Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival?

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_Doctor Scratch
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Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival?

Post by _Doctor Scratch »

First things first: I need to acknowledge the "anonymous informants" who clued me in to this information. Thank you very much for your attentiveness! Now, on to the news....

I have to say, one of the things I always enjoy about the annual "Top Ten Happenings" list is that we get to speculate about the future. Someone, it seems, always calls for predictions about what will be most prominent in the coming year. And as I wrote back in December,

Doctor Scratch wrote:I cannot wait for the Witnesses film. In fact, in terms of "Most Anticipated Movies of 2020," for me, it is beginning to seem like a toss-up between the Witnesses movie and Denis Villenueve's Dune. Yes: that's how serious I am about this.


That remains true. I'm sure that the Mopologists could not care less about my interest in this endeavor of theirs, but I'm also quite sure that they care an awful, awful lot about trying to drum up the attention of other possible audiences. Which brings me to my main point. I don't know if you caught it, but Dr. Peterson has been very busy plugging a special event concerning the "Witnesses" movie:

Daniel Peterson wrote:Although the Festival’s website hasn’t yet been amended to indicate it, a special closing panel discussion has now been added to the program of the nineteenth annual LDS Film Festival, which is being held throughout this week at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah:

LDS Film Festival 2020

The panel, which will begin at 5:00 PM and last an hour, will focus on the Interpreter Foundation’s forthcoming theatrical film, Witnesses, and on some of the supporting materials that will be created in connection with it. Participants on the panel will include Russell M. Richins, the film’s producer, and Mark Goodman, its director and editor. Also on the panel will be Daniel Peterson, the film’s jester. Moreover, a special surprise guest may also appear, if his schedule permits, and we’ll have at least one Important Announcement to make.

Although there is an admission fee for attending the Festival as a whole, admission to this particular panel will be at no charge. Anybody who is interested in attending will certainly be welcome.


And also this:

Daniel Peterson wrote:Just a reminder that a special one-hour panel discussion on the Interpreter Foundation’s Witnesses film project will take place at the end of this week’s LDS Film Festival 2020, which is being held at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah. It will begin at 5 PM on Saturday, 29 February 2020, and admission to it — as contrasted with the rest of the film festival — will be free. Producer Russell Richins, director Mark Goodman, and co-executive producer Daniel Peterson will participate on the panel, as will, we hope, a special invited guest. We will have an important announcement to make during the panel discussion.


I guess they are ramping up their promotional activities, eh? But there is a problem here, unfortunately. I'm sure you noticed how often DCP mentions the LDS Film Festival. And, hey: the "Witnesses" movie has aspirations of being spoken about in the same breath as Brigham City, Singles Second Ward, and The Best Two Years. Are any of these movies Citizen Kane? Well, no--not even close, actually. But Brigham City is not a bad film: it's earnestly made, but hampered by some stiff performances--particularly the villain. And how could anyone forget scene where that poor guy's porn stash is discovered? The sheriff just rolls his eyes as the poor bastard breaks down sobbing with shame. Whatever the case may be, it's clear that the Mopologists want the "Witnesses" movie to be uttered in the same breath as the other movies in the admittedly limited LDS cinematic "canon."

The thing is: despite DCP's postings, it doesn't appear that the "Witnesses" movie is connected in any way with the LDS Film Festival. As you can see from the official program, there is no mention whatsoever of this "Witnesses" panel. Indeed, DCP's first announcement was on Monday--the day the festival began. So, is this "panel" officially connected to the LDS Film Festival? Or are the Mopologists "crashing" this event? Notice how careful Peterson is to point out that *their* event is free! You have to actually pay money to go to the real LDS Film Festival--a Full Festival Pass will run you $75. And notice, too, that Peterson complains that "the Festival’s website hasn’t yet been amended to indicate it." Well, his posting was on Monday of this week. What, are the people running the festival expected to make such "amendments" *after* the festival has already begun? Surely Dr. Peterson understands that things like programs and schedules have to be drawn up well in advance.

So, what happened here? Did they hear about the LDS Film Festival and then scramble at the last second to try to "ride the coattails" of this event? I'm sure that, if certain parties had been on the ball about this, they could have theoretically gotten an actual, real panel on the program (or were they worried that the cheapskate main audience would be deterred by the cost of even a Day Pass, which goes for twenty bucks?). Is this therefore a case where they screwed up because they weren't paying attention?

Or, instead, is this a case where the LDS filmmaking community sees the "Interpreter" people as a bunch of interlopers? I.e., a bunch of Mopologist "hacks" who think that they have what it takes to challenge the primacy of the Dutcher oeuvre, as it were? (And is there any tension surrounding the fact that Dutcher is an "apostate"? And yet he is seemingly the most prominent and noteworthy Mormon filmmaker?) Well, the lone sign that anyone from the LDS Film Festival gives any squat whatever for the "Witnesses" movie is this rather spartan mention of it on their Facebook page. There *will* be a "theatrical announcement," but this hardly seems like an official acknowledgment from the actual festival. I mean, if it's not on the program, then it's not a legitimate part of the festival.

How to characterize this, then? Desperation? Incompetence? Overblown egos out of control yet again? Tough to say. But at least we can console ourselves with the fact that we'll soon get to hear some "announcement" about whenever this film will debut. That, in and of itself, is something we can all get excited about, I think.
"[I]f, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
_Gadianton
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Re: Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival

Post by _Gadianton »

Doctor Scratch,

This is a really bizarre and unexpected piece of news. Until I looked a little more closely, I didn't see what the big deal was.

It looks like somehow, at the last minute, someone at Interpreter was able to get the ear of someone with some pull with the Festival (the organization) and perhaps, some space was available within the SCERA Center and the official said something like this:

hypothetical Festival officiator wrote:Look, we've got an extra hall we aren't using, and I suppose you can setup there but you've got to do this after the Festival is over. People hanging around waiting for the awards ceremony dropping in shouldn't impact the Festival participants. We could throw a quicky up on Facebook to point folks your way.


But the way they're making it sound at SeN is like the Witness Film is part of the Festival. And statements like, "It's not up on the calendar yet" are really misleading, as clearly it's never going to be "on the calendar" for the Festival itself as it has nothing to do with the Festival. Oh, at the awards ceremony, is the Witness Film going to be on the ballot for anything? Yeah, that's what thought. It's like me saying the Republican Party hasn't updated their presidential candidacy list with my name yet. It's a true statement, is it not? Fully honest and forthcoming?

Also, is a film festival really the right venue for a propaganda piece like this? Do the apologists really have an interest in "film", which is normally considered an interpretive and artistic medium? The apologists are -- ironically given the typical content at SeN about science -- only interested in a reductivist account of the plates that proves it was all real. You don't get comments at SeN about the enlargement of Martin Harris as a character in the narrative by his actor's unique interpretive skills -- "You can really feel his pain and earnestness!" Rather, you get comments like, "The actor playing Joseph Smith ran around all day with a realistic set of plates, proving his chase story through the forest could have been real!" Boy, what an exciting panel this is going to be for the advancement of art!

The apologists aren't a "film" crowd. They aren't into art, they are into proof and evidence for their team. The fact that they don't understand evidence is another matter, but that's their interest.
Lou Midgley 08/20/2020: "...meat wad," and "cockroach" are pithy descriptions of human beings used by gemli? They were not fashioned by Professor Peterson.

LM 11/23/2018: one can explain away the soul of human beings...as...a Meat Unit, to use Professor Peterson's clever derogatory description of gemli's ideology.
_Lemmie
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Re: Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival

Post by _Lemmie »

Really, the fact that every other event at the film festival has an entrance fee but the Interpreter Panel is free and after hours says it all.
_Dr Exiled
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Re: Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival

Post by _Dr Exiled »

The witnesses film seems like it will be boring church propaganda only and the fact that DCP claims the BYU Education Dept. contracted to have the film be shown to BYU students underscores the propaganda point. It is a far cry from anything artistic, anything a film festival would want.

The interpreter crowd could have made a film about the witnesses' magic world view and how that heavily contributed to the witnesses' believing attitudes, however, the movie will be overshadowed by "faithful" propaganda. Opening with deer Jesus expounding the outdoor kingdom to an overactive Martin Harris and cutting to Angels hiding under sheds and Oliver's dowsing capabilities could have been an interesting exploration for the film. But the stodgy brethren need a certain outcome where delusion is the norm.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen 
_moksha
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Re: Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival

Post by _moksha »

Producer Russell Richins, director Mark Goodman, and co-executive producer Daniel Peterson will participate on the panel, as will, we hope, a special invited guest.

Special guest Mary Mallon straight from her exclusive engagement aboard the Diamond Princess.
Cry Heaven and let loose the Penguins of Peace
_Tom
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Re: Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival

Post by _Tom »

I'm looking forward to the panel discussion on Saturday. I hear that the actor who plays Joseph Smith in Witnesses will demonstrate feats of strength by running around the room with a prop set of golden plates under his arm, stiff-arming special guest Dr. Midgley, who will be performing the Cruise Lady haka in a cameo role. Plus, if I am afforded the opportunity, I think I will ask the actor for his views of the Deer Jesus and Ghost Committee theories. A good time should be had by all.
“A scholar said he could not read the Book of Mormon, so we shouldn’t be shocked that scholars say the papyri don’t translate and/or relate to the Book of Abraham. Doesn’t change anything. It’s ancient and historical.” ~ Hanna Seariac
_Dr Exiled
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Re: Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival

Post by _Dr Exiled »

Tom wrote:I'm looking forward to the panel discussion on Saturday. I hear that the actor who plays Joseph Smith in Witnesses will demonstrate feats of strength by running around the room with a prop set of golden plates under his arm, stiff-arming special guest Dr. Midgley, who will be performing the Cruise Lady haka in a cameo role. Plus, if I am afforded the opportunity, I think I will ask the actor for his views of the Deer Jesus and Ghost Committee theories. A good time should be had by all.


I would pay money, even though they aren't charging, if you could ask about Deer Jesus and catch their answers on video. I think it is a shame that they probably won't be exploring that angle to Martin Harris, overactive believer in almost anything or how David Whitmer thought Moroni was under his shed and was right behind Martin Harris in excited belief in dubious claims.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen 
_toon
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Re: Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival

Post by _toon »

So if I book a location in or around Park City during the same time of the Sundance Film Festival to screen my home porn "movies," I can claim some association with Sundance? Cool.
_Gadianton
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Re: Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival

Post by _Gadianton »

toon wrote:So if I book a location in or around Park City during the same time of the Sundance Film Festival to screen my home porn "movies," I can claim some association with Sundance? Cool.


Exactly.
Lou Midgley 08/20/2020: "...meat wad," and "cockroach" are pithy descriptions of human beings used by gemli? They were not fashioned by Professor Peterson.

LM 11/23/2018: one can explain away the soul of human beings...as...a Meat Unit, to use Professor Peterson's clever derogatory description of gemli's ideology.
_Doctor Scratch
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Re: Is 'Interpreter' Trying to "Crash" the LDS Film Festival

Post by _Doctor Scratch »

Gadianton wrote:
toon wrote:So if I book a location in or around Park City during the same time of the Sundance Film Festival to screen my home porn "movies," I can claim some association with Sundance? Cool.


Exactly.


A part of me wonders why they didn't "go big" and swing for the fences and try to get this thing into a more prominent venue, such as Sundance. I get that they are aiming more for propaganda rather than cinematic respectability, but then again, you can sense a "divided heart" at play here. Sure: helping people's testimonies is nice and all.... But what if this is actually a "good" film? What if critics hail this as the greatest Mormon movie ever made? And they missed opportunities for wider distribution because they prejudicially assumed that the "worldly" folks at Sundance would turn their noses up at this?
"[I]f, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
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