Our first documentary Toxic Soup made its international TV premiere earlier this week. “Cocktail Toxique” (French title) premiered on Explora TV in Quebec on Saturday, May 5th at 8:30pm and was repeated Sunday, May 6th at 1:30pm, Tuesday May 8th at 9am and will be on tomorrow Friday, May 11th at 3pm. Next Toxic Soup or “Cocktail Toxique” is headed across the Atlantic to France where it is set to broadcast on Ushuaia TV.
So Rory Owen Delaney and P.G. Banker were accepted into the Writers Guild of America nonfiction writers caucus this week for our work on the documentary TOXIC SOUP, and I got my official ID card below. Among other benefits, this means that we get:
All Guild mailings, communications and WGAW publications
The right to attend all Caucu membership functions including seminars, panels and New Member Dialogues
The right to serve on Caucus committees
The right to use the GUild’s Script Registration Service at the reduced rate available to WGA members
Been taking a lot more still photos now that I have a Canon 7d. I took these photographs on Saturday, 3/24/12 at the Graff Lab. I have some more photos that I took on Sunday, 3/25/12 but I haven’t had a chance to deal with them yet. I got the completed mural and a bunch more shots of some of the big pieces that I hadn’t gotten due to cars being parked in front of them. On Saturday there was a British musician there all day shooting his music video. Not sure who it was. Anyone know who the guy is? He’s holding a guitar and wearing a blazer in a few of the photos. Also, the Canon 7d came in really handy when I walked a couple blocks down Venice toward the Staples Center and ended up getting free tacos in exchange for taking a couple pictures. The tacos were the bomb; thank you, Mystery Taco Lady!
Just got word that the Sahaya documentary that I edited will be narrated by Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons. Sahaya International helps families who are HIV positive in rural India. I look forward to completing this project sometime this summer.
Our dream final four match-up between the Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats did not disappoint. And neither did the Red V Blue documentary shoot. We talked with a ton of Louisville and Kentucky fans and even a couple former players. Derwin Webb spoke to us outside of the Super Dome in New Orleans, and Matt Simms bumped into associate producer Aaron Mikel while he was filming in Louisville. In New Orleans we filmed interviews on both Friday and Saturday on Canal Street and throughout the French Quarter. 1 a.m. Friday night we hit Bourbon Street in the pouring rain to talk with some of the Final Four’s most devoted fans and party animals. The next day we hung outside the Super Dome on Loyola Avenue and spoke with fans en route to the historic final four match-up. And along with fan interviews we also documented some of New Orleans’ best street performers. In Shelbyville, KY, Aaron Mikel visited the Main Street Barbershop before heading to Louisville and filming around the city. Below are some production still photographs that producer P.G. Banker snapped on the big day in New Orleans. Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to the University of Kentucky for polishing off the Kansas Jayhawks and winning the national championship!
Our prayers and dreams have been answered. The Kentucky Wildcats will be facing off with their arch-rivals the Louisville Cardinals for a place in the NCAA championship game in what I believe will be their first ever Final Four skirmish. So far we interviewed fans at the December 2011 rivalry game outside of Rupp Arena as well as fans outside of Louisville’s home opener. And we will be in New Orleans to document this historic occasion for all those Card-n-Cat fans who will be unable to make the journey. Producer Wade Smith and director Rory Owen Delaney will be interviewing red and blue fans outside of the Super Dome, in the French Quarter and all around the city to get their reflections on the event (both pre and post game) so keep an eye out for our film crew — we would love to talk with you!
What’s funny is that this comes on the heels of my maiden trip to New Orleans at the beginning of March for the Tulane Environmental Law Summit where my documentary Toxic Soup was invited to screen. But I’m glad to be returning; New Orleans is one of America’s most unique cities, making it the perfect host for one of America’s most unique college sports rivalries. Plus the final four showdown also gives me — and other Cardinals fans — the chance at an early revenge. Instead of having to wait for next year’s rivalry game on December 31st Louisville supporters will get the opportunity to beat Big Blue when it really counts and earn a trip to the national championship is on the line.
But we won’t just be filming in New Orleans. We will have camera crews in three different cities for the dream final four match-up. We have also added one unit in Louisville (Team Aaron Mikel) and one in Paintsville (Team Ronnie Dee Blair). These two additional Kentucky based units will allow us to capture all the local rivalry excitement in addition to the Big Easy fireworks. So now you need to keep an eye out for us in Kentucky too! And if you spot us please come say hi and tell us what the rivalry means to you and your family because that’s what Red Versus Blue is all about. To contact us directly please email wade@mbdfilms.com, pg@mbdfilms.com or rory@mbdfilms.com.
Just wanted to express our condolences here at Man Bites Dog Films to all the recent tornado victims especially those in Eastern Kentucky. As you may or may not know, MBD Film’s own Wade Smith maintains an office in Paintsville, KY and has family in the area. Fortunately, Wade and his family are fine.
However, many were not so lucky. The town of West Liberty, KY was virtually destroyed. I personally spent time in West Liberty when shooting our documentary Toxic Soup. We are sorry for your losses and hope that you and your families are safe.
Friday March 2nd Toxic Soup screened as part of the 17th annual Tulane Environmental Law Summit in New Orleans, LA. The screening went well and director Rory Owen Delaney fielded a bunch of great questions from the audience, sold some DVDs and gave away posters. As an added bonus environmental attorney Kevin Thompson, who features in two of the cases presented in Toxic Soup, participated in the Q+A as well.
The next day Kevin Thompson participated in a panel on THE MASSEY COAL LITIGATION: COAL SLURRY CONTAMINATION IN RAWL, WV. This is case involving the preacher Larry Brown for those of you have seen Toxic Soup. For those of you who haven’t seen the doc yet it is slated to be live on HULU with the next two weeks. Or you can stream it right now through Distrify at toxicsoupmovie.com. DVDs are also available on amazon.com as well as directly through the website.
You may remember that he Upper Big Branch mine disaster claimed the lives of 29 miners and, in the end, humbled Massey Energy and its controversial CEO Don Blankenship. Daring to confront the company known in the coalfields for its “no-holds-barred” litigation tactics, Kevin Thompson and several other attorneys sued Massey for contaminating the well water of 700+ residents of a rural West Virginia community with billions of gallons of improperly disposed toxic coal slurry. After 7 years of litigation, the case was settled days before trial last summer, but only after a judge was recused and the case assigned by the WV Supreme Court to a Mass Litigation Panel.
Kevin Thompson, Plaintiff’s Attorney in Rawl case; Dr. Stephen King, Toxicologist, Manager of Toxicology, Inc.; Stephen Wussow, Senior Research Analyst, Thompson, Barney Law
Three new Toxic Soup screenings to announce. On Tuesday, February 28th at 6 pm Toxic Soup will be screening in Los Angeles at Cal State LA. The event is hosted by the Students United for Sustainability and will feature a Q + A with director Rory Owen Delaney.
On Friday, March 2nd at 7 pm Toxic Soup will be screening in New Orleans at Tulane University as part of Tulane’s 17th annual environmental summit. Director Rory Owen Delaney will be on hand for a Q + A after the screening.
On Monday, April 2nd, Toxic Soup will be screening in Chicago at Northeastern Illinois University. The screening will be hosted by the college radio station WZRD. Unfortunately, director Rory Owen Delaney will not be able to attend but he will do a radio interview before the screening. More details on the interview later.
The Northeastern Illinois University screening is FREE and open to the public, but seating capacity is only for 70 people so please come early! Toxic Soup will be screening in room SU003 in the NEIU CAFE. Northeastern Illinois University is located at 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
Just got wind from the good folks at French Connection Films that Toxic Soup will be making its international television premiere this February in Quebec on Explora TV. The film has been translated into French and will also feature a French narrator. Toxic Soup will be televised in France later in 2012. A French DVD release is also in the works, so stay tuned.
In other news, we are excited to add a new member to our Man Bites Dog Films family: Aaron Mikel. Aaron is assisting us with the Red V Blue project as well as with the Graff Lab movie. And he’s a Kentucky boy, so we know he ain’t squeamish
On Friday, March 2nd at 7 pm Toxic Soup will be screening in New Orleans at Tulane University as part of Tulane’s 17th annual environmental summit. Director Rory Owen Delaney will be on hand for a Q + A after the screening.