Billy The Kid

The Virgins featured in Interview Magazine

2008-04-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Photo: David Black

A Rock Band That's Easy to Like and Hard to Google

by: Jonathan Durbin

The Virgins, a quartet of downtown New York City boys, are on the verge of releasing their major-label debut, a brash collection of rock 'n' roll songs. The album (self-titled; due out on Atlantic Records) pays tribute to a host of art bands, from the Velvet Underground and the Talking Heads to Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, without itself being overly arty. This is refreshing since the group's 26-year-old singer, Donald Cumming--a tall, swaggering presence--comes with the requisite below-14th-Street-art-kid pedigree.

Manhattan born and bred, Cumming grew up in TriBeCa, where his father owned a liquor store. As a 14-year-old, he used to ritually sneak into Don Hill's to attend 80's Night. After dropping out of high school, Cumming flitted around, sleeping on the couch of a close friend, the photographer Ryan McGinley, dabbling in film (he served as the director of photography for Jennifer Venditti's documentary BILLY THE KID), and generally immersing himself in nightlife. "Everybody just decided that going to parties was more important than going to school, and making art was more fun than working at jobs," explains Cumming. "Everybody just sort of figured it out and didn't compromise."

Cumming met the Virgin's guitarist, Wade Oates, when the two were modeling for a McGinley shoot in Mexico in 2004. They had barely founded the band (rounded out by bassist Nick Zarin-Ackerman and drummer Erik Ratensperger) when the group opened for Patti Smith during Paris Fashion Week. Since then they've sharpened their live act by touring the U.S. and have had music featured on the CW's decidedly uptown series Gossip Girl. "I do feel like you only get one chance to have a self-titled record," says Cumming. "You can do it later, but it's so lame to do that, don't you think?" He adds, "We embrace that aesthetic of being creative and having fun and not being uptight and so precious about everything."

The Pleasure of Being Robbed

2008-04-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

Submarine Entertainment's Josh Braun with "The Pleasure of Being Robbed" actress Eleonore Hendricks, Director Joshua Safdie, and Producer and Cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz. Photo by James Israel/indieWIRE.

CONGRATS to two of my favorite people ELEONORE & JOSH!

Here's to the future of the film..

BILLY THE KID wins Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature

2008-04-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

COMPLETE LIST

OF CINEMA EYE WINNERS:

Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Filmmaking

"Manda Bala (Send A Bullet)"

Director - Jason Kohn, Producers - Joey Frank, Jared Goldman & Jason Kohn

Outstanding Achievement in Direction

Alex Gibney

"Taxi to the Dark Side"

Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature

"BILLY THE KID"

Director - Jennifer Venditti

Outstanding Achievement in Production

Seth Kanegis, Tomas Radoor & Mikael Rieks

"Ghosts of Cite Soleil"

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography

Heloisa Passos

"Manda Bala (Send A Bullet)"

Outstanding Achievement in Editing

Doug Abel, Jenny Golden & Andy Grieve

"Manda Bala (Send A Bullet)"

Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design and Animation

Animation by Curious Pictures

"Chicago 10"

Outstanding International Feature

"The Monastery - Mr. Vig & The Nun"

Director - Pernille Rose Gronkjaer, Producer - Sigrid Dyekjaer

Audience Choice Prize

"The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters"

Director - Seth Gordon

I LOVE OMAHA

2008-01-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to RachelJacobson, the whole film streams gang, and the community. Your support and understanding of the film filled me with joy & inspiration. Below is just one example of the many lovely letters I have received.

Ms Venditti,
Thank you again for bringing your movie to Omaha last night!
Your eyes and Billy are truly a venue thru which transformation can take place, allowing a person
to see inside the lives of those that they can not find themselves in. ( There is a little
Billy in all of us, Billy just lets the truth shine out where the rest of us have learned to hide it to please others
and not ourselves) You allow the viewer that connection with that "other", thru you the can now embrace Billy's diversity and not see it as
something to be feared . this is all possible by seeing through your eyes. A higher being bestows us with gifts for or time on this planet and you have yours, Billy has his family have theirs and what a beautiful way to combine all of those gifts. Thank you
for having the insight to make this movie about Billy and not just another movie about "IT",Asperger Syndrome.
A beautiful person by the name of Bill Stillman has brought our family the gift of these views and you've got it also !
You did not define Billy as an "IT" no person wants to be "IT" they only want to be loved , its basic human nature. Human kind
turns it around and gives a label and makes a person the" IT". That feared and dreaded thing, something defective,
something we would wish not to have or associate with. This is not what Billy or any child or person is ,and you captured that!
you have the views and ideas that a diagnosis is by definition the framework to explain a behavior or a atypical attribute, not a person You
did not make your film about a behavior you made it about Billy..kudos'!!! You ask the viewer to see Billy for himself
and not to judge him for his intellect or for his limitations, just his unique and wonderful gifts that he brings to all of those
around him.You show that there are no limitations and boxes that Billy is Infinite ,if WE will let him grow to his potential
and wow what an amazing potential!!! Thank you for helping to remove that line of US and THEM for Billy and the
viewers. You could not define Billy if you had all night, Only Billy can! and you allowed him a venue and a voice Kudos, Kudos, Kudos and thank you again
for allowing viewer to see beyond societies way of labeling and in turn look at a persons humanity.

People had questions of who, what, when, where and why last night that you made short and sweet.again kudos cause you got it! It is just as simple as that Billy his family wake up every morning and just move forward putting their pants on one leg at a time and seeing what the world
brings to your plate that day! In raising four children everyday that's my motto and three of those with their uniqueness
bring me insight and joy everyday that I would not see if I looked for their problems issues and cures on a daily basis
I enjoy each one for who THEY are.

Thank you very much! keep looking at the world through YOUR eyes and rebel against that rising tide of conformity! It may
not pay in dollars but I think the other rewards you reap can't touch what money brings. so..... keep on keepin on!

Sincerely
Mary

The New York Times features Billy The Kid

2007-12-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

It's His World; She Was Just Filming It

By DENNIS LIM
Published: December 9, 2007

JENNIFER VENDITTI met the subject of her documentary “Billy the Kid” in a high school cafeteria in rural Maine. Seated apart from all the other students, who were clustered into the usual cliques, was a wiry 15-year-old in shorts and an AC/DC T-shirt.

“There was a table of bullies who pointed him out and told me he’d tried to sit with them once,” Ms. Venditti said. “They called him a freak.” She went over to talk to Billy, “and as soon as he opened his mouth, I was like, ‘Why isn’t everyone sitting at your table?’”

A casting director for films and fashion shoots who specializes in “street scouting” — the practice of plucking subjects from everyday environments — Ms. Venditti was trying to find teenage actors for a short that her friend Carter Smith was directing. She cast Billy as an extra in that film, “Bugcrush” (which went on to win the prize for best short at Sundance last year), but resolved to give her new young friend, who seemed both troubled and precocious, more screen time in a project of her own.

FOR FULL ARTICLE: The New York Times Online: "It's His World; She Was Just Filming It"

Spout.com

2007-12-10T09:59:00.001-08:00

The guys at Spout have been so supportive! They interviewed me at SXSW and then again leading up to the NYC Opening. Check it out!

Spout.com: FilmCouch #48

NYC Opening and After Party

2007-12-06T12:39:00.001-08:00

Last night was such a blast! The only things missing were Billy and Penny, but we know they were there in spirit.

Assistant to the Producer Jaclyn Paris

DP / Musician (Lead Singer of The Virgins) Donald Cumming, Director / Producer Jennifer Venditti, Actor / Director John Turturro, Producer Chiemi Karasawa

Actor Matthew Gray Gubler, Director / Producer Jennifer Venditti, Paper Magazine's Deputy Editorial Director Mickey Boardman

W Magazine's Creative Director Dennis Freedman, Director / Producer Jennifer Venditti

Elephant Eye's Bridget Stokes and Vicky Wight

Director Jennifer Venditti, DP / Musician (Lead Singer of The Virgins) Donald Cumming

Actor / Director Xan Cassavetes, Director / Producer Jennifer Venditti

Executive Producer Bob Alexander (Indiepix), Producer Chiemi Karasawa, Director / Producer Jennifer Venditti, Executive Producer Barnet Liberman

Producer Chiemi Karasawa, Director Jonathan Caouette, Director / Producer Jennifer Venditti

DP / Musician (Lead Singer of The Virgins) Donald Cumming, Producer Chiemi Karasawa, Actor John Cameron Mitchell, Director / Producer Jennifer Venditti, Composer Christian Zucconi

Photographer Pamela Hanson
(photo courtesy of models.com)

Actor John Cameron Mitchell (right) and friend
(photo courtesy of models.com)

DJs Tim Barber and Julia Burlingham
(photo courtesy of models.com)

Fashion Designer Alison Kelley
(photo courtesy of models.com)

BILLY THE KID OPENS IN NYC TODAY

2007-12-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU!

Oh my, how time has flown.....actually, not really!
But a lot has happened since August 2005 when Donald (my DP) and I left for a 2 week road trip to Maine and West Virginia. I could reflect on all the HIGHLIGHTS but I'm sure everyone has heard enough of that already. The point of this blog entry is not to promote the film but to promote EVERYONE that has worked so hard ON the film.

I am so blessed to have been supported, enlightened, educated and guided by all of these people.
NOTE: There are many more but this is just the core crew..
NOTE 2: This is in no particular order, actually I will try to do it in order of who I met first.. TRY is the keyword..

I THANK YOU..................

JV8INC CREW
Zan Ludlum, Nina Chaudhuri and Ed Kim, without your dedication, passion, understanding, commitment, focus and pure joy none of this would of been possible. Thank you for always caring and never giving up! 8 FOREVER
(There were a few people along the way who did quit or got fired, I thank you too.)
Intern special mentions and new folks (Stephanie Sadre-Orafai, Emily Meade, Brett Adamek, Emily Molligan, Natasha Schwartz, Alex Schindler, Christine Kim and Melissa Cates)

NINA CHAUDHURI, Production Coordinator
My rock, my memory, my eye, my organizer, my cross your t's dot your i's person, with the most lovely smile and wonderful attitude..... ALWAYS. I really really really am sooooo grateful to have had you by my side and so is everyone else that has had the privilege of working with you.

THOM POWERS, Documentary Programmer / Teacher
For the structure and thank god lack of structure in your classroom. It was exactly what I needed to start me on this path. And of course for all of your endless support and promotional efforts as well.

ELEONORE HENDRICKS, Street Scouter and Casting Assistant
For your eye and for saying to me "I think I just saw a really interesting kid walk out of the principal's office."

DONALD CUMMING, Director of Photography
For walking the talk and inspiring me to just film SOMETHING! And of course for never turning off the camera (except that one time) and never complaining (or maybe I'm forgetting now) but really for your wonderfully sensitive eye and spirit.

CHIEMI KARASAWA, Film Producer
WELL WELL... this could be a book but I will make it short. Geez,from the very beginning... your interest, your thoughts, your knowledge, your dedication, your attention to detail (especially SPELLING, haha) your contribution to this project has been invaluable. The process of producing this together has taught me so much about film but even more about communication and partnership in LIFE. Through all of the UPS and downs our relationship has made me look at myself, situations and others and really contemplate and strive to learn and grow. THANK YOU for helping to make this all possible. We have come a long way baby!!!! THIS WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU!

PJ BARRY, Business Manager
Before there was a BILLY THE KID there was PJ, who has always supported and believed in me no matter what the COST. Literally!!!!

MICHAEL LEVINE, Film Editor
Wow. I remember being very scared to start editing with the editor from "The Cruise" but then we met and from only a small piece of footage you got it and you got me! As a first time director, you treated me with respect and you really listened. I THANK YOU for that.

INDIEPIX CREW
To Jordan Mattos and Danielle DiGiacomo (Associate Producers) for being visionaries and for BOB ALEXANDER and BARNET LIBERMAN (Executive Producers) for making it all happen and continuing to make it all happen. I wish for all filmmakers to find executive producers like Bob and Barnet. Thank you for trusting our vision and enabling us to make it happen!!!!!!!!!!!

LUBOV AZRIA, Executive Producer
For being a beautiful, smart, compassionate and inspiring woman who makes things happen!! And especially for supporting and inspiring others to do so as well.

PARIS KAIN, Additional Photography
For not being afraid to get TOO CLOSE and I will be forever grateful to you for Reverend DAVE GARDNER's phone number!

ENAT SIDI, Additional Editor
For challenging me , for questioning things, for loving art, I was going to say listening but we all know (except you) that you can't hear!!! Your smarts, your speed, and lastly for caring so damn much geez THANK YOU!!!

CHRISTIAN ZUCCONI and GUY BLAKESLEE, Composers
For being musical geniuses and translating my gibber-gabber into exactly what was needed.

SETH ZUCKER, Graphic Designer
I would say that the promotional materials are the second star of this movie. They have had a life of their own to say the least. Seth, although it is always a process, sometimes longer then either of us would like-- it's always so worth it! Things never look the same without you. Thank you!

SHANE SIGLER, Still Photographer
For your beautiful photos and your generous spirit. You are a true gentleman and such a pleasure to work with.

DAMIAN VOLPE, Sound Editor
"You're my Bud" , for your wonderfully sensitive ears and your attentive mind. I loved all of our conversations and time together.... me on the meditation ball and you slamming whiskey!!! HAAHAHA just kidding....

JACLYN PARIS, Assistant to the Producer
For getting the film from the first time and all those great conversations. Your spirit, passion, and hard work are going to take you far!!! Can't wait to see where it takes you in the future.........

POSTWORKS, Post Production
The whole team there has been such a pleasure-- Matthew Reedy, Anne Bakoulis, John Crowley, and Pat Kelleher. I learned so much from your experts and I thank you all for your hard work, expertise, and attention to detail.

DANA O'KEEFE, Domestic Sales
What to say.... all I can think of is..... I love a man who is not afraid to stand alone!! Dana, your support and dedication to this film before many others is commendable and is why you stand out in this business. I guess it's why you relate to Billy as well? I remember leaving my first meeting with you and saying to Chiemi "I'm done, this is all I need." Yeah right, if this stranger, whose job is to watch TONS of films, says this about MY film and he doesn't even know me?!?!? To say the least it made my DAY!!! Until, as you know, I started realizing that was only the beginning and there were many obstacles in my future. It's been a pleasure and your enthusiasm and support has helped me so much.

ELEPHANT EYE FILMS, Distribution
THE LOVELY LADIES Bridget Stokes and Vicky Wight (and David Robinson too). Our angels that came in and swept us off our feet at the last minute. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to work so closely with my distributor. To contribute and learn so much about the distribution process has really been a highlight and privilege for me. I HIGHLY recommend that every independent filmmaker goes with a small indie distributor. Even if you have the offers from the big guys, take the other road at least once. EEF, your grace and positive go-getter attitude has been a perfect fit for the BILLY THE KID team.

SUSAN NORGET and ERIC HYNES, Publicity
NY TIMES FEATURE!!!!!! Need I say more??!!! Thank you for your insight and guidance in this wonderfully powerful scary world called THE PRESS!!!!

To all the incredible festivals (LAFF, EDINBURGH, HOT DOCS, MELBOURNE, BRIT DOCS, FULL FRAME etc. and especially SXSW for getting the ball rolling!)

(To all journalists, blogs, friends, my family, ANNA IVARA, Fernanda Rossi, the lawyers,.......... thank you and TO BE CONTINUED

Women's Wear Daily Recognizes the Outsider

2007-11-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Outsider
Published: Tuesday, November 27, 2007

By Sarah Haight

There's a moment in Jennifer Venditti's documentary, "Billy the Kid," when the film's 15-year-old star, all dangling adolescent arms and legs, paces the pavement outside his school. "I know I'm unique," he says in a voice-over in the film, which makes its theatrical debut Dec. 5 at New York's IFC Center. "I just don't let it go to my head."

It's an apt line for a film made by a woman whose career has heretofore been defined by hitting upon specific, even rare, beauty in unlikely people — the finely creased face of a coal miner, the sloped slouch of a Penn State undergrad. As a casting director for magazines (most often W, for which she has collaborated on 14 shoots since 1997), fashion shows, film and advertising campaigns, Venditti has stomped through one-traffic-light towns in West Virginia, crashed an African-American prom in Detroit and corralled a young butcher hauling meat on a downtown New York street (the latter for a Harry Winston shoot, no less). Long before Dove soap ads began celebrating the supple curves of "real women," Venditti was scouring suburban malls and street fairs, chasing after little girls and old men alike — the so-called ordinary folk whose specific appearances, and indeed flaws, have made them compelling models in campaigns for Levi's, Benetton and Banana Republic, among others.

FOR FULL ARTICLE: The Outsider

The Academy & Documentary Film

2007-11-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

Billy the Kid was not shortlisted for the Oscars, and Director Jennifer Venditti was not surprised. She knew it was a long shot for her film to be noticed by The Academy, as it does not follow an obvious issue based formula. That said, she already feels like she has won an Academy award with all of the support,recognition, and feedback she has received from other filmmakers and audiences across the world.

Thank you AJ Schnack for articulating so beautifully the thoughts we have all had as film makers working in the medium of "Documentary".

"COMMENTARY:A DARK DAY FOR DOCUMENTARY AS THE ACADEMY CHANGES COURSE, FIGHTS THE FUTURE.

"...But as word began to leak last week about which films had not been named to the Academy Shortlist and, later, which films had, emails and text messages and phone conversations flew with words like "sad", "disgusted", "appalled" and "abomination". The feeling of anger and despair was not based in the exclusion of a single film but in a whole group of films, many of which pushed creative and stylistic boundaries or marked the arrival of a major new talent.

Instead of recognizing a few of these films, the Academy - following in the footsteps of the IDA just days before - ignored nearly every single one of them. And in doing so, put the lie to a year's worth of bluster that the Academy only desired to nominate "truly theatrical films"."

For Full Article, check out ALL THESE WONDERFUL THINGS

Bully Proof Underwear

2007-11-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

We hate FOX, but we like these kids.

...And Nothing But The Truth

2007-11-01T15:02:00.001-07:00

Thank you Arne Johnson for shedding some light on this on going debate about what documentary truth really means. Whatever you decide the answer is for you, hopefully people will keep expanding their ideas and continue to make passionate films. Keep the discussion going!

Thank you John Anderson for thinking it wasn't possible that I could do what I did and have it be reality. Because it is.

To all that haven't seen Billy the Kid, come see my interpretation of my time with Billy and in turn have your own experience.

Read the Article in the Fall 2007 Issue of Filmmaker Magazine.

(Click below images to englarge and read full text of article)

IFC: STRANGER THAN FICTION

2007-10-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came and supported Billy the Kid at the IFC Film Center in New York City! What an amazing crowd and a wonderful night!

by Charlie Olsky (October 4, 2007)

IFC Center finds a "Billy" silver-lining

After a week full of movies about abortion in fascist states, full-body paralysis, nightmarish future worlds and scary government actions, audiences in search of something more life-affirming were welcome to come to the IFC Center on Tuesday night, where director Jennifer Venditti was present for a screening of her winning documentary "Billy the Kid" as part of the third run of that theater's "Stranger Than Fiction" series--co-presented by SXSW, where the film won the Jury prize for best documentary. The movie shows several days in the life of teenager Billy, a sweet-natured but misfit kid whose blunt demeanor and abrupt temper often prove alienating; after the film was completed, Billy was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism that manifests itself as a particular type of social awkwardness.

For Vendetti, a casting director looking to make a series of character portraits, the entire film fell into her lap. "I met Billy in a lunch room, he was the kid that was being bullied," said Vendetti in the Q&A which followed the screening. "When he opened his mouth, I was in heaven. I was, like, 'are you kidding? Who is this person, and why isn't everyone interested in him?"

While portraits of endearing oddballs often find themselves subjected to accusations of exploitation (see: Al Maysles, Errol Morris, et al.), what impresses most about the film is how overwhelmingly humane it is. Said Vendetti, "my goal with this film was to understand someone for who they are, and how they see the world, not how other people see them and define them". "Billy the Kid" will open in theaters in late 2007/early 2008.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

2007-10-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

By Eric Kohn

The illuminating "Stranger than Fiction" series continued on Tuesday night at the IFC Center with Billy the Kid, a disarmingly funny and genuinely poignant documentary that premiered earlier this year at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The movie marks the directorial debut of Jennifer Venditti, whose ability to convey the innocence of youth and the universal anguish of being an outsider suggests a natural ear for the emotional rhythms of growing up...

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

BILLY THE KID SCREENS IN NYC

2007-09-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Mark and the whole Rooftop crew for such an incredible screening. And to all the supporters out there, keep spreading the word!

Lissy Trullie played a great set at Rooftop.

2007-09-19T11:22:00.002-07:00

Front woman Lissy...

Erin on piano...

Lissy and Faulkner...

CLICK HERE FOR MUSIC BY LISSY TRULLIE

2007-09-19T11:22:00.001-07:00

2007-09-19T11:21:00.001-07:00

Greta, star of Hannah Takes the Stairs, came out to support Jennifer!

2007-09-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

2007-09-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

What an amazing turnout...over 400 people showed up to support Billy the Kid!

2007-09-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Eleonore, the photographer responsible for all these fabulous photographs...not to mention Jennifer's favorite street scouting partner in crime...has some fun in the bathroom!

Special NYC Screening of 'Billy The Kid' September 14th @ 8:30

2007-09-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

On September 14th there will be an outdoor rooftop screening of Billy The Kid at Rooftop Films in New York City. The event starts at 8:30 and will include a live musical performance by LISSY TRULLIE and an after party.

*For more details and ticket information Click Here

Venditti Shines as a Strong Female Director at the Edinburgh International Film Festival

2007-09-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

The GUARDIAN UNLIMITED wrote a great piece on the emergence of talented female filmmaker's at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival. Here's what they had to say about the director of Billy the Kid:

...Jennifer Venditti's documentary about a disturbed but inspiring 15-year-old boy, Billy the kid. Perhaps Venditti shares Billy's feelings: "I'm not a very big fan of politics," he confesses. "I don't hate it, it's just not something I want to get mixed up in." Billy is bullied for his emotional and physical volatility, but he dreams of being a rock star, actor or superhero. The film follows him for a week, depicting his idiosyncratic approach to love, heavy metal and martial arts.

The modest aims of this film are misleading, for the story of Billy resonates as that of an American anti-hero: a loner lost in a fantasy world. The boy has a contradictory relationship with the community in which he lives - at one moment he wants to be the local vigilante, at another he describes how a cheerleader made his life "a living hell". Without his mother's level-headed guidance, Billy could easily be a Columbine waiting to happen. Venditti...has made an unexpectedly important film about ostracism and our strategies for coping with it.

Check out the full article on The GUARDIAN UNLIMITED website

A Special Thanks to our Friends in Edinburgh!

2007-09-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Edinburgh was a great experience, but the amazing people and places that we stumbled upon were what made it an event to be remembered. Thanks guys!

The Outsider - Jennifer Venditti's favorite restaurant - how aprepos a title!

Rassa - Our biggest fan!

James - Budding Journalist Extraordinaire!

Marcus - You were great!

Grandma - a great casting find in Scotland!

Jennifer Venditti in humorous run-in with 'Superbad' creator Judd Apatow

2007-08-31T13:18:00.000-07:00

At an Edinburgh International Film Festival Q&A session, Billy the Kid director and producer Jennifer Venditti and Superbad and Knocked Up producer Judd Apatow had a humorous encounter as described on Film Maker Magazine's website by a blogger who attended the event,

"Another amusing incident came during Apatow's Q&A session when, seeing a woman fleeing the theater, he upbraided the audience member asking the question, saying, "Your question is so bad that she's leaving!" The young lady making a quick exit to fulfill interview obligations was none other than one of our 25 New Faces Jennifer Venditti, the director of the excellent Billy the Kid, which has been a favorite among the EIFF festivalgoers."

For more blog entries regarding the festivities, check out Film Maker Magazine's Blog

Chart Attack Reviews 'Billy the Kid'

2007-08-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

Kevin Ritchie, from the Canadian music site Chart Attack, takes a look at new and groundbreaking documentaries including Billy the Kid. Below is his review posted on the Chart Attack Website

4 out of 5 stars...

Every now and then, a writer or filmmaker stumbles upon an interesting character in the most mundane of places to create a compelling story from ordinary circumstances. In Billy The Kid, filmmaker Jennifer Venditti does exactly that with Billy Price, a charismatic yet misunderstood 15-year-old high school student with behavioural problems. She essentially mics Billy and follows him around his small town in Maine as he pontificates on everything from his tumultuous childhood to his heavy metal heroes and becomes infatuated with a cute, 16-year-old waitress with "shaky eyes." Venditti brilliantly captures the fumbling awkwardness of Billy's difficult and carefree phase without ever seeming intrusive. Accordingly, Billy's story is both sweetly-affecting and melancholic.

—Kevin Ritchie

Billy the Kid wins Best Documentary at Edinburgh International Film Festival

2007-08-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Billy the Kid had a great run at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, winning the Jury Prize for Best Documentary.
Movie fans from Scotland and abroad attended the festival, one of the most recognized in Europe, and had great things to say about Billy the Kid.

And check out these amazing pictures of the Scottish Highlands!

"a disarming, truthful coming-of-age tale"

2007-08-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

We're having an amazing time in Scotland at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. We just had our last screening on Saturday, but in case you missed it, check out the four-star review in the Scotsman:

Billy the Kid
****
ALISTAIR HARKNESS
DIRECTED BY: JENNIFER VENDITTI

THE documentary Billy the Kid could have been a very sad story indeed were it not for the fact that its subject, a twitchy, nervous hyper-intelligent American high-school student with severe behavioural problems, is clearly determined to savour every second of his life. Jennifer Venditti's film will make your heart break harder and faster than you are probably accustomed to. It outlines some of the difficulties 15-year-old Billy Preston and his mother negotiate on account of Billy's alternative wiring (he cheerfully attributes his condition - the medical diagnosis of which is only revealed in the final frame - to having "different brains").

But watching Billy as he goes about the business of being a normal teenager, he's so attuned to what's going on around him that you can't help but feel positive that things are going to work out for him. The bulk of the film is focussed on his attempts to woo Heather, a fellow outcast on whom he has an enormous crush. This could easily have been a recipe for the kind of mock-the-afflicted documentaries that intentionally or unintentionally exploit their subjects for laughs, but Venditti's sensitive style avoids this completely, offering up a disarming, truthful coming-of-age tale.

Billy the Kid wins Melbourne International Film Festival!

2007-08-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

Out of the one hundred documentary features screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Billy the Kid was voted the best documentary by audiences beating out Michael Moore's Sicko!

Thank you to the programmers, filmmakers, and audiences at MIFF! And congratulations to the rest of the top ten documentaries:

Top 10 Documentaries:

1. Billy The Kid (Jennifer Venditti, USA)
2. Words from the City (Rhys Graham & Natasha Gadd, Australia)
3. Beyond Our Ken (Melissa Mclean & Luke Walker, Australia)
4. Lagerfeld Confidential (Rodolphe Marconi, France)
5. Dirty Three (Darcy Maine, Australia)
6. In the Company Of Actors (Ian Darling, Australia)
7. Forbidden Lie$ (Anna Broinowski, Australia)
8. Sicko (Michael Moore, USA)
9. Hope (Steve Thomas, Australia)
10. Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (Stephen Kijack, USA)

The road to the Oscars begins....

2007-08-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

Coming to a theater near (some of) you!!

Begining in Los Angeles this weekend, Billy the Kid will have a limited run in theaters across the county to qualify for the Oscars.

As AJ Schnack (whose film Kurt Cobain About a Son will be opening in LA at the Nuart on October 5th and at the IFC Center in New York on October 3rd) writes of the LA qualifying screening:

"It's an annual ritual - unknown to almost everyone in Los Angeles - by which you can get a sneak peak of some of the biggest docs of the year, some even before they have their official "World Premiere". But you'll have to go to some of Laemmle's most hidden theaters (all the better to qualify with) like the cavernous Grande in downtown LA or the subterranean One Colorado in Old Town Pasadena."

From Bantam to Fort Collins, Nashville to Rhinebeck, we invite you to catch special preview screening at the follow locations:

August 17-23
LOS ANGELES, CA
Laemmle's Grande 4-plex
345 S. Figueroa St.
Downtown Los Angeles, 90071
213-617-0268

August 29-31
BANTAM, CT
Bantam Cinema
33 Village Green Drive, Suite 11

September 4-6
WATERVILLE, ME
Railroad Square Cinema

September 13-15
THREE OAK, MI
Vickers Theater
6 North Elm St.

September 19-20
FORT COLLINS, CO
Lyric Cinema
300 E. Mountain Avenue

September 4-6, 11-13, 18-20, or 25-27
GRASS VALLEY, CA
Del Oro Theater
840C East Main St.

October 1-4
RHINEBECK. NY
Upstate Films

October 14-16
BELLINGHAM, WA
Pickford Theater
1416 Cornwall St.

October 25-27
YELLOW SPRINGS, OH
Little Art Theater
247 Xenia Ave.

October 26 - November1
BOISE, ID
The Flicks
646 Fulton St.

October 30 - November 1
MONTPELIER, VT
Savoy Theater
26 Main St.

October TBD
NASHVILLE, TN
Belcourt Theater
2102 Belcourt Ave.

November 10-12
NEWBURYPORT, MA
Newburyport Screning Room
82 State St.

RSVP Screening at Pace

2007-08-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks go out to GRASP's Ben Fox and New York City Department of Education's Shelly Klainberg for their help in organizing this week's screening at Pace University for the students and teachers of the RSVP program.

In its third year, the program was developed by New York City Department of Education Special Education District 75 and GRASP to teach social and vocational skills to students with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders). With the addition of few GRASP members, we had a lively screening and discussion, with talk about relationships, making friends, and an ASD diagnosis.

As Ralph, one of the students in the program, explained: Asperger's is just a bump in the road. It's there to slow you down, not stop you. It doesn't mean that you cannot cross the road, just that you have to maneuver around it. Karin, a mother of a teen diagnosed with Asperger's, quoted Patty Duke to describe Asperger's as a explanation, not an excuse.

After the screening, Juan, a GRASP community member only recently diagnosed, sent in this high school photo:

He writes, "This may or may not be something; it’s a photo of me my senior year in high school (’91). I’m in the extreme right. Remind you of anybody? (Body pose; sunglasses, even the hairstyle)."

Well we definitely see it!!

Thanks to everyone who came out!

A Mother's Comments

2007-08-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

We had a special screening of Billy the Kid this week at Pace University for teens and teachers involved in New York City School District 75's RSVP program (more info on the program, screening, and Q&A in the next post!)

Thanks to Michael John Carley getting the word out to the GRASP network, we also had a few special guests from the Global and Regional Aspergers Syndrome Partnership, including Karin & Jessa, a mother and her fourteen year-old daughter, who immediately reminded us of Billy.

Here is Karin's response to the film as posted on the GRASP Families/Clinicians blog:

I don't know if all of you got the email about the screening of this movie at Pace University. I received it, wrote to the person and took my 14 yr old daughter to see it yesterday.

As the parent of a 14 yr old (almost 15) Aspie - I was in tears by the end of the movie. I felt as though someone had turned the camera on my life and had captured the essence and spirit of my child. I was moved beyond words.

Jennifer Venditti has made such a lovely documentary about a young boy who knew he was "different in the brain" but did not know why. He accepted himself as he is and he lives life to the fullest -albeit with all the inherent social difficulties our kids face. He does it with such a lack of guile and complete honesty that you can't help but be touched by him. Billy was not diagnosed until well after the movie was filmed. Those of us with teeanagers will recognize our own in him.

As a movie about a different kind of kid - wise and innoent yet incredibly socially naive at the same time, it is beautiful, touching and moving. The movie never once mentions the word Asperger's. It is wonderful on its own.

I encourage all of you to see this gem of an experience. I can't thank Jennifer enough for making this movie. Truth be told - even my daughter cried (and she insists that she didn't like it - I suspect that Billy's life and hers are far too similar for her to be comforatble)

If you get the opportunity - see this, expereince this.

Truth & Marketability

2007-08-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

Gina Piccolo's article from this past Sunday's LA Times touches on interesting questions about truth, marketability, and documentary films. Currently in negotiations for distribution for Billy, of course, we were intrigued....

"...when a quiet little film about Antarctic birds can pull in more than $125 million worldwide, documentaries have proven they can appeal to the masses, competing for box-office dollars right alongside Hollywood blockbusters. Entering that arena creates a new dilemma for ambitious documentary filmmakers. On the one hand, they want a theatrical release, because that's the tried-and-true path to a broad audience and a high-profile career. On the other, if they stray too far from real life, they risk losing the social and cultural caché of a documentary. A feature film telling the same story just doesn't pack the same wallop."
...
Audiences of all kinds crave authenticity, and the desire to satisfy that hunger in splashy, dramatic ways has helped warp the line between truth and fiction to the point that the scandals are hardly shocking anymore... Filmmakers, meanwhile, have answered the demand for heightened reality with a flood of documentaries, driven by accessible technology, a polarized political climate and the promise of fortune planted by those rare blockbusters. The market is saturated with docs, YouTube clips and camera phone videos motivating filmmakers to find creative ways to break through the clutter.

In this context, merging documentary and feature film seems like an almost evolutionary step .... It's also the source of the skepticism surrounding "Billy the Kid," about the small-town coming of age of a disabled teenager. In the film, Billy Price meets a girl, falls in love and loses her in a matter of four days -- a neat dramatic arc some viewers suspected was set up. Before Sean Farnel, the programmer for the Hot Docs festival in Toronto, agreed to screen it, he quizzed director Jennifer Venditti until he was convinced the film was authentic.

"There's a lot of new ideas about what documentary is and what it means," said Farnel. "And a lot of the rules that have been set are now being broken. The core of it gets down to the responsibility of the filmmaker to represent events as she or he experiences them. Within that, there's quite a bit of play -- as long as, overall, you've told a story how you've experienced it."

We love Piccolo’s article as a response to John Anderson's Variety review of Billy that misunderstood the film as being scripted:

“The major fallacy about "Billy the Kid" is its masquerade as verite filmmaking. On the contrary: Almost every scene is a set-up, with sequences involving Billy and his would-be girlfriend, Heather, shot from multiple angles, but not, it seems, multiple cameras. That the film feels scripted should shock no one. Venditti apparently spent all of eight days shooting, hardly time to get anyone comfortable, so even the scenes of mother and son are stiff and inhibited, as if being observed by a stranger.

Leave a comment and tell us what you think about the state of documentary film and Billy the Kid's place in it.

Cinematical Indie Chat

2007-08-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

Jen sat down with Monika Bartyzel for a Cinematical Indie Chat.
Here's an excerpt from the interview...

What indie films out in theaters, or on DVD, have you been watching lately?

Lately I've been obsessed with Ten by Abbas Kiarostami. It's amazing how the line between documentary and narrative has been blurred. I really love 10 on Ten with the director. I really relate to his vision. Also, I enjoyed Once by John Carney. I thought the performances excellent. I just re-watched one of my favorite films Fat Girl by Catherine Breillat, and I also just re-watched The Five Obstructions by Lars Von Trier.

What's the one indie film from the last year that you'd recommend to friends?

The Lives of Others by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

What mainstream films have you seen lately that didn't suck?

I've been at film festivals every second or running my casting company, so I've barely seen anything mainstream, but I really want to see Knocked Up. I need to laugh and I heard it's great for that!

Which filmmakers most influenced you in your work?

This question is difficult for me because I am influenced by so many different things. I love John Cassavetes and Robert Altman and am just learning about Kiarostami. I enjoy a lot of films but am most influenced by real life and the characters I see around me every day.

What are you working on now/what's up next for you?

Running my casting company so I can pay for all the debt I'm in from my film. And there's an indie narrative project I'd love to work on but can't mention yet. And I'm working on developing another documentary involving all my casting tapes, auditions, interviews and street scoutings from over the years.

We'll be following Jennifer's new projects, like this mysterious indie narrative she wants to work on, so stay tuned to Cinematical Indie for the scoop.

Go to Cinematical for the full text.

Maine's got Moxie! Maine International Film Festival '07

2007-07-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER JEN VENDITTI & PRODUCER CHIEMI KARASAWA

We had a great time at the 10th Anniversary Maine International Film Festival in Waterville. We met a bunch of cool people, got tons of feedback from the screening, and even managed to scout a few new faces. Thanks to Ken and Beth Eisen at Shadow Distribution. We also got to check out the film Girls Rock and found out director Arne Johnson rocks, too!

Here are a few of the highlights:

It wouldn't be Maine without Frank the Moxie Man!

Adam Roffman (or "Adam as in Adam West" according to Billy) AKA the Fried Food Man, Program Director from the Independent Film Festival of Boston

The aforementioned fried foods

Billy and his new friend/fan Carl who runs Autistic Duck, a website about his own experiences with Asperger's

Billy with Carl's sister Elizabeth (looks like Billy's got his eyes on her)

Jen's always on the lookout for a new face

Random scouting of Billy the Kid bumper sticker

Philosophy Professor David “Hutch” Easton's notes on the screening

From Dazed & Confused

2007-07-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Go pick up a copy of the July issue of Dazed & Confused and read Hannah Lack's review of Billy. Here's an excerpt:

"'Before I went to Maine, I made a list of all these scenarios I wanted to do with Billy that would help give context to his life,' Venditti recalls. 'But as soon as I got there, I realised that in his beautiful mind, Billy had been the director of his own film for a long time. He saw the world as a film, and himself as a character, constantly changing his role to survive. So my job was just to observe, listen, and document.' It's an odd feeling, and a tribute to Billy, that after an hour and a half in his company, it's the world that seems crazy , rather than him."

If you can't find Dazed & Confused where you live, here's a scan of the article:

CLICK TO ENLARGE

25 New Faces of Independent Film

2007-07-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Jennifer was just named one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine:

JENNIFER VENDITTI. PHOTO BY RICHARD KOEK

Jennifer Venditti

Jennifer Venditti has always walked backward into her future. “I was obsessed with characters and character through clothing — that’s what got me into fashion,” says the casting director turned director, who started out in the magazine world. She quit when she got close enough to see that for all its creativity and access to talent, the fashion industry espoused an idea of beauty that was as narrow as its waistlines.

Photographer Carter Smith had noticed Venditti’s keen eye for street casting and brought her to Scotland to find real people for a W magazine shoot. That first job grew into one of the most dynamic and successful print-casting agencies in the city, stuffing its files with characters Venditti pulls off streets from Minnesota to Rio. Smith came back to Venditti to populate the world of his Sundance-winning short Bugcrush. She was casting with Smith in Maine when some bullies told her about the boy who would become the subject of her first film, Billy the Kid.

“Sometimes, of course, casting gets trying, seeing face after face,” Venditti says. “It’s a huge turnoff when people are trying to please or impress me. Billy wasn’t even aware of the idea of conforming to the accepted. He wanted what other people had, but he didn’t have any idea of changing himself.”

Billy the Kid is as deep a character study as one is likely to find in documentary, and it was honored with a Jury Prize by the SXSW Film Festival. Billy, 15, is a strange and singular person, alone in his articulate, curious, passionate opinions. Without narration or any third-party commentary, Venditti plays the audience’s temptation to judge and diagnose with a maestro’s touch. He might be autistic, he might have Asperger’s, but who cares? Venditti believes in willing away labels and seeing beauty without demanding to understand it, and the film proves her right. — Alicia Van Couvering

Bottom Line: This revealing documentary about a teenage misfit will haunt

2007-07-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Stephen Farber reviews Billy in today's Hollywood Reporter.
Here's an excerpt:

"The film doesn't force a conclusion on us. It allows us to see that Billy has the potential to become dangerously antisocial, but he has a rock-solid ally in his mother, who proves to be far more generous and complicated than first impressions suggest. Like the best docus, "Billy the Kid" introduces us to some unique characters. Technically it's fairly simple but just accomplished enough to keep us riveted. Cinematographer Donald Cumming captures the small-town New England ambience. The movie's main virtue is its intimacy; it takes us astonishingly close to its characters, and this is a tribute to the trust and empathy that Venditti and her unobtrusive crew achieved. One hopes that the film finds a life in theaters, then on television and DVD, where it will last as an indelible record of adolescent turmoil."

Read the rest of the review here.

Docs That Inspire Podcast

2007-07-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Jen sat down with Joel Heller & Gaea Logan from Docs That Inspire for a podcast interview about Billy.

Joel Heller writes, "I fell for the film when I saw it premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (where it also won the top jury prize). And I made a point of getting to know Jennifer in Toronto when we were both at Hot Docs."

LA Wrap-Up

2007-07-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing time in LA!!

We made new friends...

Jen & Shot in the Dark's Adrian Grenier

Actress Clea DuVall & musician Samantha Maloney

Partied with our own entourage:

Billy & his mom Penny Price-Baker
Billy & Production Coordinator Nina Chaudhuri

Won the Target Filmmaker Award for Best Documentary...

(like YOU wouldn't make a face standing next to Clint Eastwood and Dustin Hoffman!)
Also pictured, Tony Bennett & Chris Eska, winner of the Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative for his first feature August Evening

and drummed up some more buzz for the film...
"Everyone I know who sees it tells other people to see it. It's totally a word-of-mouth experience," Hot Docs programmer Sean Farnel tells Gina Piccalo in the Los Angeles Times. The film is SXSW jury prize-winner Billy the Kid.
-- Green Cine Daily

"Watching this documentary is an exercise in restraint -- the restraint not to write down everything that Billy says."
-- Cinematical's Monika Bartyzel

More than just a star, Billy himself is equally director, producer and editor of this film. His choices on what to say, when to say it, how he says it or whether he says it all determine the course, ebb and flow of this sensitive documentary....The result is a vibrantly real film that both imitates and creates art, a film that only the most jaded and cynical could deem rubbish.
--Naomi Wiggins' review on IFA.com

“Billy the Kid” is like a snapshot into the life of a social outcast and it’s a great film. We see the good sides and the ugly side but it’s the honest sides of both that make the film work.
--Don Lewis' Film Threat review

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the film!!!

Director/Producer Jennifer Venditti, Billy Price-Baker & Producer Chiemi Karasawa

We are the Winners of the 2007 LA Film Festival!

2007-06-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

We couldn't have done it without all of your support! Thanks to everyone who saw Billy the Kid! A very special thanks to the Jury, Patrick Creadon, Rob Epstein, and Lisa Schwarzbaum.

Jen with John Larson of the Directors Guild of America at the awards ceremony
(image courtesy of indiewire)

In awarding Billy the Kid with the Target Filmmaker Award for Best Documentary Feature, the jury stated the following: “The jury awards the Target Documentary Award to Jennifer Venditti for Billy the Kid. Inspired by her extraordinarily guileless young subject and matching his unique adolescent openness with her own artistic integrity in her auspicious filmmaking debut, Venditti finds a graceful documentary voice – patient, respectful, even tender – that perfectly matches the delicate turmoil observed in the life of one disarmingly articulate 15-year-old young man with, as he says, ‘issues.’

For more check out businesswire

Film Threat Q&A

2007-06-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

Jen sat down with Mark Bell from Film Threat to talk about Billy.
Here's an excerpt from the interview:

At the end of the day, what do you hope audiences take away from "Billy the Kid"?

"Billy the Kid" is an odyssey into the soul of an American teenager.

I want the audience to get to know a character for who he is rather than how he has been labeled. As much as I acknowledge the benefit of a diagnosis, that is not the story I am telling. I would like this film to be about celebrating our differences and realizing our similarities - how we all want the same things in life: acceptance, love and to be understood - and as a result have more compassion for each other and ourselves.

We live in a time right now where so many kids have or will be diagnosed with some sort of behavioral disorder. My hope is that people will not let that label be the definition of who they are. Our society is filled with people who have rage whether it is due to bullying, racial or sexual discrimination, domestic issues or just feeling misunderstood. So many times we only hear about this kind of "outsider" after their emotions have come to fruition in some tragic way. Although Billy has a keen insight to his feelings and a compassionate understanding of others, he still very much struggles with the demons from his past and present. His future is unknown but I hope that through his story we can start to increase our tolerance and compassion towards those who we believe are "different" from us. Hopefully that will enable us to confront and take responsibility for larger issues that stem from that divide.

Get the rest of the Q&A here and also check out Don Lewis' Film Threat review (four and a half stars!)

Filmfestivals.com Interview

2007-06-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Lisa Murray sat down with Jen before Billy's LA Film Fest debut:

More LA Film Festival Pics

2007-06-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Producer Chiemi Karasawa, Billy, Spike Jonze, and Director/Producer Jennifer Venditti

Billy, Director/Producer Jennifer Venditti, and Ron Holiday

Billy & Mr. Vig

2007-06-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

"AJ Schnack's so wonderfully supportive of other filmakers and I love to see his smile at festivals"--Jennifer Venditti

We also love reading your blog, ALL THESE WONDERFUL THINGS!

Here's an excerpt from a recent post about Billy:

Next up was Jennifer Venditti's BILLY THE KID, the winner of the jury prize at SXSW, where it premiered. This for me was a revelation, an amazingly structured and beautifully rendered film about what it is to be an outsider, starring one of the most interesting characters to grace documentary film since, well Mr. Vig in The Monastery. (It must be a banner year for docs if we can get to meet both Mr. Vig and Billy in the same year.) Venditti's film is so graceful, so funny and yet, at times, so difficult to watch, I found it to be one of the most humanistic films I've seen in some time. There are those who have criticized the film, feeling that Billy was somehow exploited in the making of it. I couldn't disagree more. This is a story of a teenage boy beginning to embrace who he is, coming to terms with what he believes, learning to face his past and have courage in his present. It is, simply, one of the best films of the year.

Billy & Penny do Venice Beach

2007-06-27T09:25:00.001-07:00

Billy at the LA Film Festival

2007-06-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Billy and Spike Jonze

Billy and his new French love, actress Roxane Mesquida

Billy with the JUMP team

Billy with the cast of Trigger Man

Billy, Penny & Ron Holiday from Cat Dancers

The LA Times Celebrates Billy the Kid

2007-06-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

Billy the Kid, lost on society's fringes

By Gina Piccalo, LA Times Staff Writer

Billy Price is the weird kid at his high school, the one who walks funny and sits alone at lunch.
But get him talking, as first-time director Jennifer Venditti did in her debut documentary "Billy the Kid," and this gangly 15-year-old from rural Maine reveals a startling sensitivity to the world and a sad wisdom about his place in it....

For full article, check out the LA TIMES

A privileged view though the eyes of a genuine iconoclast

2007-06-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

That's what Denis Seguin's saying about Billy in his latest review on
Screen Daily.com. Here's an excerpt:

"I know I'm unique," he says in voice over as we watch him alone in that same cafeteria. "I don't let it get to my head… Sometimes I think the imaginative world is much better than the real world. But there's one difference, imagination ain't real."

That's for sure. Some sequences are excruciating: as when Billy attempts to socialise with some boys playing billiards. Despite his entreaties, they blank him. And yet he seems completely unaware that anything is amiss. The social chasm yawns before him as though he were a blindfolded at a cliff edge.

To put it in the stark parlance of his peer group, Billy is weird. Which may be why he takes a shine to Heather, a congenitally cross-eyed girl whose family owns the town diner. A conventional teenage peer but with a glaring physical stigma, she is the opposite of Billy, who is almost faun-like in his physical presence but whose invisible brain chemistry only betrays him when engaged. Their flirtation provides the dramatic backbone to the piece.

Be sure to check out the review in its entirety here.

Still in Motion Interview

2007-06-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

Jen sat down with Pamela Cohn from Still in Motion last week to talk about Billy. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

SIM: I keep flashing on Alice in Wonderland a lot as we talk—those two things [curiosity and intention] led her down that rabbit hole, that’s how she ended up at the Mad Hatter’s table. And nothing in her life really prepared her for that except this insatiable curiosity. That, of course, can get you into terrible trouble if you’re moving through with some twisted agenda. But you’ve said that Billy became and is a hero for you, and that’s how he’s portrayed—heroically. You didn’t really even use a traditional DP to shoot this—but Donald’s emotionalism and personal involvement with the subject is quite palpable. There’s no hiding behind the lens for him. It reminded me almost of a dad lovingly filming his kid. And Billy plays for that person behind the camera because he intuitively knows he’s admired and loved. That’s really beautiful to me.

What you have in common with Billy is how well defined your personal vision is about how you see the world and your place in it, proper ways of doing things be damned.

JV: Yeah, but unlike Billy when I was his age, I never was really speaking my truth—I did belong to the popular group, I was accepted and my wacky inner voice was suppressed in favor of that. I still struggle to do that today. I think we all do. And here’s this kid who’s wired in such a way, that that’s not even an option for him.

Be sure to check out the complete interview for Jen's thoughts on documentary filmmaking, the process of making Billy the Kid, and how she got her start in the industry.

Hypnotic and simple...

2007-06-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

Here's what people are saying about Billy on IMDB:

Hypnotic and simple, this low tech gem is a genre busting documentary that achieves non-fictionally what virtually all of cinema has attempted fictionally: get the boy a soul. Boys in film, from Elliot in ET to the title character in Quixote to Porky's to The Shining's Danny are archetypes searching past Mom and Dad for a little individuality through some form of psychic mayhem. The capstone (tombstone) is the dead Haley Joel Osmet in Sixth Sense. Look carefully, culture uses these kids as rites-of-passage stand-ins, and they endure almost obscene amounts of fear and pain to ascend. News media showcases these boys in real life mostly as hooligans with guns: we reflect on troubled youth as a result of careful CNN headwashing in the aftermath of Columbine and Virginia Tech . Billy is the first documentary film I've ever seen that exhibits a narrative interface with a boy who is clearly from this archetype closet. Billy's polarizing, somewhat fearless and game for any self exploration. In the wrong hands he's a loose cannon, but here he reflects, jokes, espouses and in the lynch-pin moment, gathers the courage to ask a girl out and as we watch the exploration of first love, we realize even as we know this love is momentary, that he's done it, he can never run back to a blank world of just heavy metal and violence. Two women left their beautiful mark on Billy, one was the girl he fell for the other is the director. Truffaut (that made Small Change) and Spielberg wish they had made this.

Billy on sex, love & war...

2007-05-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Just finished the new PSA trailer in time for the LA Film Festival.

With classic moments from the film plus exclusive never before seen footage, hear Billy's thoughts on social justice, politics, the future, and much more!

To Billy, a young man with a beautiful Heart...

2007-05-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Jean Reno

Cinematical and Monika Bartyzel understand Billy

2007-05-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

Cinemtatical's take on Billy The Kid:

Jennifer Venditti is a casting director who found herself in Maine, looking for some interesting teenagers for Carter Smith's short film Bugcrush. While scoping out a local high school, she spoke with a group of bullies who told her about a boy they had harassed. Intrigued, she asked who, and they pointed to Billy. Venditti sat down to speak with him, and the moment he spoke, she realized what a special person was sitting across from her. She followed him through his life for a week, gaining a slew of footage that chronicles the angst of a stellar 15-year-old -- footage asking to be molded into a film that became Billy the Kid.

Of course, making a documentary about a 15-year-old boy raises questions about whether Billy is exposed or exploited. Recording adolescence means grabbing all of those awkward and gut-wrenching moments and molding them into a cinematic whole. Superficially, you could question this film for showing all of Billy's highs and lows -- both his happiness and his vulnerability. However, to do so is to miss what Venditti was trying to achieve, and what I believe she succeeded in doing. The film challenges our assumptions and tendency to stereotype while reminding us of just how great it is to be different. Billy has his struggles and his strangeness, but he's also got a large heart and genuine vision that should be celebrated instead of questioned.Watching this documentary is an exercise in restraint -- the restraint not to write down everything that Billy says. His words, a mixture of his thoughts and the media he immerses himself in, are beyond what any of today's most skilled comedians could muster. Just when you think something couldn't be more pure gold, he surprises you with another line. During one scene, the camera records Billy playing a shoot-em-up video game, holding the gun so close to the screen that you can't help but smile. You think that it's a simple scene, but then Billy's words reveal the truth below the surface: "I don't hurt the women. I think it is a sin to hurt the women -- real or fake." The statement is both youthfully naïve and wisely sincere.

These feelings are surely based in his family's struggles. Both Billy and his mother, Penny, talk openly to the camera about her struggles with his abusive, biological father. When Billy expresses his desire to impress his stepfather, who is never seen onscreen, his desperation for male guidance is palpable. However, at the same time, his mother is doing one hell of a job at providing him with guidance and companionship. They have a strong and communicative relationship that covers everything from famous artists to family issues, even while comfortably housed in a "Trucker" tee or sweatpants.

However, the highlight of the relationships explored in the film is Billy's first love interest, a shy and smiling young girl named Heather. Her little brothers inform Billy that she is often teased for her continually racing eyes. This affliction means nothing to the 15-year-old, and it definitely makes you rethink the last time you questioned someone's worth due to minor physical differences. Unfortunately for the burgeoning couple, Billy's at the height of excitement and adolescent lust, so he's not too keen on the art of patience. As he zooms forward, full speed ahead, you can't help but groan and cringe. You root for him; you shake your head when you know he will do the wrong thing; and you understand why.

Venditti's vérité shots let the story do the talking, and capture all those fleeting moments that could be missed in a blink, like the way Billy's eyes dance around Heather, desperate to think of something to say. The shots are unobtrusive and inviting, which undoubtedly helps to fuel the rollercoaster of Billy's emotions. He is, by no means, a perfect individual, but that's what makes him perfect. He's real. He feels upset and angry just as much as he feels loving and protective. Billy reminds us that there are many grains of sand that go into the bottle of life. Just as many types of people should be celebrated for what they can offer, no small bit should be taken as the answer for a larger whole.

INDIEPIX EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

2007-05-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Associate Producer Danielle DiGiacomo conducted an interview with Billy, Director Jennifer Venditti, and Producer Chiemi Karasawa at the SXSW Film Festival, recently posted on INDIEPIX

Billy's trip to Austin was his first time on an airplane. He admitted that the ride was rough on his sinuses and he has always hated flying, but as with any vacation, he wished it had lasted longer and accepted the ordeal of traveling. The evening of his premiere party he uttered his classic toast, Pepsi in hand, "To a night to remember."

From the Director of the Devil & Daniel Johnston...

2007-05-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

"Billy” joyfully leads us through the existential forest to a clearing where ROCK can save your life. A truly rare fantastic documentary film on every level."

- Jeff Feuerzeig - Director, The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Hot Docs Opening Party

2007-04-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

The crowd in Toronto is so special--this is a community of people who really believe in films and it's been an honor sharing Billy The Kid.

A snapshot of Filmmaker Jennifer Venditti and Producer Chiemi Karasawa from the opening festivites @ Hot Docs.

Joel Heller from Docs That Inspire with Jennifer Venditti

Jennifer Vendtitti introduces Billy The Kid

HOT DOCS BUZZ

2007-04-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Peep this! The Eye Weekly just wrote up a review of the film.

Four stars!

HOT DOCS HERE WE COME!!!

2007-04-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hot Docs programmer Shannon Abel's interview with Jen just got posted!

Don't forget, we screen this Friday, April 20th, and again on Sunday, April 22nd.

Come show us some love, Toronto!

Screening Comments--Tell us your Thoughts!

2007-04-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

We would like to encourage feedback from those who have seen this film. The profound reactions we have received since our first screening have been wonderfully overwhelming and beautiful. These notes and observations should be for the public to see, not just the makers of Billy The Kid.

Please share any thoughts about the movie, feelings, or experiences that Billy has helped you reflect upon. Thanks again to everyone for your support of Billy The Kid! Post a comment!

Announcing Our Canadian Debut @ HOT DOCS 2007

2007-04-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Geoff Pevre of the Toronto Star reviews Billy The Kid

From the surface of the moon to a Kawasaki campaign trail, Hot Docs celebrates
reality moviemaking

Apr 13, 2007 04:30 AM
Geoff Pevere
Movie Critic

In Jennifer Venditti's Billy the Kid, there's a long sequence in which an emotionally scarred 15-year-old boy finally
works up the nerve to approach the girl he's been admiring from a painful distance. So deftly has the film aligned our
emotional attachment to Billy, the ensuing exchange has all the raw, almost unbearable suspense of anything to be
found in a contemporary Hollywood thriller. We pray that she will like Billy as much as we have come to.

Billy the Kid: Jennifer Venditti's portrait of Billy, a keenly intelligent and preternaturally sensitive 15-year-old with selfdescribed
"issues," is an extraordinarily affecting study in the life of an outsider. Following Billy as he cycles through
the quiet streets of his small town, talking about music, love and the frustrating gap between imagination and reality,
the film invites you to see the world his way. As quietly inspiring as it is genuinely heartbreaking, Billy the Kid is an act
of passionate empathy. (April 20, 9 p.m., Bloor; April 22, 4:45 p.m., ROM.)

Comments from a Cameraman

2007-04-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

I watched some scenes again and it really is special. Really smart
shooting decisions (camera-person's instincts), really good work being
at the right places at the right times, and most distinguishable above
all is how no time is spent making anyone unnecessarily villainous.
The good people really shine and the smaller players in the town seem
generally good-natured too. I mentioned that I cried a few times
watching it. Well, I realized it was thinking about things that bug me
about when I was 15 that moved me, but it was realizing that they
really weren't all that bad that was the deeper revelation. I have
never been diagnosed with any disorder, I have never been to a doctor
in my life, but I stuck out like a sore thumb in high school,
lunchtime was a nightmare, gym was hell, I went and got a perm once,
ugly stuff.
And the timelessness of the town was really key for people our age to
relate. Wonderful.

--Sean Williams from Maysles Films.

Billy and His New Friend From SXSW

2007-04-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

Billy may be an outsider in Maine, but at SXSW he met a lot of new friends.

Here he is with Mathew Lessner, a talented young filmmaker. Check out his work at Modern Measure.

whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother...

2007-04-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

BILLY THE KID IN LA

2007-03-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for supporting Billy The Kid In LA! Billy always knew it was just a matter of time before he would hit it big in Hollywood.

FILMCOUCH PODCAST

2007-03-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Check out Episode #11 of FilmCouch, the podcast from the guys at Spout , for highlights from an interview with Jen after the SXSW screening.

Thank You NYC and the IFC!

2007-03-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank everyone for supporting Billy The Kid at the IFC.

Billy Loves NYC and NYC Loves Billy!!

Check out pics from the screening courtesy of A-Ron from aNYthing:

Rene Ricard and Donald Cumming

Ryan McGinley and Donald Cumming

Jennifer Venditti

EXCLUSIVE SXSW PICS

2007-03-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some exclusive pics from the SXSW screening and Q&A...

...and from the after-party

For more pics from the screening, check out PROblog.

BILLY THE KID CREW REPRESENT!

2007-03-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Check out pictures of the whole gang after the SXSW win at INDIEWIRE:

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION'S WRITE UP

2007-03-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here's an excerpt from "Reeling in a Lone Star State: SXSW Rocks the Docs," a review by Thomas White of the International Documentary Association:

Running with Arnold tackles an equally improbable, but improbably successful campaign—that of Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor of California. The film, by longtime journalist Dan Cox in his first effort as a filmmaker, focuses on the celebrity and the larger-than-lifeness of the candidate and governor, utilizing clips and quotes from politically oriented comics, as well as scenes from the governator's action-adventure films. What's given short shrift is the substance behind the candidate-turned-governor, who has since proven that his run for Sacramento was not just a whim, nor was his victory a fluke. Given his re-election—as a Republican, in a landslide, in a blue state, when the Republican Party had taken a “thumpin'” across the nation—an examination of his acumen for politics and governance was surely needed in the film, no matter what one's political stripe.

Arnold—or at least the action-hero characters he plays—might find a fan in Billy Price, the endearing protagonist of Jennifer Venditti's Billy the Kid, which earned the Jury Prize for Best Documentary. I was initially skeptical of seeing a documentary about a 15-year-old, but there was something so engaging about Billy—his honesty, his self-deprecating humor, his intelligence, his pain—that my misgivings subsided from the very first shot: a close-up of his open mouth. This was no James at 15 meets The Wonder Years . The high school paradigm has been examined in many notable documentaries— Senior Year, American High, High School, Sixteen at Webster Groves, Seventeen. Billy the Kid joins that stately pantheon with this apotheosis of the anxiety, angst, awkwardness and loneliness of adolescence. But more so, the film celebrates that time-honored high school archetype: The Loser—the one who couldn't get a prom date, who sat alone in the cafeteria, who embraced a rhythm and rhyme that was off-kilter from the rest of the school. Kurt Cobain remarked in AJ Schnack's About A Son that the jocks who beat him up in high school were now buying his records. Beck wrote a song about being a loser, and that made him rich and famous. At the closing night party for SXSW, I remarked to the producer of Billy the Kid that everyone in the room could probably relate to Billy, that we should all embrace our Inner Loser.

Learn more about the world of documentary film at the International Documentary Association.

THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE

2007-03-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Check out the Austin Chronicle for another review of Billy the Kid:

ON ROOFTOP FILMS

2007-03-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Check out the Rooftop Films blog for their review of Billy the Kid at SXSW:

LATE NIGHT FUN AT CHARLIE'S

2007-03-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

BILLY THE KID kicked off the SXSW Film Festival with some late night fun @ "Charlies ". After initially finding the festival environment a bit corporate, we escaped the convention and found some unique Billy The Kid fans.

BILLY THE COMIC STRIP

2007-03-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Check out James Israel's blog JUMP CUTS for his and Jeff's SXSW adventures. Billy and Jen get immortalized in comic strip form...

BILLY THE KID WINS SXSW 2007!

2007-03-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

After facing the challenge of other talented filmmakers and tornado watches during our screenings, Billy the Kid still managed to sell out and take the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature @ SXSW 2007!

Below is an excerpt from indiewire

Interestingly, Sundance Channel sees Billy The Kid as a real life Napolean Dynamite.

Check out indiewire for more about Billy The Kid

There are some interesting comments about the Q & A following our premiere screening on The Porcupine School of Poetry, and more reviews on PROBLOG and New York Press

BOWDOIN COLLEGE FEEDBACK

2007-03-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Following are a few of the supportive responses we recieved from the Audience at our screening at Bowdoin College. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME TO SUPPORT US!

Thank you for taking the time for doing this story I hope that it
educates all of the people who look at Billy or people that are
different to realize that we all have something to offer and take
the time to listen. I hope I didn't offend anyone when using the
"retarded" word but when I was in School that is what people used
when referring to slow learners and it was only after 1972 when the
Schools systems used the word main streaming and us to be classified
as mentally challenged. There is a Great line in the Movie of " House
of Deeds" that Robin Williams plays that it explains it all to well
of being different .If you haven't seen it .it is a must see movie
for you .Most people when they hear all my stories always say you
should write a book ,Right my minds runs at 200%but it doesn't
connect to my hands so it is always a mess and I never will but I
can tell a story.!!!The movie made me look at myself and about all
the hurt that I put in a distant place in my mind to forgot all those
terrible people that said that i would never be able to do anything
in life except take up space and push pencils on a street corner and
of course all the time looking for order in my life ,friends and
placement of things all in which once they are out of order make
you very angry-- Really angry because in your mind that is what we
are trying to do make sense out of it all.So Yes I loved the Movie
and I too love your eyes.

--WILLIAM

Thank you so much for the great experience that I had the other night. You really did a great job. My son has dyslexia and I was wondering what I would learn from your film. I kept wondering what was Billy's disability however, once the movie began I did not think of it again. It didn't matter. When I heard you speak after, you mentioned that you wanted to present the movie in a way that it did not matter because of labels. Well, it worked. So many children are diagnosed with disabilities and as a parent with a child who has been recently diagnosed with one I was very interested as soon as I saw the information in the paper. I came out with a lot more than I expected and I thank you for that. You did a great job and Billy is a wonderful actor to be able to present himself. It never seemed as if he was acting. It seemed at all times he was being himself. He is an actor and to see him in a movie at 15 years old shows what he is capable of doing. He may be diagnosed with a disability but, he has already done more than the average 15 year old has done. That is what life is about isn't it, making the best of what we are given.
I have been thinking about this movie a lot. It was as an adult as after school special's were to me back 25 yrs ago as a kid.
I do believe that every middle school and high school should show this movie. It is a very important message for both teens and adults.
My friend was going to e-mail you however, since I'm not sure if she has I will mention it. The karate classes that Billy goes to in Brunswick are known to be more extreme. The Riverview Foundation in Topsham may be another place for him to look into and it has a very different approach to karate. I believe that it gets funds from the state. It may be something his mother may find worth pursuing.
Thank you again,

--KAREN

BILLY'S PLAYLIST

2007-03-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the playlist Billy made for his premiere party, this Sunday Night, March 11th.

Get your copy on iTunes....

Please Join us for the 9 pm screening at the Austin Convention Center, shuttle bus provided to party after.

BILLY THE KID PREMIERE AFTER PARTY
@FACTORY PEOPLE
11PM-2 AM
1325 SOUTH CONGRESS AVENUE
AUSTIN, TEXAS

BILLLY THE KID WORLD PREMIERE @ SXSW 2007!

2007-03-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

"I'm not black, I'm not white, not foreign, just different in the mind--
different Brains, that's all..." Billy, 2006

BOWDOIN COLLEGE SCREENING

2007-03-08T17:59:00.001-08:00

We screened Billy the Kid at Bowdoin College in Maine last Sunday. I wanted to show my thanks to the community for their support during the making of the film plus give Billy a chance to have his peers see how I see him!

Chiemi’s good friend John Bisbee was kind enough to hook it all up!! MANY THANKS!

Chiemi , Nina and I drove up, and of course I was freaking out the whole way there thinking no one was going to show. So Nina and I started making as many calls as possible during the six-hour car ride.

When we finally arrived with only half an hour till show time I had the butterflies bad!!! IT WAS MY FIRST OFFICIAL SCREENING WITH THE FILM DONE AND WITH STRANGERS plus Billy and his extended family! That said, I had to go to a bar a do a shot. We all did!! To my surprise I also met some nice men, and one of them was the uncle of Tyler Hubby, who was the editor of "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" , one of my favorite docs! Was this a sign?? I'm in a small-ass town in the middle of Maine at a bar at 5pm on a Sunday!! It had to be a good omen!

Anyways, he asked me the name of the film, and I said “Billy the Kid”, and he said, “You have a great publicist! I've heard about that film!” I said thanks and thought to myself, “What publicist? Me, Nina and Chiemi in our portable car office!!!!” Actually the college did a great job spreading the word and hooked something up with the local paper .

So we finally get to the venue to check the film for sound levels, and I was horrified by what I saw. The film looks muddy and dark like there is a haze over it!! I'm so bummed! We had been working on the film in post on an “hd up rez” (you film people will understand), and this was a dvd projection and it wasn't pretty. Anyways, my good friend, director Carter Smith, assured me no one would notice but me and also said the director is never satisfied.

The screening began and I sat in the way back with my eyes half open thinking, “Geez, this is taking long. Why aren't they laughing at the right places? Oh my gosh, I can't believe Heather showed up and Billy is sitting right next to her!!!! I'm so embarrassed for her. Are they getting it???” and so on, and so on, etc .etc.!

Then it was time for the Q and A, and a man in his 40"s (not sure) stood up and .........................

then kids from billy's school said

then a parent

and then a teacher

then Billy got on stage..................

It was like they had received a script on exactly what I wanted them to get from the movie!! Everything I had worked and fought for no matter how many times people said you need more of this or that and I didn't listen. It finally paid off. A group of strangers from young kids to elderly people from all demographics got it!!

That said, this director is trying to feel satisfied with that! As much as my mind wants to race to what's next (“Why doesn't this sales person get it or that press person or this festival?”), I really am trying to be grateful for this wonderful gift the Maine community gave me. Even if I can only do it for this moment! I really hope what you have seen will be passed on and on and on!!!

Just a short time ago, I didn't know I would ever make a film, didn't know how to start or how to do it. I still didn't know when I met Billy, but day-by-day, I learned and now YOU GET IT!

It's so funny how soon we forget where we started. When I first decided I was going to do this I thought it would be a 10 minute short on Billy! Soooo dream big boys and girls!!!!!

THANK YOU BRUNSWICK COMMUNITY!!!

Director's Statement

2007-03-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

You might say I'm a sucker for the underdog. I have always looked for beauty in the unconventional…

I first met Billy when I was scouting a high school in Maine to cast real kids as extras for a film. I sat in the lunchroom for several days, marveling at the particular cliques and wondering if any kids ever tried sitting with anyone different. I filmed a table of bullies who described a scenario when they invited a new victim to their table. Apparently, the kid freaked out at the way he was treated. As they all laughed, I asked who this kid was, and they pointed across the room at a boy sitting by himself. “Over there," they said, "His name is Billy.”

I was both awed by and uneasy with his personality; he was so completely open and without boundaries. When I asked teachers about him, they used phrases like 'emotional disabilities,' 'extreme caution' and 'special learning environment'. Other students seemed either jealous that I was so fascinated by him, or concerned that he was so volatile. The more I was warned away from him, the more I wanted to know. I cast him, of course, and came back a few months later to learn more and shoot some footage of my own. This footage turned into Billy the Kid.

As I drove back to the city after shooting for five days, the one thing I couldn't get out of my head was Billy saying, "Sometimes the imaginative world's much better than the real world, but there's one difference: Imagination ain't real!" By courage or necessity Billy had created a technique to help him survive in an environment of pain, conformity, and labels. His pain in facing the real world was made less by his engagement with pop culture heroes and icons. Pop culture superheroes became his source of confidence. I saw a kid who unknowingly made brilliant, wise comments that were fleeting and overlooked by his community, like a young, modern day Don Quixote.

In making the film, I wanted to pass on the feeling I had when I was with Billy. My urge to figure out what was wrong with him was quickly replaced by uncomplicated appreciation and empathy. Every day we were laughing and crying along with Billy, tethered so readily to his feelings. We saw his mother Penny being his only real friend. While I conducted several interviews with teachers, students, family members and specialists, I ultimately threw them out in favor of Billy's voice. He tells the story himself, by being himself. All we have to do is experience Billy while he responds to a painful childhood, first time love, and life as an outsider.

The future that lies ahead for Billy is uncertain, definitely filled with ups and downs. With this film, I am interested in a life in progress, capturing a moment during this coming-of-age time when his thoughts, dreams, and actions have not yet defined his future. Like Billy, I too believe that the imaginative world can become a reality. Ultimately, I feel Billy’s journey is connected to all of our journeys, and that what we strive for, no matter how different we seem, is the same: acceptance, understanding, and love.

As Billy says, "In the words of The Terminator, ‘The future is not written there’s no fate except what we make for ourselves.’”

Jennifer Venditti, February 2007