VANCOUVER PREMIERE // VANCITY THEATRE EXCLUSIVE
With their fascinating documentary Manufacturing Dissent, Canadian documentarians Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine turn the tables around on filmmaker Michael Moore, who became a phenomenon by challenging American issues in documentaries like Roger & Me, Bowling for Columbine (2003 Academy Award), Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004 Palme d'Or) and now Sicko.
Starting in May 2004, Melnyk and Caine began following Michael Moore around while he promoted not only Fahrenheit 9/11, but also his "Slacker Uprising Tour," where he spoke at 60 universities in 20 states, urging youth to vote against President George W. Bush in the 2004 election.
The filmmakers persistently asked Moore for an interview, but to no avail. But they did talk to others, among them critics, former allies and longtime observers. What emerge are startling revelations about how Moore creates his films. Are his films pure fact, propaganda or fiction - or a mixture?
One issue is Moore's editing, including two interviews with General Motors CEO Roger Smith that never made it into Roger & Me and a Bush speech that was taken out of context in Farenheit 9/11. The film also touches on Moore's background, including his firing from Mother Jones and his campaigning for (and abandoning of) Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader.
Melnyk and Caine do admit to their own fabrication. They used fake ID to be admitted to a Moore speaking engagement and were consequently thrown out.
Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine, who call themselves "progressive liberals," originally took on the documentary because they were fans of Michael Moore. But the film's direction changed as their research progressed. It is their fourth documentary, following Citizen Black, The Frank Truth and Junket Whore.
"Manufacturing Dissent is not an assault by right-wing ideologues but a dissection by two self-described "progressive liberals" and has all the more impact for it."-Joe Leydon, Variety.
Manufacturing Dissent is being released in Canada by Mongrel Media
Press contact: Bonne Smith
Star PR - Tel: (416) 488-4436 - Fax: (416) 488-8438
Screeners are available for review purposes.
Filmmakers Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine
are available for phone interviews from Toronto.
Photos available on line at http://www.vifc.org/media.html
Username: Media, Password: Download
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