This Divided State
Encyclopedia
This Divided State is a documentary
by first-time filmmaker Steven Greenstreet
that details the conflict that erupted at Utah Valley State College (UVSC), when controversial figure Michael Moore
was scheduled to come speak on campus, shortly before the 2004 presidential election
.
Attempting to offset the controversy, UVSC invited conservative commentator Sean Hannity
, scheduling his appearance a few days prior to Moore’s visit. Hannity waived his normal $100,000 speakers fee, but still demanded that UVSC cover his travel costs, which were still less than Moore's total fees. Prominent voice of the opposition Kay Anderson is also featured in the film, a local real estate mogul who offered UVSC $25,000 to cancel Moore’s appearance, and when that failed, he tried to sue the school for misuse of funds.
and Elias and Michelle Pate, describing the ensuing commotion as “a huge crush of political debate and an overwhelming sense of activity and electricity.”
The filmmakers captured at least 70 hours of material in the course of three months. Greenstreet eventually maxed out three credit cards, emptied his bank account, and dropped out of Brigham Young University
, devoting himself exclusively to this project. In one instance, when the filmmakers could no longer afford the cost of home internet access, they resorted to piggybacking on an unsuspecting neighbor's wireless signal, only accessible at the foot of a family member’s bed.
Often spending twenty hours a day editing, Greenstreet carefully trimmed the footage down to eighty-eight minutes. Juxtaposing candidly emotional interviews against unruly public spectacles, he consistently strove for neutrality, advancing the story without narration and allowing equal time to all opposing opinions. The filmmakers could not forget the vital importance of finishing the film soon, while the events involved were still relevant and fresh in the public’s minds.
Upon learning UVSC professor and self-proclaimed liberal Phil Gordon had become involved in the project, Kay Anderson filed a claim against Greenstreet, attempting to revoke his previously signed consent to be included in the film. With the aiding representation of attorney Patrick Shea, Anderson’s attempts to remove himself from the film proved unsuccessful.
Greenstreet defended using Anderson in the film, “without the personal interview that I did with him, he doesn’t get a chance to explain his motivation.”
and market their movie with a team of only four people and minimal resources. Their first big break occurred when Campus Progress, a division of the Center for American Progress
, sponsored a tour of the film as part of its "Reel Progress" series. The film went on to screen at twenty-three college campuses, including Yale
, Cornell
, Vanderbilt
, and the University of Southern California
.
With Greenstreet on the road for months at a time , his colleagues continued to promote their film in any way possible, arranging a self-distributed theatrical release. Not having money to transfer the film to 35mm screening prints, they simply projected the film digitally from a DVD-R
disc. The film went on to play theatrically in more than twenty major U.S. cities, before being released in North America
on DVD
on September 27th, 2005, by The Disinformation Company
.
from 24 reviews counted. The New York Times
called it "filmmaking gold" and "extremely moving." Variety
found the film “as boisterous as it is sobering,” while Deseret News claimed it is “surprisingly cohesive and coherent and it does its best to tell all sides of the story.” Orlando Sentinel
further posits, “This Divided State shows the power of the newer, cheaper video documentary in all its glory.”
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by first-time filmmaker Steven Greenstreet
Steven Greenstreet
Steven Greenstreet is an American documentary filmmaker, known for the controversial film, 8: The Mormon Proposition, which was selected to premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival...
that details the conflict that erupted at Utah Valley State College (UVSC), when controversial figure Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
was scheduled to come speak on campus, shortly before the 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
.
Synopsis
In September 2004, UVSC student council leaders, Jim Bassi and Joe Vogel, invited liberal filmmaker Michael Moore to come speak on campus. The predominately conservative community of Orem surrounding the school erupted in an uproar. A pandemonium of protests, petitions, and demonstrations escalated into hate mail, threatening phone calls, threatened lawsuits, and countless incendiary editorials.Attempting to offset the controversy, UVSC invited conservative commentator Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
, scheduling his appearance a few days prior to Moore’s visit. Hannity waived his normal $100,000 speakers fee, but still demanded that UVSC cover his travel costs, which were still less than Moore's total fees. Prominent voice of the opposition Kay Anderson is also featured in the film, a local real estate mogul who offered UVSC $25,000 to cancel Moore’s appearance, and when that failed, he tried to sue the school for misuse of funds.
Production
Steven Greenstreet embarked on the concept along with his friends, Bryan YoungBryan Young (filmmaker)
Bryan Young is a Utah-based filmmaker, author, and blogger. His films include the documentaries Killer at Large and This Divided State as well as several other narrative features...
and Elias and Michelle Pate, describing the ensuing commotion as “a huge crush of political debate and an overwhelming sense of activity and electricity.”
The filmmakers captured at least 70 hours of material in the course of three months. Greenstreet eventually maxed out three credit cards, emptied his bank account, and dropped out of Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, devoting himself exclusively to this project. In one instance, when the filmmakers could no longer afford the cost of home internet access, they resorted to piggybacking on an unsuspecting neighbor's wireless signal, only accessible at the foot of a family member’s bed.
Often spending twenty hours a day editing, Greenstreet carefully trimmed the footage down to eighty-eight minutes. Juxtaposing candidly emotional interviews against unruly public spectacles, he consistently strove for neutrality, advancing the story without narration and allowing equal time to all opposing opinions. The filmmakers could not forget the vital importance of finishing the film soon, while the events involved were still relevant and fresh in the public’s minds.
Upon learning UVSC professor and self-proclaimed liberal Phil Gordon had become involved in the project, Kay Anderson filed a claim against Greenstreet, attempting to revoke his previously signed consent to be included in the film. With the aiding representation of attorney Patrick Shea, Anderson’s attempts to remove himself from the film proved unsuccessful.
Greenstreet defended using Anderson in the film, “without the personal interview that I did with him, he doesn’t get a chance to explain his motivation.”
Release
On February 5th, 2005, the eighty-eight minute final product premiered at UVSC's Ragan Theater, receiving a standing ovation from the 700 people overflowing the Theater's 400-seat capacity, receiving a standing ovation. On the heels of the sold-out premiere, the filmmakers commenced a publicity blitz to any magazine, newspaper, or film studio that would take their call. Without previous experience, the filmmakers had to quickly learn how to produce their own press kitsPress kit
A press kit, often referred to as a media kit in business environments, is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials of a person, company, or organization distributed to members of the media for promotional use...
and market their movie with a team of only four people and minimal resources. Their first big break occurred when Campus Progress, a division of the Center for American Progress
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Its website states that the organization is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." It has its headquarters in Washington D.C.Its President and Chief...
, sponsored a tour of the film as part of its "Reel Progress" series. The film went on to screen at twenty-three college campuses, including Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
With Greenstreet on the road for months at a time , his colleagues continued to promote their film in any way possible, arranging a self-distributed theatrical release. Not having money to transfer the film to 35mm screening prints, they simply projected the film digitally from a DVD-R
DVD-R
DVD-R is a DVD recordable format. A DVD-R typically has a storage capacity of 4.71 GB. Pioneer has also developed an 8.5 GB dual layer version, DVD-R DL, which appeared on the market in 2005....
disc. The film went on to play theatrically in more than twenty major U.S. cities, before being released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on September 27th, 2005, by The Disinformation Company
Disinfo
The Disinformation Company is a privately held, limited American publishing company that focuses in current affairs titles and seeks to expose disinformation. It is headquartered in New York City, New York...
.
Reception
This Divided State has an approval rating of 83% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
from 24 reviews counted. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it "filmmaking gold" and "extremely moving." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
found the film “as boisterous as it is sobering,” while Deseret News claimed it is “surprisingly cohesive and coherent and it does its best to tell all sides of the story.” Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
further posits, “This Divided State shows the power of the newer, cheaper video documentary in all its glory.”
External links
Reviews
- Variety
- The New York Times
- Deseret News
- The Village Voice
- Christian Science Monitor
- eFilm Critic
- The A.V. Club
- TV Guide
- http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/movies/orl-db-moviereviews-searchresults,0,3279701,results.formprofile?Lib=turbine_cdb_lib%3Aresult_doc_id+result_doc_rank+document_id+cdb_num+cdb_01_txt+cdb_02_txt+cdb_03_txt+cdb_04_txt+cdb_05_txt+cdb_06_txt+cdb_07_txt+cdb_08_txt+cdb_09_txt+cdb_10_txt+cdb_11_txt+cdb_12_txt+cdb_13_txt+cdb_15_txt+cdb_14_txt+cdb_16_txt+cdb_17_txt+cdb_18_txt+cdb_19_txt+cdb_20_txt+cdb_21_txt+cdb_22_txt+cdb_23_txt+cdb_24_txt+cdb_25_txt+cdb_26_txt&PageSize=1&Page=1&MinCoarseRank=500&QueryType=CONCEPT&Query=&turbine_cdb_lib__cdb_01_txt=This%20Divided%20State&Find+it!=Submit+QueryOrlando Sentinel]