NEWS: Cleanflix Filmmakers on RadioActive

Joshua Ligairi » 08.11.10 »

Cleanflix Co-Directors Joshua Ligairi and Andrew James appeared on KRCL's RadioActive this evening for a live radio interview with Flora Bernard as part of RadioActive's preview of the Salt Lake City Film Festival.

You can listen to a podcast of the radio show here or download it from iTunes.

BLOG: Getting all Mavericky

Joshua Ligairi » 3.06.10 »

Anyone who is interested in seeing me crack under pressure is in luck. There is actual video footage of me falling apart on camera from the Cinequest Film Festival and I am going to share it with you, but not before setting the scene.


CLEANFLIX just had three wonderful screenings at the 20th Cinequest Film Festival (with a special encore screening on the way). Cinequest is a cool, quaint, well-organized fest in San Jose, California. The audiences there have been our best so far. The fest organizes nightly soirees for the filmmakers. All of the venues are close to each other and high quality. But there is one thing about Cinequest that I could do without: the word "Maverick" is closely associated with the festival.

While that may have been cool, indie, and empowering just a few short years ago, the word has since been tainted (at least for me) by the 2008 Presidential election. The first--and only--thing that comes to mind for me now is Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin. If you don't know what I am referring to, you can check out this video. On the other hand, you may want to just avoid watching the video altogether as there is a good chance the word will be permanently ruined for you as well.

A couple of Mavericks.

So, how does this affect me? Really, it doesn't. If Cinequest wants to stick with their nifty catch word, more power to them. So I don't buy a festival t-shirt with MAVERICKS plastered across it--big deal. Sure, I'll think of the fest as that geeky co-worker in Mike Judge's Office Space who refuses to change his name even though he is constantly berated because his given name is Michael Bolton, but what do they care what I think. Actually, Bolton has a point when he exclaims, "Why should I change? He's the one that sucks!" So, I can't fault Cinequest for sticking to their guns in the face of Sarah Palin comparisons. Hell, it is the Mavericky thing to do.

Not much of a Maverick.

Then, all of the sudden and without warning, their little buzz word went from a peripheral annoyance to something that was actually affecting me personally. I was walking through the Camera 12 theater after our second screening of CLEANFLIX when a festival employee grabbed me and put me in front of what appeared to be a web cam. "Do you mind answering a few questions for our site?" he asked. "Not at all," I replied. Then it happened: he hit me with a barrage of lame Maverick-related questions including "How have Maverick innovations played a role in your life and work?" Uhhh... Before you continue reading, just think about how the hell any normal person could answer that question on the spot. "Maverick innovations? What exactly are we talking about here?" I asked. "Whatever you want," he said. The high I was on from our amazing festival Q&As had stalled out and I was in a tail spin.

Don't get me wrong, I like Cinequest and all, but there was no way that any answer to this question could be more than total BS. My mind raced, but before it got anywhere, my mouth opened. In a state of sheer panic, I searched for the words to say, and words that wouldn't bring to mind Tiny Fey's "I just think about what a Maverick would do and I do that." I cracked under the pressure, I fumbled through a stupid answer, I made a fool of myself, and I am posting it here for your judgment. Watch the video here.

Hopefully our next festival won't have such an abstruse theme. Let's see, Florida Film Festival theme: "Film Sweet Film." Huh. Stay tuned for more embarrassingly incomprehensible videos!

PRESS: Metro News Cleanflix review

A review of our film, Cleanflix, by Metro News film critic Michael S. Grant (warning, some spoilers). Direct link to the original post at the Metro News site here.
Michael S. Gant » 02.24.10 »

At first, Andrew James and Joshua Ligiri's fascinating documentary Cleanflix seems to be about a no-brainer issue. Uncomfortable with sex, nudity and (to a lesser extent) violence, Mormon consumers want to watch cleaned-up DVD versions of mainstream Hollywood fare. Some canny entrepreneurs fill the need by creating Clean Flicks, an operation that uses digital editing software to cut out the swear words and stray boobs from hit movies and then rents the sanitized versions out of franchise stores in and around Salt Lake City.

Of course that business plan rankles advocates of artistic freedom—not to mention copyright-conscious directors and movie studios. But wait. Directors have long stood still for bowdlerized versions of their films on TV and airplanes; many DVDs are recut to have more sex and violence than the theatrical version—so much for the integrity of the original release. If there is such a lucrative market for these DVDs, why doesn't Hollywood just step in and rake off the profits?

As the film progresses, motives and methods grow murky. The founder of Clean Flicks ends up in competition with some of his own franchisees; two store owners start a running feud. The legal arguments used to skirt obvious copyright violations soon succumb to a concentrated assault of big-firm suits. But a guerrilla market flourishes as the most dedicated and weirdly charismatic of the censored DVD sellers, Daniel Thompson, keeps finding ways around injunctions and other sanctions. By turns creepy, theatrical and even sympathetic, Thompson proclaims his mission to keep Mormons entertained but unoffended, even acting something of a cult leader to the grateful members of his DVD club.

From there, Cleanflix cruises to a twist ending that no screenwriter would have dared propose. The film features many fascinating interviews, with an appearance by director Neil LaBute, who turns out to have a Mormon background. It's a terrific tale, even if the film never does answer the essential question, why would Mormons even want to see Kill Bill or The Big Lebowski in any form?

Direct link to the review at MetroActive.com. Follow Michael S. Gant on Twitter @Michael_Gant.

BLOG: Who ya gonna call?

Joshua Ligairi » 11.25.09 »

I've often imagined getting the Thanksgiving phone call--you know the one--but it just hasn't happened yet. This year was the first time that I actually believed it could. Not with all my heart, mind you. I save a little slice of that just in case, so if things turn out poorly, my heart doesn't break or burst. You've got to leave a little wiggle room. That said, I was pretty confident this year.

As the day drew nearer, I held out hope--but nothing. When I woke up Thanksgiving morning, I had hope--still nothing. I called some peers, some who had gotten the call in the past and others who hadn't, but all of them hoping for a call this year, and each with specific insight into how it all worked.

"They make all the calls before Thanksgiving," the first said matter-of-factly. "You think they are going to spend the whole holiday on the phone?" That made sense.

"No, no, no. You can still get the call by Friday," the next postured. "They aren't in any hurry." Well, that was true too. They weren't under anyone's deadline but their own. This could be good.

My next call confirmed that suspicion and took it further. "I've heard that they deliberate over the weekend." It is a whole new world this year. New management. They are shaking things up." Maybe I had plenty of time. I didn't know what to believe.

Finally, "You would have gotten the call by now." And that was probably true.

Still, as I peeled potatoes and washed fresh cranberries, I continued to hold out just a glimmer of hope. But at a certain moment during dinner, I started to feel it and, as the night wore on, that damned sinking feeling started to set in. This had never really been a problem in the past because until now, I had never truly believed I stood a chance. But this year was different, wasn't it?

"Don't be stupid," I told myself. "You didn't actually think you were going to get the call did you?" I thought about it for a long time even though I already knew the answer. I lied, "No, no of course not. That would be crazy."

So, as I mentioned before, I have never received that precious call. It just never occurred to me until this year that perhaps I never will. And you know what? Others call. Life just simply moves forward. To quote another whose phone did not ring this year, "Do your work. The rest is in God's hands."

Still...what would this feel like?

BLOG: Huck, flack, spin, & buzz (kill)

Joshua Ligairi » 09.20.09 »

Sometimes you've got to be careful what you wish for. In the film industry the wishful thing is "buzz." My mind is recalled to the early Christian notion that those things which you can see will pass away while those things that are invisible are eternal. In the case of indie film, once you're out there, there is no going back. For that reason we were discouraged from having our film reviewed by major news outlets such as The New York Times because, although a positive review from the Times may help, a negative review will kill the film dead in its tracks. So, the idea is to put a review like that off as long as possible, while building a strong grassroots appreciation for the film. Due to forces outside our control, like premiering at a major film festival, we are becoming evermore visible. What do we do now? There isn't really anyone to tell you this stuff. We've decided to run with it.

Just as predicted, there has been the good and the bad. The reviews are rolling in and, for the most part, have been positive. Still, those few bad reviews really stick in my craw. I don't mind so much when they are right about the problems the film has. There are plenty of valid criticisms. I have a few myself. For instance, there are certain things that aren't included in the film that I wish were but, for one reason or another, were impossible to include. I know that we couldn't have included those things, so I let it go, but the critics have no way of knowing our process, so I don't fault them when they can't let it go. I'm also happy to agree to disagree with a critic on certain points. And then, of course, some things are just a matter of personal preference or taste. All of that is fine. But there are two types of reviews that I cannot abide.

The first thing that drives me crazy is when a critic is reviewing your film, based not on what they are watching, but on the film they were expecting to see. This happens all the time, of course, but it was a particular problem with Cleanflix because the topic had been oft-reported on by the entertainment news community. They all thought that they knew what the film was going to be when they walked into the theater. The thoughtful ones were happy to be surprised. Many found that their expectations had been exceeded. The rest were upset that their false expectations hadn't been met. And it is not as though we had tricked them with marketing--we didn't even have a trailer! They just weren't willing to review the film on its own terms. Long gone are the days of Pauline Kael. Annonying. That said, this complaint is nothing compared to my major complaint.

The second thing that drives me crazy, and I mean to the point of distraction, is when a critic chides us for something that they missed. You know, like, they say that our film is missing something that it is clearly not. Did they go to the bathroom during that scene? Were they digging around in their popcorn? Maybe they were busy tweeting that our film was a let-down. I don't know. What I do know is that whatever it was that distracted them, caused them to miss some vital piece of information that I was later blamed for.

The problem is that this approach is key to film criticism these days. Critics see a film once and write their review. That's just the way it worst. For that reason, it is difficult to get after them too much. I would be hard pressed to watch a film once--live--and then be expected to have total recall a day or two or seven later when writing a review. Of course they are going to miss things. Of course they are going to get a few things wrong. It is expected and totally reasonable. The problem is that many of these reviewers aren't in touch with themselves enough to know when they are fuzzy on the facts. In fact, often the opposite is true. They approach your film cock-sure, dragging you over the coals for things they claim the film is lacking, but in actuality is not. This isn't as much of an issue with bigger films, because enough people have seen and reviewed such a movie to expose the reviewer as the one who is out of the loop. But with a film like ours, an indie film being seen for the first time at a festival, the critic is among the first to review the movie and, if they mess up badly enough, they may ensure that nobody else gets the chance to review the movie in the future.

Photo from TIFF Cleanflix premiere in Life.

I am loathe to report that the majority of our negative reviews had at least one, if not several, instances of the reviewer claiming that we had missed opportunities that we hadn't. I cannot began to communicate to you my level of frustration that is pent up when reading such reviews. How is one supposed to react in a situation like that? In normal life (especially in this online culture we're living in) I would write back and verbally rip this guy to shreds. I can't do that as a filmmaker. I literally had to talk myself out of writing a scathing letter to a bumbling critic for an entire hour on one such occasion. In the end I was glad I didn't because to do so would only have been worse for my film.

Look at the flack Bruce Willis took for defending Live Free or Die Hard to talk-backers on the AICN boards. People were surprised he would stoop to that level. Well, what would you do if a bunch of people you didn't know were trashing something you cared enough about to dedicate more than a year of your life making and promoting? I'm not surprised in the least that Bruce wanted to defend his flick. The reality is, you just can't do it. Learning to deal with criticism is just part of being a film professional. Filmmaker Richard Dutcher, who actually appears in Cleanflix, gave me some good advice. He said to read the bad reviews once. Just once. Really listen to the critic and see if there is anything to learn. Then, throw it away. Read the good reviews a hundred times. That helped and has stuck with me.

And, of course, there is a positive side to this whole thing. The best part is that, based on the acclaim of Cleanflix, I'm going to get to keep making movies. Also, it is just fun knowing that people you like and respect are talking about you and your film. Just being online the last couple days and seeing Peter Sciretta tweeting about our film with guys like Jason Reitman and Frank Marshall has given me goosebumps. Malcolm Ingram of Small Town Gay Bar and SModcast fame was at our final screening. Danny Boyle almost walked into the screening, but it turns out he was at the wrong theater. Bummer. But there were many appreciative industry elite and there was a great press turnout as well. Our publicist even said that he spotted Elvis Mitchell at one of our screenings. No word from him yet, but Elvis, if you're out there, I'm a big fan of The Treatment. Call me.

One little highlight that you probably wouldn't expect to be one is that I sat and chatted with Peter from /Film and Alex from First Showing after a screening. I'm something of a film geek and I actually get a bigger kick out of knowing that /Film or Ain't It Cool has reviewed my film than even Variety or the Hollywood Reporter (even though we had a great interview with THR). And not only that, but they liked it. What a relief. I have promised to send a copy of Cleanflix to the Film Junk and Filmspotting podcasts, and I'm grateful that I have the excuse of waiting until our next film festival before I send it because I'm kinda nervous to hear what Adam and Matty, or worse, Greg, Sean, and Jay think of the movie I spent two years making. I don't know what I'll do when Roger Ebert finally reviews it.

I know that this probably sounds weird, a filmmaker excited to meet a blogger, and I know that it is usually the other way around, but when you are just starting out, you are a dyed in the wool geek such as myself, and you have been reading these guys forever...well, there is no denying that the whole experience is just thrilling. So, in the end, you take the good and the bad and hope that the buzz you've worked so hard to build doesn't turn out to be a buzz-kill.

PRESS: /Film review of Cleanflix

A review of our film, Cleanflix, by /Film editor Peter Sciretta. Direct link to the original post at /Film's site here.

Peter Sciretta » 09.19.09 »

When I first found out that a documentary about CleanFlicks was playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, I immediately added it to my must-see list. I’ve always been interested and outraged at the concept of Cleanflicks.

For those of you who don’t know, Mormons are advised not to watch R-rated movies because the language, sex and violence will contaminate and pervert your brain. The modern day prophets say the best solution is to avoid these things at all costs. A video rental store was opened in Utah to cater to to the sanitized beliefs. CleanFlicks would take Hollywood movies and professionally edit them in final cut, removing most of the “bad parts.”

The film features a number of comparisons between original theatrical cut and CleanFlicks re-edits, most of which are both hilarious and appalling. Swear words aren’t bleeped, scenes are suddenly cut, the CleanFlicks edits are actually remarkably well done, at least technically. But deleted shots, sequences, or conversations, often results in a completely different intention in the dialogue or moments of a film.

"Cleanflix is easily the most interesting topical documentary about movies since This Film Is Not Yet Rated."

The sanitized versions could be rented at the CleanFlicks store, or even be made available for purchase to the paying public (they did this using a 1:1 ratio, including an original purchased copy with each CleanFlicks copy). At one point the company was operating 10 corporate stores, in addition to almost 70 franchised dealerships. The documentary Cleanflix tells the story of the rise and fall of CleanFlicks and other edited movie dealerships in Utah, with a primary focus on Daniel Thompson, a CleanFlicks franchisee who became the de facto leader of Utah’s the edited movie revival. And Daniel’s story has just as many twists and turns as the headline story.

If I have any complaint about the documentary, it is that at one point it becomes too focused on Thompson’s story, and misses opportunities to talk about the ethics, present and future of the sanitized movie business. I would have loved to learn more about how and why Hollywood creates TV and airplane edits of films, but refuses to provide these edits to the Mormon audience. I would’ve liked to see a follow-up on the DVD players being created today that allow parents (or whomever) to selectively edit adult content out of a movie. This story doesn’t end with Daniel, and the movie shouldn’t end with him either.

But that said, Cleanflix is easily the most interesting topical documentary about movies since This Film Is Not Yet Rated. Cleanflix is a movie which continues hours after the credits, in the conversations and debates you will have with your friends and family. It creates a discussion about art, censorship, rights, religion, and technology. With popularized art, what are the rights of the creator (director), copyright owner/distributor (studio), and the art buyer (moviewatcher). And as technology grows, will Hollywood be able to contain the demand for sanitized movie edits?

Interestingly enough, the directors have said they would like to give the film a big premiere in Mormon country… Sundance, make this happen!

/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Direct link to the review on /Film.

PRESS: CBC review of Cleanflix

A review of Cleanflix by Greig Dymond, Senior Producer of CBC Arts. Direct link to the original post at the CBC's website here.
Greig Dymond » 09.18.09 »

Last night I caught a compelling doc that deserves to find an audience beyond the festival circuit. Cleanflix is about a highly profitable business that sprung up in Utah about 10 years ago: several video-DVD rental outlets started to provide cleaned-up versions of Hollywood favourites for Mormons who liked movies but didn’t want their families exposed to any sex, violence or swearing. Case in point: a lot of these folks wanted to watch Titanic, but without that scene where Leo paints a portrait of the topless Ms. Winslet. Thanks to modern technology, it wasn’t that difficult to add in some clothing for her doomed character.

"A very smart and critical – but never dismissive – film about two vastly different worlds colliding."

Things were going along swimmingly: the owners of stores such as Clean Flicks and Flick’s Club were making oodles of cash and the customers were satisfied. But then some A-list Hollywood directors – including Michael Mann and Steven Soderbergh – found out about the rather radical changes being made to their films without their permission or copyright clearance. Needless to say, all heck broke loose.

Directors Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi grew up in the Mormon community and they’ve made a very smart and critical – but never dismissive – film about two vastly different worlds colliding over artistic censorship.

Direct link to the review at CBC Arts.

PRESS: Ain't It Cool review of Cleanflix

A review of our film, Cleanflix, by Ain't It Cool's Cartuna. Direct link to the original post at Ain't It Cool's site here.

Cartuna » 09.14.09 »

The short version:
Very compelling, if somewhat slanted documentary. I really enjoyed it, and would watch it again, or maybe even buy the DVD at some point.

The long version:
In Utah, where Mormons have been explicitly told that they are not to watch R-rated films by their prophet, enterprising entrepreneurs start businesses where they edit people’s videos of blockbuster Hollywood films to remove any ‘objectionable’ content.

This documentary follows a few of these businesses, as they bump into copyright law and the wrath of the artists whose work they are nipping and tucking.

As you might expect, the ‘choir’ was definitely in the house for this particular bit of preaching. This is a documentary that has chosen sides - from its opening frames, it paints the Church of Latter-day Saints as horrifying and maniacal (by simply showing one of their prophets, preaching, on a distorted grainy videotape) and I wouldn’t want to be the one to argue against this stance.

"Daniel Thompson rivals King of Kong’s Billy Mitchell as one of those ideal documentary subjects who you can’t quite believe is a real guy."

The documentarians were either very wise or very lucky to concentrate their narrative around Daniel Thompson, owner and operator of a small edited-video rental and retail business as their lead subject in the film, as the guy simply loves the attention of the media, and shows an incredible degree of hubris, which ends up coming back to bite him on the ass, multiple times. He rivals King of Kong’s Billy Mitchell as one of those ideal documentary subjects who you can’t quite believe is a real guy.

We follow him through his emergence as a national spokesman for the concept of edited videos up to and beyond a shocking sex-scandal.

I doubt edited-video supporters will really enjoy the film, but the rest of us should have a pretty darn good time.

Direct link to the review on Ain't It Cool.

PRESS: Cleanflix article in Salt Lake Tribune

An article about the Toronto International Film Festival World Premiere of Cleanflix by Sean Means of the Salt Lake Tribune. Direct link to the original article at the Tribune's website here.
Sean P. Means » 09.11.09 »

UTAH MORALITY TALE PREMIERES AT TORONTO

Considering the three years it took to get from Utah County to North America's largest film festival, it's understandable that filmmaker Andrew James was getting teary-eyed.

"It's really emotional -- it's been a great journey," James said, standing next to his co-director, Joshua Ligairi, in front of the audience Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival before the world premiere of their documentary "Cleanflix."

The 90-minute documentary examines the cottage industry that sprung up in Utah in 2000, when a company named CleanFlicks started offering DVD and VHS rentals of Hollywood movies -- edited to remove violence, profanity and sexual content -- to a predominantly Mormon clientele.

Thom Powers, the festival's documentary programmer, introduced the movie with a joking nod to the Sundance Film Festival. "Every year the film industry goes to Utah for 10 days," Powers said, "and the rest of the year we don't think much about the place."

As the movie rolled, the movie-savvy Toronto festival audience learned about the once-thriving business of CleanFlicks and its imitators, and the conditions that prompted that success -- namely, the prohibition by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' leaders against Mormons viewing R-rated movies.

The movie also details how CleanFlicks went out of business when a federal judge in 2006 ruled the edited movies violated copyright laws, while some offshoot companies tried to keep going in spite of the ruling.

After the screening, James and Ligairi fielded questions about the morality of the edited-movie business and how owners of that business justified breaking the law. One owner, Robert Perry, did not. He shut down his business after the court ruling. "You can't break the law and consider yourself a moral person," Perry told the festival audience.

James said that if someone tried to edit his movie, "I'd absolutely be upset about it. They're censoring copyrighted pieces of art they don't own, and they're making a buck off of it."

Both Perry and Utah Valley University communications professor Philip Sherman Gordon, who were interviewed in the film and attended its Toronto premiere, were pleased with the results.

Gordon argued the CleanFlicks side has won, in a way, because recent federal law allows software like ClearPlay, which edits objectionable material from DVDs. Perry said he's happy his side of the story is being told. "I had a good feeling when I first met them that they would do a good job."

Powers, the festival's documentary programmer, said Toronto, with its concentration of movie press and industry, is "a huge launching pad" for Cleanflix.

Having the premiere on neutral territory may be a plus as well, Perry said. "If this was at Sundance," he said, "we'd probably have picketing and riots."

Direct link to the article at the Salt Lake Tribune.

BLOG: Early press for Cleanflix

Joshua Ligairi » 9.06.09 »

So, Cleanflix, premieres on Friday, but it's been getting early buzz since we posted the announcement that we would be playing the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.

After an article in the Salt Lake Tribune, we were informed that Sean Means, film critic at the Tribune, would be making a special trip to Toronto just to see Cleanflix.

The first filmmaker interview was with Producer Kynan Griffin (Pride & Prejudice, Moving McAllister) at The Examiner. Subsequent filmmaker interviews followed in several print publications. You can listen to our first audio interview on A Damn Movie Podcast (warning, explicit language).

There have been some great blog posts anticipating the film from all over the world from Canada to Mexico. We've also been mentioned as top picks by guest bloggers on the TIFF09 documentary guide including David D'Arcy, programmer of the Haifa International Film Festival in Israel and both David Courier and Basil Tsiokos of the Sundance Film Festival programming staff.

We've also been featured nicely in little blurbs within other articles about TIFF09:

The Hollywood Reporter refers to Cleanflix among "high profile" and "heat seeking" films.

IndieWire features Thom Powers talking us up.

Atlantic City Weekly puts us up there with the big boys.

Variety didn't have much to say, but they said it in Variety!

The Hollywood Reporter announcement includes us in the title.

The Torontoist features only our photo and George A. Romero's photo.

Buzz is weird. Of course, we are excited about all the attention the film has been getting (we haven't even hired a publicist yet), but almost nobody has actually seen the film. It seems that we're just getting great word of mouth from the few people who have seen it. Also, supposedly there is good buzz and bad buzz. You want some buzz, but not too much that you become over-saturated. It is all a bunch of stupid marketing stuff that is totally antithetical to the creative process. I guess it is important if you actually want to make art for a living, though.

All that aside, I'm looking forward to the festival. It is a real honor to be playing at a festival as prestigious as Toronto and we hope this is just the beginning of many wonderful film festival experiences. We're super excited to be screening alongside films from a myriad of talented filmmakers that I have looked up to for years. Not to name drop, but other filmmakers in attendance will be The Coen Brothers, Steven Soderbergh, Geroge Clooney, Chris Smith, Todd Solondz, Michael Moore, and Werner Herzog, and George A. Romero--to name just a few. The whole thing would be pretty over-whelming if the reality of it would actually sink in.

If you are interested in tracking the progress of the film, you can become a fan of Cleanflix at Facebook or join us on our struggling MySpace page. Cleanflix poster design by Natty Coleman of Worker's State.

NEWS: Adam(n) podcast appearance

Joshua Ligairi » 09.03.09 »

Two guys named Adam from Salt Lake City run a cool little film podcast where the movies of yesterday and today are jovially discussed in a low-key atmosphere that feels more like hanging out with old friends than a cineaste dissection of cinema. That's not to say that these guys can't drop science. The Adams are true film fans and can speak knowledgeably about anything from the work of Alfred Hitchcock to that of David Cronenberg. I've often enjoyed their rants on everything from Apocolypse Now and Blade Runner to Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Howard the Duck. These guys don't discriminate.

I first heard about A Damn Movie Podcast on Filmspotting (you may remember from a previous post that I am sickeningly addicted to several movie podcasts, Filmspotting ranking high on the junkie list) when one of those Adams, Adam Palcher, dropped in to talk about his favorite films of 2009 so far. Hearing a local on one of my favorite national podcasts, I did a spit take all over my Mac and then jumped on iTunes to look these guys up and see what I was missing out on. And I'm glad I did because it soon paid off in more than just cheap entertainment.

Last night I had the honor of being a guest on the show, recorded at Adam Sherlock's amazing house at a super-secret location in Salt Lake City. How amazingly super-secret? The guy has his own road. But I digress. Sherlock and Palcher invited myself and Andrew James, co-director of the Cleanflix documentary, on the show to discuss our film and the ideas behind it. What ensued was an interesting (to us) if incomprehensible (to everyone but us) conversation about Mormon culture, sanitized movies, the making-of our film, and the upcoming premiere of Cleanflix at the Toronto International Film Festival. I hope that what was said could be considered insightful commentary, but either way I had a great time and it was cool to see that the Adams are actually even more likebale in person than they are on the air.

You can download the podcast on iTunes for free. Just search "A Damn Movie Podcast." Our interview is halfway into Episode 71, the censorship episode, which also features a review of Private Parts and a top five list where the guys discuss movies that they would like to edit just to improve the quality of the film (the Phantom Edit anyone?). It is all worth a listen, but if you have a short attention span, our interview comes in at right about the 30 minute mark.

Another great thing is that the podcast happens to feature music from two of my favorite local bands, arguably two of the best indie/alt country bands in the world right now, Cub Country and Band of Annuals. You can find music from both of these bands online, and I would recommend that you do. I especially like the Cub Country album "High Uinta High" which is largely about singer/songwriter Jeremy Chatelain's (Jets to Brazil, Iceburn) love for the great state of Utah.

I should also probably mention, for those with sensitive ears, that these damn podcasters swear like sailors and the entire interview is riddled with colorful language. If you don't have access to iTunes, you can download the episode directly from their blog. The photos that I've posted of the Adams are by Renee Lee at BellaOra Studios and Francisco Kjolseth at In This Week.

BLOG: A rough cut

Joshua Ligairi » 09.21.08 »

Production wrapped just over a week ago when Daniel Thompson, one of the subjects of the film, went to jail. We had roughly a week to complete the rough cut in time for submissions to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, the deadline of which is today. Needless to say it has been a long week, but well worth the effort.

The end of filming was a bit anti-climactic for me. I couldn't really fathom that it was over. We've been in production--actually shooting the film--for almost two years. I've worked on several other films during that time that have come and gone. Cleanflix was always there. Of course, it is still there. First we have to finish cutting the film. Still holding out for a few interviews. Waiting on score and animations. A lot of tightening and finessing still to do. Then will come the film festival circuit. That could last a year. Who knows? God (and indie film marketplace) willing, we will sell the thing. So I may be living with this for a long time. But that wasn't the only thing bothering me.

You see, I'd always imagined that the moment I first submitted a feature film to Sundance would be a sort of life-defining moment for me. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Maybe some sort of instantaneous gratification where I'd hand the film over to the submissions board personally and they'd say, "We've heard about your film and can't wait to see it. Don't tell anyone we said this, but you're in!" Also I kind of imagined this playing out with me encircled by a sparkling cloud of fairy dust. Well, that didn't really happen. Instead, we rushed through a cut, editing almost 24 hours a day between the two of us, and had to turn in a project that is less than the best work we can do.

Ultimately, I'm not super confident that this cut will get us into Sundance. The film is still missing some crucial elements. They will come in time, but the rough cut is just that, very rough. Still, I’m proud of the strides we have made since wrapping only one week ago. Struggling for this deadline was a shot in the arm that has pushed the project to the next level and I am confident that we will do well at any other major festival we play at. It will just be a shame if we don’t play at Sundance because of Robert Redford’s involvement in the issue, the importance of this issue to the film industry, and the fact that there is so much local interest here in Utah.

All of the Producer's Reps we've spoken with say we're a shoe-in, but I've heard there is no such thing at Sundance. The process is confusing to even those who have had films play at the festival. Here's a small for instance: I live a ten minute drive away from Redford's Sundance Resort and 40 minutes from Park City--contemporary home of the festival. Can I swing by and drop our submission off there? No, it as to go to the LA office. Some say they only watch the first five minutes of the film. Some say they don't watch the submissions at all and only take films that are heavily represented. Then, there's the fact that we submitted a rough cut--and when I say rough, I mean rough. As Andrew (my co-director) says, "rough cuts don't get in to film festivals."

So, I'm hoping for the best and expecting the worst. I'm not keeping my fingers crossed, but okay, I really am keeping them crossed. There are other wonderful festivals out there and some that are viable independent film markets. I'm confident that the film will find an audience and a home no matter where it play. Still, I gained my love for film here in Utah--where film takes place. I've spent my years here going to the festival, working at the filmmakers lab, and for a time, living a stone's throw away from Bob Redford. As I honed my filmmaking skills, I always imagined being a part of this in some larger way. For all it's faults, Utah is my home. Sundance is a part of it and so is this film.