Swiss filmmaker wants credit in Banksy doc
Another twist has emerged from reclusive British street artist Banksy’s documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, with a Swiss director demanding he should also get a credit in the film.
Joachim Levy says his name should be in the credits to the film, which has won much critical acclaim but also raised a number of questions about whether it’s a true documentary or simply Banksy playing tricks on his audience.
In the film, Banksy turns the camera on a Frenchman named Thierry Guetta, who is making a documentary about street artists. Levy claims he was making that film with Guetta.
Levy says he worked with Guetta as an editor and producer on Life Remote Control, which features interviews with guerrilla artists including Banksy and Shepard Fairey รณ known for his popular 2008 altered image of Barack Obama for a poster with the word “Hope” underneath.
The film, with its quick cuts, was screened in 2006.
In Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy, who remains a shadowed anonymous figure on-screen, declares Life Remote Control unwatchable and decides to turn the camera on Guetta, an L.A.-based vintage clothing store owner obsessed with filming every part of his life.
At one point, Guetta ends up following his French cousin, graffiti artist Space Invader, on nighttime escapades, sparking an interest in Guetta himself in creating art.
During Exit Through the Gift Shop, Guetta himself becomes a highly-lauded conceptual artist, demanding top dollar for his creations. The film has confused many who wonder if Guetta is real and if Banksy made a mock documentary.
In recent statements, the artist has emphasized that Exit Through the Gift Shop is a “very real film.” Guetta now makes art under the name Mr. Brainwash.
According to Levy, there is plenty of footage in Banksy’s film that was taken from Life Remote Control. He says he enjoyed the Banksy documentary but feels that he’s been taken advantage of.
“You write a 200-page book, and someone takes 50 pages of your book and just puts it somewhere else, and they don’t even credit you, they don’t even ask your permission,” Levy told the New York Times.
Levy admits he didn’t have an agreement with Guetta, who owns the license to the footage and handed it to Banksy.
Banksy responded to Levy’s claims through his publicist, saying: “We are currently gathering the facts about Levy’s role by talking to all those involved in the making of Life Remote Control and we hope that his situation will be resolved shortly.”
Categories