest of the spring and summer. Unfortunately, my co-director, Josh, is heading to Europe for two months at the end of April. This means that some stuff will have to wait until his return in July. Josh's absence will certainly push the film back a little bit, but I think it will be good for everyone involved to clear their heads and think about something else besides CLEANFLIX for a few months.
Considering the situation, its likely that the film won't be done until the fall, but I'm not upset in the least. In fact, I have never felt more optimistic about the documentary than I do now. We are making great progress in every way, across the board. We have a great producer, Amber Bollinger, who has spearheaded some of the more difficult tasks, like getting permission from major Hollywood studios to include movie clips in the film.
Of course, this brings up some legal issues. As you can imagine, we do have some lingering legal concerns over some of the film's content, but at this point we just need to cut the documentary as it needs to be cut. The plan is to finish the film before addressing other issues. Depending on what happens, some content may need to be cut or be altered in some way, but for now, we are trying to cut the best film possible without stressing over what content we can and can't use. So far, this strategy seems to be working because Josh and I are cutting a pretty remarkable film.
The website is finally done, but we are still designing some basic animations for the trailer. Once this is complete, Josh and I will be deciding on a launch date for the film's internet marketing campaign. In addition to the website, the launch will include a Facebook fan page, a MySpace page, and a YouTube channel. The idea is to create some local buzz before we start approaching producer's reps and film festivals.
Considering the situation, its likely that the film won't be done until the fall, but I'm not upset in the least. In fact, I have never felt more optimistic about the documentary than I do now. We are making great progress in every way, across the board. We have a great producer, Amber Bollinger, who has spearheaded some of the more difficult tasks, like getting permission from major Hollywood studios to include movie clips in the film.
Of course, this brings up some legal issues. As you can imagine, we do have some lingering legal concerns over some of the film's content, but at this point we just need to cut the documentary as it needs to be cut. The plan is to finish the film before addressing other issues. Depending on what happens, some content may need to be cut or be altered in some way, but for now, we are trying to cut the best film possible without stressing over what content we can and can't use. So far, this strategy seems to be working because Josh and I are cutting a pretty remarkable film.
The website is finally done, but we are still designing some basic animations for the trailer. Once this is complete, Josh and I will be deciding on a launch date for the film's internet marketing campaign. In addition to the website, the launch will include a Facebook fan page, a MySpace page, and a YouTube channel. The idea is to create some local buzz before we start approaching producer's reps and film festivals.
THE GENERATIONS PROJECT
03.16.09
I recently had the opportunity to direct and edit a commercial for the upcoming television show, The Generations Project. The new program is a reality show of sorts that helps average people dig deeper into their family history. The Generations Project is being produced by BYU Broadcasting and will be airing sometime this fall. I'm currently scheduled to edit 4 or 5 episodes of the show this summer in preparation for the fall release. Check out the commercial.
BEE MONEY LIVE IN CONCERT
03.15.09
Production on Bee Money is still underway. In fact, last night, Jolyn and I had the opportunity to see Bee Money live in concert. He played with three other groups, including Hot Parents. It was a pretty cool show. It was awesome to see the man in action and capture it for the documentary. As usual, Bee Money made the most of the night by selling t-shirts and promoting his YouTube videos.
Production on Bee Money is still underway. In fact, last night, Jolyn and I had the opportunity to see Bee Money live in concert. He played with three other groups, including Hot Parents. It was a pretty cool show. It was awesome to see the man in action and capture it for the documentary. As usual, Bee Money made the most of the night by selling t-shirts and promoting his YouTube videos.
LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS - KUBRICK
02.05.09
One of my favorite directors is Stanley Kubrick. I have seen every Kubrick film except for his very first, Killer's Kiss. Each of his films are sublime works of art and models of visual story-telling. Not only do I love his films for their originality and craftsmanship, but I also love his approach, his intensity, and his passion. What draws me to Kubrick more than any other director, is not just the beauty of the films he made, but how he made them. I am very interested in intense, personal, filmmaking; in minimalist filmmaking -- even on bigger-budget projects. I am very interested in small crews, collaboration, and sacrificing for your art. I think the challenge will be continually finding the right people to work with, who share a similar vision of cinema.
One of my favorite directors is Stanley Kubrick. I have seen every Kubrick film except for his very first, Killer's Kiss. Each of his films are sublime works of art and models of visual story-telling. Not only do I love his films for their originality and craftsmanship, but I also love his approach, his intensity, and his passion. What draws me to Kubrick more than any other director, is not just the beauty of the films he made, but how he made them. I am very interested in intense, personal, filmmaking; in minimalist filmmaking -- even on bigger-budget projects. I am very interested in small crews, collaboration, and sacrificing for your art. I think the challenge will be continually finding the right people to work with, who share a similar vision of cinema.
WRESTLING WITH GOD - NOW ON DVD
01.26.09
Last year, Wrestling With God played the 2008 LDS Film Festival, drawing praise from audiences and critics alike. Now the film has been chosen as a selection for the Festival's "best of" DVD. You can order the DVD online by clicking here. The DVD also features some other great short films, so support local filmmakers and pick one up.
Last year, Wrestling With God played the 2008 LDS Film Festival, drawing praise from audiences and critics alike. Now the film has been chosen as a selection for the Festival's "best of" DVD. You can order the DVD online by clicking here. The DVD also features some other great short films, so support local filmmakers and pick one up.
BEE MONEY'S FIRST INTERVIEW
01.17.09
Today was the first day of shooting my new documentary, Bee Money. Cleanflix is still the main priority at this point, but new projects are surfacing and the timing feels right. I am planning on tracking the progress of this new film very thoroughly.
Bee Money is a local celebrity in Provo, Utah. He is also an aspiring hip-hop artist, salesman extraordinaire, and all-around interesting person. I first met him years ago, selling pest control. Since then, I've gotten to know him very well. About four years ago, I spent 6 months following him around and filming his life with a 3 chip camcorder. I am now in the process of organizing and compiling that footage, as well as shooting new stuff. I am producing and directing the film with my Wrestling With God partners, Marissa and Torben Bernhard. Jolyn is producing as well and is planning a viral campaign for the film, in the hopes of capitalizing on his YouTube fame.
Today was the first day of shooting my new documentary, Bee Money. Cleanflix is still the main priority at this point, but new projects are surfacing and the timing feels right. I am planning on tracking the progress of this new film very thoroughly.
Bee Money is a local celebrity in Provo, Utah. He is also an aspiring hip-hop artist, salesman extraordinaire, and all-around interesting person. I first met him years ago, selling pest control. Since then, I've gotten to know him very well. About four years ago, I spent 6 months following him around and filming his life with a 3 chip camcorder. I am now in the process of organizing and compiling that footage, as well as shooting new stuff. I am producing and directing the film with my Wrestling With God partners, Marissa and Torben Bernhard. Jolyn is producing as well and is planning a viral campaign for the film, in the hopes of capitalizing on his YouTube fame.
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