SPANISH LAKE, the new documentary on white flight, economics, race and class in Missouri is shared by documentary filmmakers Philip Andrew Morton and Matt Smith. In the wake of the Ferguson police shooting and protests, this documentary is particularly relevant to America and the ongoing discussion in the media and society, and the insights we get about the film with the trailer and film clips contribute to an illuminating edition of the world’s only talk show on documentary films, BYOD.
GUEST & FILM INFO:
SPANISH LAKE is a bold and uncompromising documentary focused on economic oppression in the suburb of Spanish Lake, Missouri. Operating without a local government, the lack of community leadership has disastrous effects, including a mass exodus of the white population in the late 1990’s. The themes of the film parallel America’s growing political divide, underlying racism, and rise of anti-government sentiment. Most notably, the recent shooting of 18-year-old, unarmed Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson – only 8 miles away from Spanish Lake… In fact, the unrest in Ferguson caused the film to be banned by Wehrenberg Theaters in North St. Louis County, citing fear of the daily protests. AMC, in turn, also banned the film.
Phillip Andrew Morton’s passion for cinema started as a young boy in St. Louis, Missouri. By four years old, he was entranced by the dynamic music videos of mid-1980’s MTV. After graduating from Webster University with a degree in film directing, he headed to Los Angeles, where he landed a job at mOcean, editing movie trailers for box-office smashes such as Ocean’s Thirteen and The Prestige.
Side by Side: The Story of the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone served as Phillip’s documentary film debut, credited as editor and producer for a work that premiered as part of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s ‘Women in Politics’ luncheon — where Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi gave the film a standing ovation.
Continuing his interest in political and cultural topics, Phillip served as a producer for The Story of a Village, an upcoming documentary chronicling actress Regina King and her trip to Africa to help build a school for underprivileged children. (July 2013)
His most recent directorial effort, Katt Williams: Nine Lives, a documentary about the controversial stand-up comedian Katt Williams, was released on DVD to high sales.
Matt Smith is the Producer & Executive Producer of the controversial documentary SPANISH LAKE, which chronicles the origin of “White Flight” in America and is currently in preparation for worldwide distribution. In 2013 he was signed to WME for the creation of the Pilot “FAMOUS” with co-producer Sophia Bush, which is currently in development, along with feature script, “50cc”.
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EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
00:01 Welcome To BYOD with Ondi Timoner,
00:05 Today’s guests are director Phillip Andrew Morton and producer Matt Smith, who are here to discuss their documentary Spanish Lake, which is about the economic crisis and “white flight” out of Spanish Lake Missouri.
01:56 Director Phillip Andrew Morton grew up in Spanish Lake, and left.
05:40 Trailer for the film. Everyone watched over each other’s children.
09:30 What happens with race riots and tension in the school system between blacks and whites.
11:39 The “Standard Protocol” in Spanish Lake was the husband wouldn’t live with the wife and kids.
13:06 Take a look at the year 2000 in Spanish Lake.
14:57 Spanish Lake become a “dumping ground” for the government.
17:59 Spanish Lake represents what’s going on in all cities.
18:39 Clip of real estate agents.
19:20 Process of re-segregation has been going on for years.
21:04 Clip of transformation of Spanish Lake and it’s crime.
24:03 “Red Lining” is the opposite of gentrification, and occurred there.
29:19 The film was banned from theaters.
32:05 The filmmakers put up a Craigslist ad for interviews in Spanish Lake and only got one response.
38:30 Upon the completion of the film, the filmmaker discovers his home has been restored, Spanish Lake is on the rise.
38:57 Thanks and Goodbye.