THOM POWERS PREVIEWS TIFF DOC LINE-UP

BY AJ SCHNACK AND THOM POWERS / August 21, 2009
All These Wonderful Things

This morning, Toronto announced most of their line-up (there's always room for a few stragglers as we move closer to the September festival) - and we'll have a look at this year's nonfiction titles in the coming days. But we asked our colleague Thom Powers to talk about some of the titles that were unveiled this AM and he was kind enough to offer a preview:

ATWT: The CLEANFLIX story is really interesting to me, because it deals with so many of the ownership issues that we talk about and that, as documentary filmmakers, we wrestle with. On the one hand, as artists, we want and believe that our work should be protected and seen the way we intended, but on the other hand, we want and need to have access to others' material in order to reflect the reality of what happens in a given situation.

TP: Films about film always have a strong place at TIFF. CLEANFLIX looks at a phenomenon in Utah where the Mormon religion discourages its followers from watching R-rated content. Several companies sprung up that re-edited Hollywood films to remove the sex, violence and vulgarity that Mormons find offensive. The “clean” dvd movement turned into a thriving video rental business – until it ran into legal problems and a sex scandal involving one of its proponents. The film raises all kinds of provocative questions and delivers a powerful ending. It’s noteworthy that the co-directors Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi both come from the Mormon community.

Direct Link to Full Article at All These Wonderful Things

CLEANFLIX DOCUMENTARY TICKETS NOW AVAILIBLE

BY THOM POWERS / August 21, 2009
TIFF Blogs

Mormons can be movie lovers too. The problem is that their religious leaders strongly discourage R-rated content. As one Mormon prophet explained, “The mind through which this filth passes is never the same afterwards.” In order to better serve their Mormon clientele, enterprising video stores in Utah started to offer “clean” versions of popular titles like The Matrix and Titanic. Using digital editing software, self-appointed censors removed nudity, gratuitous violence and profanity, then mass duplicated the clean versions for DVD rental. Soon the idea took off, and multiple franchises sought to capitalize on brands like Clean Flicks and Flick's Club. For a brief spell, it seemed like the perfect business.

Unfortunately, no one consulted the copyright holders. Hollywood figures such as Steven Soderbergh, Curtis Hanson and Michael Mann became vocal opponents of having their work re-edited. As quickly as the clean movement blossomed, it started to unravel, with legal threats from Hollywood, accusations among rivals and even a sex scandal in the backroom of a clean video store.

In Cleanflix, directors Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi chronicle the rise and fall of the clean movement. Having grown up in the Mormon community, the duo gained close access to the main players that outsiders might never have achieved. The controversy over cleaning films raises further questions: Who gets to set cultural standards? Does what we watch affect how we behave?

The film gives a broader context for understanding the Mormon institution (known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) by talking to its adherents and those who have dropped out, most notably the playwright and filmmaker Neil LaBute, known for the dark themes in scripts like In the Company of Men and Bash.

As events unfold, one thing becomes clear: in movies, you can skip over the parts you don't like. But in real life, you can't.

Thom Powers

Tickets Now Available Directly From TIFF

DOC PICS: DAVE COURIER OF SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

BY DAVE COURIER / August 21, 2009
TIFF Blogs

I'm a total film buff. I fiercely oppose censorship. I'm a film festival programmer and my festival happens to be smack dab in the middle of Utah. These are just some of the reasons that I find the subject matter of Cleanflix absolutely irresistible.

Direct Link to TIFF Blog