Wire Story
Film documents divisive Michael Moore visit to Utah college
By Logan C. Adams
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON - When Steven Greenstreet heard that Michael Moore was coming to Utah Valley State College last fall, he dropped out of Brigham Young University to document the ensuing controversy.
His film, “This Divided State,” comes from 65 hours of footage recorded over two months from the announcement of Moore’s visit to Election Day. It was screened here Wednesday before an audience of 160 people, sponsored by the Center for American Progress.
The movie begins with the history of Utah and describes UVSC’s location: Utah County, where there are 12 Republicans for each Democrat, a place the film refers to as “the most conservative county in the country.”
As expected, the announcement of Moore’s impending visit by Student Body President Jim Bassi and Vice President Joe Vogel was met with resistance. Greenstreet said the controversy was positive at first.
“Initially, it was like a huge catalyst. … It was just an overnight change of political discourse in the hallways,” he said. However, things turned for the worse as debate broke down into conflict, and the student leaders who invited Moore faced demands they resign.
As a compromise, Bassi and Vogel invited commentator Sean Hannity to speak on campus the week before Moore’s appearance.
It wasn’t enough.
Vogel had to resign when community leader Kay Anderson filed suit, claiming the student government had overstepped its bounds by paying Moore to speak.
Anderson is featured in film arguing against Moore’s invitation to campus, saying at one point, “He hates who we are and would like to destroy us.”
He dropped the suit immediately after Vogel resigned.
Greenstreet found some irony in having made a documentary about Moore, a famous documentarian. “It was kind of weird filming the guy who inspired me to do documentary,” he said.
Greenstreet said Moore liked film and was distressed that the student leaders suffered after the speech.
The film misses no opportunity to show the lighter side of the controversy, including interviews about Moore with people dressed as Star Wars characters at a DVD release for the series. Someone dressed as Darth Vader jokes, “I believe the emperor is expecting him,” when he was asked if Michael Moore is evil.
Student Ken Brown impersonates Moore. “When you get the attention, you just go for it,” Brown says in the film.
Although the USVC student’s physique mirrors Moore’s, his Republican politics do not. He was featured in the film posing as the filmmaker from Flint, Mich., and drew insults from confused members of Hannity’s audience.
After the screening, Greenstreet took questions from the audience. “One of the main talking points I’d like to bring up is just this myth of red versus blue,” he said. “That kind of implies that there are only two voices.”
Audience members applauded when the film ended and asked generally friendly questions.
Greenstreet grew up in Maryland and was a junior at BYU before the Moore controversy. He said he paid for the film with “two credit cards and a bank account.” He is shooting another film about Utah’s conservative culture called “Happy Valley,” and has worked as a production assistant on a film starring actor Anthony Hopkins.
“This Divided State” begins a 22-stop tour of universities next week, and a DVD release with additional footage is expected this summer. Greensteet said he has been invited to London by the Documentary Film Guild for a screening.
By Logan C. Adams
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON - When Steven Greenstreet heard that Michael Moore was coming to Utah Valley State College last fall, he dropped out of Brigham Young University to document the ensuing controversy.
His film, “This Divided State,” comes from 65 hours of footage recorded over two months from the announcement of Moore’s visit to Election Day. It was screened here Wednesday before an audience of 160 people, sponsored by the Center for American Progress.
The movie begins with the history of Utah and describes UVSC’s location: Utah County, where there are 12 Republicans for each Democrat, a place the film refers to as “the most conservative county in the country.”
As expected, the announcement of Moore’s impending visit by Student Body President Jim Bassi and Vice President Joe Vogel was met with resistance. Greenstreet said the controversy was positive at first.
“Initially, it was like a huge catalyst. … It was just an overnight change of political discourse in the hallways,” he said. However, things turned for the worse as debate broke down into conflict, and the student leaders who invited Moore faced demands they resign.
As a compromise, Bassi and Vogel invited commentator Sean Hannity to speak on campus the week before Moore’s appearance.
It wasn’t enough.
Vogel had to resign when community leader Kay Anderson filed suit, claiming the student government had overstepped its bounds by paying Moore to speak.
Anderson is featured in film arguing against Moore’s invitation to campus, saying at one point, “He hates who we are and would like to destroy us.”
He dropped the suit immediately after Vogel resigned.
Greenstreet found some irony in having made a documentary about Moore, a famous documentarian. “It was kind of weird filming the guy who inspired me to do documentary,” he said.
Greenstreet said Moore liked film and was distressed that the student leaders suffered after the speech.
The film misses no opportunity to show the lighter side of the controversy, including interviews about Moore with people dressed as Star Wars characters at a DVD release for the series. Someone dressed as Darth Vader jokes, “I believe the emperor is expecting him,” when he was asked if Michael Moore is evil.
Student Ken Brown impersonates Moore. “When you get the attention, you just go for it,” Brown says in the film.
Although the USVC student’s physique mirrors Moore’s, his Republican politics do not. He was featured in the film posing as the filmmaker from Flint, Mich., and drew insults from confused members of Hannity’s audience.
After the screening, Greenstreet took questions from the audience. “One of the main talking points I’d like to bring up is just this myth of red versus blue,” he said. “That kind of implies that there are only two voices.”
Audience members applauded when the film ended and asked generally friendly questions.
Greenstreet grew up in Maryland and was a junior at BYU before the Moore controversy. He said he paid for the film with “two credit cards and a bank account.” He is shooting another film about Utah’s conservative culture called “Happy Valley,” and has worked as a production assistant on a film starring actor Anthony Hopkins.
“This Divided State” begins a 22-stop tour of universities next week, and a DVD release with additional footage is expected this summer. Greensteet said he has been invited to London by the Documentary Film Guild for a screening.
posted by Logan C. Adams at 3/25/2005 05:30:00 PM
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