Guest Blogger: Bart Simpson

Bart Simpson from Canada (yes, he's heard the jokes) was a co-producer of the original BANANAS!* movie and hence became a subject of BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!*. And as a co-producer of THE CORPORATION, he's familiar with the nature of the beast. Here's his account of a unique Sundance experience.

After getting stuck at the Seattle airport for 27 hours (not something I recommend; they really don’t know how to deal with snow), any change of scenery was welcome. So you can imagine the joy I felt at finally landing in Salt Lake City and meeting a nice resident who offered to drive me and my new airport buddy David (co-director of the excellent 5 Broken Cameras) straight to the theatre where BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* was set to have its North American premiere at Sundance.

My dear mother and the film team had been waiting for me in Park City for about 12 hours by now, and when I arrived just one hour before screening - without luggage but wearing my emergency shirt (that looked an awful lot like a wrestling top) - I was ready to see the film for the first time...

I’ve said a lot about the luck in having a bad haircut show up on a gigantic screen in front of a packed theatre, so I won’t go into that here.

What I am happy to say is that BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* is a great film, one I’m very proud to have been a part of. Fredrik, Jesper, Benjamin, and Margarete have assembled an accurate and telling portrait of our struggle to release a film that certain a big company doesn't want you to see.

It’s a bit strange to see a part of your life on-screen; a lot has changed for me since 2009 and isolating what belongs where in one’s memory can be a challenge.

So to see an intense time period projected third-hand from your recollections to a gigantic screen, by itself and away from all the rest of daily life that was happening at the same time – other projects, getting groceries, family business, et cetera – was pretty insightful.

I won’t ruin the film for any of you who haven’t seen it yet, but if you want a great story that is ultimately about how we make media in today’s globalized culture – I hope you go see it.

The BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* crew at Sundance. Bart Simpson is second from the right.

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@dogwoof mentioned @bananasmovie link to this page. 2012-02-07 10:49:03 +0100
RT @bananasmovie: Very few websites can claim that they have Bart Simpson as a guest blogger: http://t.co/jMmFYpUa
@SusanaNakatani mentioned @bananasmovie link to this page. 2012-02-06 20:28:12 +0100
RT @bananasmovie Very few websites can claim that they have Bart Simpson as a guest blogger: http://t.co/zJ0vPU7A
BANANAS!* posted about Guest Blog by Bart Simpson on BANANAS!*'s Facebook page 2012-02-06 20:24:34 +0100
Very few websites can claim that they have Bart Simpson as a guest blogger.
Bart Simpson published this page in THE BLOG 2012-02-06 20:18:00 +0100
The true story about a Swedish filmmaker and a banana corporation. Dirty tricks, lawsuits, manipulation, and the price of free speech.

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