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Kevin Smith Offers Token $20 To Purchase Red State

Hollywood is all about commercialism. If there’s risk – and perhaps an innovative, edgy point-of-view – Hollywood will take a pass, regardless of whether critics will like it. Kevin Smith knows the life of an independent filmmaker, and so his latest project, “Red State,” will be avoiding the Hollywood grind entirely. The fictional thriller “Red State” is based upon the exploits of controversial Pastor Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. In order to avoid Hollywood hemming and hawing over how to market such a film, Smith paid himself $20 in a mock auction for the movie’s distribution rights. At that price he didn’t even have to take out a cash loan.

‘Red State’ hits the movie marketing road

Kevin Smith has decided to take his very own movie and travel across the U.S. through 2011, starting March 5, taking its film to “any wise exhibitor” willing to let the movie be shown rather than letting “Red State” get in the hands of the advertising machine which would attract the Westboro Baptist Church with protests. The Associated Press reports that before the Oct 19 theatrical release, Smith plans on making up some of the $4 million budget the movie had. He hopes to replace the normal pre-release movie industry with this on the road exhibition.

“What we need to prove is that anyone can release a movie,” Smith told the debut audience at the Eccles Theater in Logan, Utah. “Indie film isn’t dead, it just grew up. We sell our movies ourselves.”

Conquering the Hollywood machine

Kevin Smith describes himself as simply a “fat … stoner” who wants to tell stories. The business of Hollywood never held allure for the “Red State” director, hence the desire to eliminate the commercial machine that would seek to control his movie. The Eccles audience spoke with Smith who said that creativity is killed with commercialism even though it might bring in money.

Several protests on ‘Red State’ occurring

Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church, an institution known for its extreme anti-gay agenda, have taken offense at Kevin Smith’s portrayal of Pastor Abin Cooper and his fundamentalist church in “Red State.”. Smith has admitted that Phelps was indeed his “muse” when he wrote Cooper’s character, although the actions of Cooper’s church – carrying out the murders of homosexual individuals, rather than simply protesting with offensive signs – is more extreme than what the Westboro Baptist Church has done.

Articles cited

Green Field Reporter

greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/05f6e79698074e70b6c44e9a810a5019/US–Film-Sundance-Kevin_Smith/

Hollywood Reporter

hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/risky-business/sundance-red-states-kevin-smith-74829

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