''The Fandom'' is a 2020

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

that focuses on the history of the furry fandom. Directed by Colorado Springs filmmakers Ash Kreis and Eric Risher, it was released digitally and on Blu-Ray on July 3, 2020. The film is Kreis' directorial debut.

Synopsis

''The Fandom'' focuses on the furry fandom's early history and evolution as an internet community. The documentary features interviews from figures within the fandom, including Mark Merlino and Rod O'Riley (founders of ConFurence, the first furry convention), Joe Strike (author of ''Furry Nation'', a history of the furry fandom), and

Samuel Conway Samuel Charles Conway (born June 4, 1965) is an American researcher in the pharmaceutical, biomedical and agrochemical fields of organic chemistry. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Dartmouth College. Outside the scientific community, Conway is ...

, chairman of the

Anthrocon Anthrocon (abbreviated AC) is a furry convention that takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania each June or July. Its caters to the furries: fans of fictional anthropomorphic animal characters in art and literature. The convention was first hel ...

convention. These interviews are interspersed with footage from furry conventions past and present.

Production

''The Fandom'' was funded through Kickstarter with a budget of $32 thousand. Director Ash Kreis described to ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...

'' that despite recent positivity of furry fandom coverage, she wanted to put several misconceptions to rest and show the community in its true form. ''The Fandom'' marks the directorial debut for Kreis, who previously worked in the production team for films like ''

Being Evel ''Being Evel'' is a 2015 American documentary film about daredevil Evel Knievel, directed by Daniel Junge. The film documents his real life story until his death in 2007. It debuted at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in January. It was produced b ...

''.

Release

''The Fandom'' premiered on Kreis' YouTube channel on July 3, 2020. The Blu-Ray and other digital versions were released the same day.

Reception

''The Fandom'' was well-received and praised by critics. ''

Cartoon Brew Cartoon Brew is an animation news website created by Amid Amidi and animation historian Jerry Beck that was launched in 2004. Cartoon Dump It also created ''Cartoon Dump'', a weekly podcast showing poorly made TV cartoons featuring ''Mystery Sc ...

'' praised its inclusivity and humor. ''

Colorado Springs Independent The ''Colorado Springs Independent'' (commonly referred to as ''The Independent'' or simply ''The Indy'') is a newsweekly that serves the Pikes Peak region of Southern Colorado (El Paso, Teller, and Pueblo counties). It is Colorado Springs's larg ...

'' applauded the film for its appeal and its thorough detail. The film won an Ursa Major Award in the Non-Fiction Work category.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fandom, The 2020 films 2020 documentary films Furry fandom Documentary films about fandom American independent films 2020 directorial debut films 2020s English-language films 2020s American films