After getting savagely beaten with an inch of his life, Mark Hogancamp created an elaborate fantasy world to help him piece himself back together. Jeff Malmberg’s brilliant documentary about the process, Marwencol, explored Mark’s world and he joins BYOD to discuss its many layers.
From outsider art and PTSD, to gender bending and the shockwaves of violence, this talk is mind bending and informative to those interested in documentaries, art, therapy and the resilience of creativity.
Watch new episodes of BYOD live each week on Tuesdays at noon on TheLip.TV, or tune in for the archived replay starting here on the following Thursday.
ABOUT BYOD:
BYOD is hosted by Ondi Timoner, director of “DIG!,” “JOIN US” and “WE LIVE IN PUBLIC,” and has the rare distinction of winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice. Each week the show explores a different documentary filmmaker or aspect of filmmaking, with special guests and a live Q&A– diving deep into creative process and the business realities of producing and distributing films. Ondi shares her insider views, opinions, and personal stories, welcoming audience participation. BYOD aims to entertain, inform, and elevate documentaries in general by bringing attention to films and film makers that deserve exposure.
GUEST BIO:
Jeff Malmberg is a director whose debut documentary film Marwencol has won over 20 awards, including two Independent Spirit Awards, Best Documentary of the Year from Boston Society of Film Critics and Rotten Tomatoes, and the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival. The film was released theatrically through the Cinema Guild and broadcast around the world. The Los Angeles Times calls Marwencol “an exhilarating, utterly unique experience” while the Village Voice says that the film is “exactly the sort of mysterious and almost holy experience you hope to get from documentaries and rarely do.” He is currently working on his second film with partner Chris Shellen through their production company, Open Face.
ADD’L LINKS:
http://www.marwencol.com/
EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
00:01 Today on BYOD
00:46 Introducing Jeff Malmberg.
02:32 The Italian job: “You wouldn’t get involved in this stuff if you knew how hard it was ahead of time.”
05:30 Marwencol, Clip: Chapter One.
08:00 Getting involved with Marwencol and introducing the plan to shoot.
11:03 Marwencol, Clip: The Alter Ego.
12:20 Talking to the DA and finding out the surrounding events out of order.
14:09 “A true artist,” and exploring outsider art.
15:30 The ability to really see and listen.
19:06 Marwencol, Clip: Memory loss and drunk journals.
21:15 Coming in and out of context and PTSD.
24:15 Marwencol, Clip: Imagining WWII through pictures.
25:53 Finding Marwencol-magical and mundane.
29:04 Marwencol, Clip. An obsessive hobby as therapy.
32:17 Retracing his steps to himself through the world of Marwencol.
35:32 Marwencol, Clip: The story of the attack.
41:23 Including the shocking revelation about Mark’s personal life.
45:00 Visiting Greenwich Village and finding his second life.
47:19 Marwencol, Clip: Todd from Esopus magazine.
50:23 The first story of Mark’s.
51:46 Shooting and recording audio.
53:50 Mark and women, both real and doll.
56:05 Marwencol, Clip: Doll Wife
57:58 Mountains of material from the world of Marwencol.
59:14 Response to Mark’s art.
1:02:22 Marwencol, Clip: Escape and the fantasy world.
