Let's end 2008 with a Jon Moritsugu interview

It's an old interview but I still find it entertaining & inspiring - so, what better way to end a great year - completed the final version of Date Number One, shot & completed Indie Film Blogger Road Trip, moved to New York City, still young, healthy, good looking & modest - anyway, in celebration of personal DIY film related achievements of '08 & the increase in general DIY film activity, interest in same, blogging related to filmmaking, etc. by others in 2008 - let's check out this Moritsugu (see Bio after the excerpts below) interview from CrownDozen. From the intro:

"Without question, you know when you're watching a Jon Moritsugu film. Honestly, how many filmmakers, or bands for that matter, can you name who are so distinguishable that you can recognize them after just a few seconds of exposure to their work? Both in distinctiveness of style and independence of vision Jon Moritsugu is as close as I've come to seeing a John Waters in my generation. Like the noble Punk Rawk Indian using the bones, meat, organs, and every other part of the buffalo (sometimes literally), he's been scraping together 20 years worth of brilliant films which he's written, directed, starred, scored, and maybe most impressively, distributed."

And:

"Q: I've heard that Fame Whore was up for Academy Award consideration, what's the story behind that?

A: In late 1999 I got a letter from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences letting me know that FAME WHORE was up for Academy Award "consideration". It was a total weird and fun shock to me but it strangely made sense cuz the film did play out a lot and got quite a few rave reviews. Anyhoo, long story short, they eventually kicked it out of the running on a technicality -it screened on 16mm in theaters (all Academy Award narrative films are required to screened on 35mm)."

Read the rest of the interview here.

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Moritsugu Bio:

"Writer/director JON MORITSUGU has been making films since 1985. In 1989, Village Voice critic J.Hoberman called Moritsugu's Brown University thesis short, DER ELVIS, one of the "Top 50 films of the 80's." Since then his features MOD FUCK EXPLOSION, MY DEGENERATION, FAME WHORE, SCUMROCK, and HIPPY PORN have scorched eyeballs worldwide from Sundance to MOMA to Cannes to the Guggenheim to Berlin to Toronto to name a few. In 1993 James Schamus (Focus Features) produced Moritsugu's PBS television comedy, TERMINAL USA. Moritsugu has garnered critical acclaim and top awards at the New York Underground Film Festival (Best Feature 3 times in a row) as well as the Screenwriting Award at the Austin Film Fest and Oscar consideration for his feature FAME WHORE. He has worked with his wife/leading lady Amy Davis for 20 years. She was co-writer of his last feature, SCUMROCK, as well his newest magnum opus. Moritsugu is currently shopping around this brand new Punk Horror script."

From jonmoritsugu.com

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And, some video of Jon being interviewed about a group of Asian American indie filmmakers:



Happy New Year Everyone! See you in '09.

- Sujewa