Exit Through the Gift Shop

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The elusive street artist, Banksy has made a documentary. Well maybe, sort of, it’s a bit more of a mockumentary, a piece of video art perhaps? Labelled as the ‘world’s first street-art disaster movie’ the subject of his film is vintage clothes shop owner turned street artist, Thierry ‘Terry’ Guetta aka Mr Brainwash.

An obsessive videographer, French-born Guetta lucked into the burgeoning street artist movement and specifically Shephard Fairey (of the Obama ‘hope’ poster fame) after moving to LA. He convinced Fairey and his fellow street artists, including renowned Bristol boy- Banksy, that he was a documentary-maker, allowing him full access to their furtive world. Over a period of years, Guetta amassed a huge amount of material showing the growth of the street-art movement, but what was he going to do with it all? And what happens when Guetta decides to give the street-art thing a go himself?

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“I don’t know who the joke’s on, I don’t know if there is a joke” this line in the film, from Banksy’s promoter, is a pretty succinct summing of the film project as a whole. This film is a tongue-firmly-in-the-cheek look at the commercialisation of art, something that Banksy has been accused of doing by his detractors. It also considers the idea of the ‘celebrity artist’; Banksy’s artwork is hanging in the homes of stars such as Brad and Angelina, Christina Aguilera and Kate Moss. Then there are the important questions the film raises about creation and ownership.

Narrated by Rhys Ifans (Enduring Love) and with one of the best film titles in a long time, Exit Through the Gift Shop promises an amusing and intriguing examination of the current state of the art market. Documentary, mockumentary, piss-take or piece of modern art?- that’s up to you to decide.

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First Published in The Brag 31/05/10

Sydney Film Festival Preview

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Now in its 57th year, the Sydney Film Festival (SFF) is a 13 day celebration of the best of cinematic achievement. With a wide selection of films from around the globe- feature length, short films and documentaries, the festival has something for everyone. The Official Competition has a prize of $60,000 as well as other awards for documentaries and short films. This event isn’t just about showcasing film talent there is also a nice bit of cash and some important recognition up for grabs too.

There are thirteen films in the Official Competition, and the SFF has managed to include female filmmakers, unlike Cannes. I’m looking forward to seeing French-Australian co-production The Tree from director Julie Bertucelli and Romanian film If I want to Whistle I’ll Whistle, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Berlin film festival. I’m really intrigued by Haitian film Moloch Tropical, which is directed by the country’s ex-Minister of Culture, Raoul Peck. But perhaps the competition film I’m most looking forward to is;

Four Lions (Chris Morris, UK)

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From the creator of Brass Eye, The Day Today and Nathan Barley, this film is likely to be the darkest comic film, with the most bad taste humour in the festival. Morris, who is considered close to a comic genius in the UK, except by those who find him incredibly offensive, has made a film that breaks modern comedy taboos. His debut feature film centres around four British jihadists, who want to avenge the treatment of Muslims. They just don’t seem all that good at terrorism.

Chris Morris will be attending the festival

Following on from last year’s pathways the festival has again been divided into sections, designed to help Sydney Film Festival patrons navigate their way through the 100+ films on offer, giving audiences an idea of the experience they can expect. In the Love Me section, Tilda Swinton’s star turn in Italian film I am Love, has already sold out one screening. I’m not sure if any film for pure cuteness and heart-warmingness will be able to beat the documentary Babies.

The Fire Me Up section includes Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith’s documentary, The Most Dangerous Man in America, which is just one of many fascinating documentaries in this year’s program. I’m also keen to check out Australian film Strange Birds in Paradise which looks at often forgotten West Papua and Adrien Grenier’s Teenage Paparazzo, which is part of the festival’s Creative Drive pathway which also includes street artist Banksy’s genre-confusing documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop which is already completely sold out.

The Take me to the Edge section plays home to a French documentary that caused huge controversy in its home country and it is not hard to see why;

The Game of Death (Chrisophe Nick & Thomas Bornot, France)

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This film follows 80 people who signed up to a French pilot game show, which was really a cover to try the 1960s notorious Milgram experiment. In the original experiment, participants seemed to control huge watts of electricity administered to other participants. In this game show version, the documentary looks at how many people are willing to shock other contestants who get answers wrong with apparent lethal amounts of electricity. This film’s aim is to investigate the nature of reality T.V. and the level of compliance in modern society. The results of this experiment promise to be alarming.

The Take Me on a Journey category plays host to Sydneysider, Claire McCarthy’s The Waiting City and I am compelled, like a moth to the flame, to find out what Aussie comedy/horror film The Loved Ones, part of the Freak Me Out section is all about. I’m also eager to check out this British film, if only to see what Gemma Arterton is like outside a mythical epic

The Disappearance of Alice Creed (J Blakeson, UK)

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This small British film about the kidnapping of rich girl Alice (Arterton), is designed to seriously mess with the audience’s minds. Described as having elements of Kubrick’s The Shining and Lynch’s Blue Velvet and while these are pretty big claims, this film has certainly been thrilling British critics. Looking at how even the best laid plans can go awry, The Disappearance of Alice Creed stars Martin Compston (Red Road, The Damned United) and Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky, Sherlock Holmes) as the film’s kidnappers.

The Make me Laugh pathway is boosted by the presence of Jonah Hill at the festival, here to promote his film Cyrus. Directed by the Duplass Brothers, this film is a part of the Mumblecore movement.

These are just a few of the films at the festival, and with an amazing program on offer for Sydneysiders there is a lot to get excited about at this year’s festival.

First published on Trespass

A Prophet: Trespass Giveaway

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Directed by Jacques Audiard (Read My Lips, The Beat That My Heart Skipped) A Prophet (Un Prophète) tells the story of Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) who is condemned to 6 yrs in jail. He is young, illiterate and vulnerable. Part Arab, part Corsican, Malik is taken under the wing of the leader of the Corsican gang, César Luciani (Niels Arestrup). Following Malik’s transformation as he learns the criminal ropes, the film explores themes of power and morality, looking at the lengths to which people will go to survive.

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A Prophet was chosen as one of Trespass' most anticipated films of 2010 and they are currently running a giveaway for double in-season passes. Head over to the magazine to find out more.