Steven Greenstreet
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Steven Greenstreet (born March 14, 1979) is an American documentary
filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...
, known for the controversial film, '' 8: The Mormon Proposition'', which was selected to premiere at the 2010
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
. Currently residing in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, he has also worked as a video investigative journalist for The Huffington Post Investigative Fund and a video producer for the
US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
.


Career

Greenstreet's feature debut, ''
This Divided State ''This Divided State'' is a documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, hist ...
'' (2005), captures the agitated climate surrounding
Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...
's invitation to speak at
Utah Valley State College Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008. History ...
shortly before the 2004 presidential elections. The largely conservative community of
Orem Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah M ...
erupted with controversy, which Greenstreet approaches from all sides of the debate. The student council’s decision to book Moore was met with protests, petitions, threats, lawsuits, a $25,000 bribe, and even a special appearance by
Sean Hannity Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American talk show host, conservative political commentator, and author. He is the host of ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a nationally syndicated talk radio show, and has also hosted a commentar ...
, who gives a talk on campus only a few days before Moore’s arrival. Juxtaposing candidly personal interviews with shots of unruly demonstrations, the film becomes a microcosm of the national political divisions and the debates surrounding
free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...
. Greenstreet illustrates the escalating obesity epidemic in America with his documentary ''Killer at Large'' (2008). The film investigates disturbing trends in how not only food addiction, but stress and fear, under-regulation and misinformation all contribute to the nation’s swelling weight problems. Examining the often unhealthy state of school lunches and negative influence of kid-oriented advertising, the documentary reveals connections between the government and the food industry, exposing how children are the real victims of this obesity crisis. Highlighting the example of twelve-year-old Brook Bates, whose 2006
liposuction Liposuction, or simply lipo, is a type of fat-removal procedure used in plastic surgery. Evidence does not support an effect on weight beyond a couple of months and does not appear to affect obesity-related problems. In the United States, lipo ...
surgery made national headlines, the film contemplates how the indoctrination of children to perpetuate unhealthy habits will supersede laying the blame on personal accountability. The premiere of '' 8: The Mormon Proposition'' (2010) at
Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada *Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood *Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated place ...
was met with a lengthy standing ovation despite the intense controversy surrounding it. The film was inspired by ballot measures like California’s "
Prop 8 Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a constitutional amendment, state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage; it passed in the California state elections, November 2008, Novem ...
," designed to legally prohibit
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
. Addressing the estimated $22 million
Mormons Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
had raised along with internal church documents, the film unravels an extensive campaign carried out by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church) with intent to influence California’s voters. Contrasting hard statistics with emotionally charged testimonials from gays and families, ''8: The Mormon Proposition'' reveals the detrimental effect of the LDS church’s persistent stance on homosexuality. The church has declined all of the filmmakers’ requests for interviews; LDS spokesman Michael Purdy has commented on the matter, “We have not seen ‘8: The Mormon Proposition.’ However, judging from the trailer and background material online, it appears that accuracy and truth are rare commodities in this film. Clearly, anyone looking for balance and thoughtful discussion of a serious topic will need to look elsewhere.” In February 2013, it was announced that Greenstreet's next project was a documentary on pop singer
Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on America ...
. Greenstreet, along with Lagan Sebert, followed Kesha over two years as she performed in various countries and then returned to the U.S. to record her sophomore album, ''
Warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...
''. The documentary was released by
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and premiered in April 2013. Since 2019 Greenstreet has hosted ''The Basement Office,'' a New York Post Youtube series concerning UFOs.


Filmography

* ''The Basement Office'' (2019–) (director/producer/host) * ''The Curse of Don's Plum'' (2019) (producer) * ''The Banker Suicides'' (2016) (producer) * '' Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life'' (2013) (co-director/producer) * '' 8: The Mormon Proposition'' (2010) (co-director/producer) * ''Killer at Large'' (2008) (director/producer) * ''
This Divided State ''This Divided State'' is a documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, hist ...
'' (2005) (director/producer)


References


External links


Steven Greenstreet Homepage

''8: The Mormon Proposition'' Official Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greenstreet, Steven American documentary filmmakers 1979 births Living people