American Movie (1999)

Synopsis: Smith's film is a poignant commentary on what it takes to make an independent film. It also happens to be a genuinely hysterical, crowd-pleasing romp. Trying to get his masterpiece, NORTHWESTERN,... Smith's film is a poignant commentary on what it takes to make an independent film. It also happens to be a genuinely hysterical, crowd-pleasing romp. Trying to get his masterpiece, NORTHWESTERN, off the ground, but failing miserably due to lack of funding and support, struggling Midwestern filmmaker Mark Borchardt instead turns his attention to COVEN, an abandoned 37-minute horror film that he began filming in 1990. His hopes are to sell enough copies of the video to enable him to clear his current debts and begin moving forward with his real baby, NORTHWESTERN. The painstaking effort to get COVEN in the can and onto the screen for the film's world premiere provides the greatest laughs in this undeniably entertaining documentary. [More]

Director: Chris Smith

Director: Chris Smith
Producer: Sarah Price