Banksy (Yes, Banksy) on Thierry, EXIT Skepticism & Documentary Filmmaking as Punk

Note - The second in a series of interviews with the directors of some of our favorite nonfiction features of 2010...

Whenever the subject of EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP has come up in casual or not-so-casual conversation over the past year, a vigorous discussion has followed.  I've seen master filmmakers, newcomers, film critics and non-pros all engage in excited, lengthy dissections of the film - sometimes about what's real, what they suspect is not - often about the film's profound take on art and commerce.  In the end, no matter what point of view the individual holds, the conclusion seems to always be that it's a major work in the nonfiction canon.

One would be forgiven for not expecting all this when Sundance announced EXIT as a late addition to the 2010 festival.  The debut film by Banksy - the anonymous British artist who gained notoriety and fame for his often-politically charged work that would turn up in some very unusual places (inside museum galleries, on the West Bank wall that separates Israelis and Palestinians) - EXIT would leave the festival spurring numerous distribution offers and go out on its own, working with sales agent John Sloss and distributor Richard Abramowitz to bring the film to theatres in the spring.  And after a somewhat surprising (relief was more like it) inclusion on the Academy's Documentary Feature shortlist, the film finds itself smack in the middle of Best-of-the-Year conversations.  It's nominated for the Documentary prize at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and it's up for 6 awards at next months Cinema Eye Honors, including Outstanding Feature and Outstanding Debut, not to mention the numerous film critics prizes its been garnering (yesterday, it was announced as the Best Documentary and Best First Feature on indieWIRE's annual critics poll).

Over the past month, we've had the opportunity to spend some time with the team behind EXIT - producer Jaimie D'Cruz and editor Chris King - including hosting the duo at a screening here in Los Angeles at Cinefamily earlier this month.  In their presence, I witnessed numerous others trying to find out what Banksy thinks of this or that. 

I had my own questions and Banksy and team were kind enough to get me his answers (via email, of course)...

All these wonderful things: One thing I've heard repeatedly from members of your team was that, early on, you were alone in your conviction that Thierry could and should be the narrative focus of the film - long before his show in LA that concludes the movie.  What drew you to Thierry as a film character and, aside from the fact that he had a lot of archival material about street art at his fingertips, why did you think that he could sustain the film's narrative arc?
 
Banksy: Thierry’s entertainment potential wasn’t difficult to spot - he actually walks into doors and falls down stairs. It was like hanging out with Groucho Marx but with funnier facial hair. Thierry arrived at a point when my world was becoming infested with hipsters and heavy irony, so his exuberant man-child innocence was fun to be around. Maybe I convinced myself Thierry was a good subject just because I liked him. I’d be lying if I told you the first time I met him I thought ‘this man’s life will deliver a good narrative arc’.
 
From the outset there are problems with any movie about graffiti because all the good artists refuse to show their face on camera. I needed the film to be fronted by a personality the audience could engage with. The producer Robert Evans said that ‘vulnerability’ is the most important quality in a movie star and that’s a hard thing to portray if all your interviewees have masks over their faces.
 
ATWT: It's clear in the film that you rely on a team of people to create your artwork.  What, if anything, was different about the filmmaking process, and the work you did with that team - Jaimie and Chris and others?  And how did you know when you'd found the right collaborators?
 
B: I paint my own pictures but I get a lot of help building stuff and installing it. I have a great little team, but I tell you what - they all hate this fucking film. They don’t care if its effective, they feel very strongly that Mr Brainwash is undeserving of all the attention. Most street artists feel the same. This film has made me extremely unpopular in my community.

ATWT: When I saw the film, it didn't strike me as anything but a true documentary.  Perhaps because I live in Los Angeles and I've seen MBW's art in my neighborhood and remember his big show, but also because it's clear that the scene where Thierry meets Shepard Fairey is at least nine years old (there's now a big movie theater complex across the street that doesn't exist in the footage that Thierry shot).  Yet, particularly when the film was opening last spring, there seemed to be this undercurrent of suspicion, perhaps because of the press' desire to paint you as a prankster, that the film was trying to pull one over on us.  How much of that conversation have you been paying attention to and what was your take on it?
 
B: Obviously the story is bizarre, that’s why I made a film about it, but I’m still shocked by the level of skepticism. I guess I have to accept that people think I’m full of shit. But I’m not clever enough to have invented Mr. Brainwash, even the most casual on-line research confirms that.
 
Ordinarily I wouldn’t mind if people believe me or not, but the film’s power comes from the fact it’s all 100% true. This is from the frontline, this is watching an art form self-combust in front of you. Told by the people involved. In real time. This is a very real film about what it means to ‘keep it real’.
 
Besides, if the movie was a carefully scripted prank you can be sure I would’ve given myself some better lines. I would’ve meticulously planned my spontaneous off-the-cuff remarks. I love that famous Jack Benny come-back to a heckler - “You wouldn’t say that if my writers were here.” But I’ve always wondered - did his writers tell him to say that?
 
ATWT: One of the more electrifying and sometimes terrifying moments for any filmmaker is seeing their work with an audience for the first time. Have you seen EXIT with an audience and, if so, what was that experience like?
 
B: Unfortunately I haven’t seen it with an audience. The nearest I got was going to the cinema to see ‘Precious’. They played my trailer beforehand and someone two rows in front shouted  ‘OH MY GOD, BANKSY IS SUCH A SELL-OUT’ and I shrank into my seat.
 
ATWT: What do you think that you discovered about the form of documentary while making this movie and is there any correlation to your other artistic work?  Were you a fan of documentary prior to making the film and, if so, what were some of your favorite films?  Did any of them influence what you did on EXIT?
 
B: I’m from a generation for whom documentary isn’t a dirty word. It doesn’t have to mean endless shots of penguins set to classical music. Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock seemed completely punk to me. And the most punk thing of all was they brought their story undiluted to the multiplex.
 
Documentaries have an important role in recording culture that’s unlikely to make it into the history books. DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS was the Bill of Rights for skate culture. Having said that, my film was never going to be an authoritative history of street art. Or even an authoritative history of the selling-out of street art. We realized halfway through the edit that the ending needed to be as unresolved as possible. I’ve learnt from experience that a painting isn’t finished when you put down your brush – that’s when it starts. The public reaction is what supplies meaning and value. Art comes alive in the arguments you have about it. If we’ve done our job properly with EXIT, then the best part of the entire movie is the conversation in the car park afterwards.
 
ATWT: Do you think that there are specific challenges for you and your team due to your anonymity?  Did that ever make the process easier or more difficult in a way that other documentary filmmakers may not suspect?
 
B: Deciding who to work with is a balancing act between people’s abilities, and their ability to keep their mouth shut. We’ve had some pretty sensitive footage of different artists go through our hands. Thankfully it’s all been burnt now.
 
My inability to go around schmoozing people might have hurt the film on one level, but on another level I’m a volatile drunk and it’s probably been an enormous blessing. 
 
ATWT: The Toronto Film Critics recently named EXIT as the Best First Feature of 2010, which begs the question of whether there will be another film in the future - and, particularly for my own curiosity, would it be another documentary?  If so, would you seek out a subject or would you wait for something to cross your path that ignited your desire to create a film about it?
 
B: The art I make is similar to film - my paintings are essentially freeze frames from movies that are playing in my head. I think its pretty clear that film is the pre-eminent art form of our age. If Michaelangelo or Leonardo Da Vinci were alive today they’d be making Avatar, not painting a chapel. Film is incredibly democratic and accessible, it’s probably the best option if you actually want to change the world, not just re-decorate it.

Comments

[kalm]

Great interview...Banksy is the furthest thing from a sellout there possibly could be...Shepard on the other hand I dunno...but who cares? No one really, except each persons fanboys. I do think Banksy needs to think about the middle class in this movement though...the people that get up everyday and go to a job they aren't passionate about but see some street art that makes their day a little more bearable. Seems as though only the elite or less fortunate have any chance of collecting his works...the people that keep the World moving.

But what the fuck do I know?
-kalm

[kalm]

...NOT the people that keep the World moving.

-kalm(er)

[Leumas Darnley]

IMO Banksy IS witty enough to invent MBW, the irony and wit in his art never ceases to amaze me.

PS I am in the middle class and I collect his work. You have to have an imagination to WANT to collect his work... and a few hundred quid :D

[Kesey]

@Leumas

Yeah I don't buy it for a second. Banksy has literally elevated pranksterism to high art. MBW, the movie, this interview, very likely Banksy himself are all grand pranks within pranks within pranks. It's turtles all the way down...

[obert]

I used to not like Shephard's stuff that much..but the fact that there are so many people who would rather go put up his stickers than make their own is interesting to me. It's like "I'm a vandal. I'm the Street Picasso. I'm going to go tag my town up with this design that someone I've never met came up with back when I was listening to Winger"

[Lvesofgrass]

I have not seen the movie, but there seems to be a reoccurring theme in today's hollywood. Challenging what real is & playing with words- ala perception vs reality. Kids getting their rocks off on the everyday person's psyche. Realizing the volatility of human nature they take advantage and act like they are teaching something- maybe they are saying something. Are our short lives something to be utilized or played with? Phoenix & Affleck reflect this as well. Surprisingly poking fun at the human condition that River himself (sadly) succumbed to in his own point of view. I guess whatever pov you need to get by in life. But I can't help but feel protective of the everyday person looking for something/someone true to believe in. Seems some take advantage of their resources & take nothing seriously- including their own talents. Seemingly recklessly influencing others in whatever whim takes hold of the child heart. 'What can I get them to think?'-childlike power w/adult intelligence. Sounds dangerous. Very Dada twisted with a devil may care attitude. Seems like a waste of attention. But they did get me talking.

[Michael Cox]

I, too, as a documentary filmmaker, had had my doubts about the veracity of the entire project, but reading this interview, I am now convinced EXIT is "real," whatever that means. I've been writing about the nature of documentary in the 21st century and how perhaps it needs to be redefined as "docufiction" simply because every documentary trope, from handheld camerawork to jumpcuts, has been appropriated by fiction filmmakers (and why not?), thus documentary becomes a label we, the viewer, supplies to a film. Any film can have documentary value; and any so-called documentary can be contextualized as fictional (i.e.propaganda, for instance); those "parking lot conversations" Banksy refers to define and redefine not only EXIT but the genre.

[justanother filmmaker]

"We realized halfway through the edit that the ending needed to be as unresolved as possible. I’ve learnt from experience that a painting isn’t finished when you put down your brush – that’s when it starts. The public reaction is what supplies meaning and value. "

Really? Kind of a death knell for difficult, challenging or different art, yes?

[Aran]

The fact that Guetta never seems to crack a smile or break out of character in his public interviews makes me believe the whole thing is 100% real. Is the man who calls himself Thierry Guetta in the film the owner of a highly profitable vintage clothing store? It seems like it would be simple journalism to disprove this, and I have not yet seen any evidence that suggests that the man in the film is not who he claims to be.

[Mctwist]

That was pretty cool seeing how the stencils were pieced together.

Guetta's stuff was like watered down Budweiser.

I liked seeing what it takes to fool a public and feel good knowing how the LA fakeness is created so well.

The film's other greatness is it shows how you can make money with nothing but hype.

The only true art is Calvin & Hobbes....and jello

[Jasmine*]

Such an awesome interview....incredible, really.
Thank you.

[Chris Vidal]

Shame that it is what it is, Thierry's a good dude, met him and hung out with him, as genuine as they come, a bit out of his friggin mind but he's all him...

Banksy is an artist, one who manipulates the audience with the messages in his images... They say Mr Brainwash is a copy cat, that he aint an artist, he's got a team... If you saw the movie, you will see when Banksy brings MBW to his studio(supposed studio) and they are making the bt telephone booth piece, unless BAnksy played himself and three other dudes int he movie, he obviously has assistants. MBW has some assistants, are the ideas 100% his, only he and those close to him as do Banksy's trusted.

Exit Through The Gift Shop as capturing street art on film and the art of it, all you others looking for artist validation are the same ones who believe in what the movie speaks of....

NOTHING

[JPG]

What I find very interesting is the hyper attention to the question: Is Mr. Brainwash real? What I find perplexing is how anyone could really answer that question with any kind of authority. Mr. Brainwash never claims to be real. He claims to be a person who shot hundreds of hours of film, got mixed up with some street artists, then became an artist himself. He HAS actually had numerous art shows, and sold art. If you have art shows and sell art, you are, by definition, an artist. Perhaps you would say that he is an actor that is playing a role scripted by Banksy. Are actors that make art (albeit with a team of experts) not artists? If it were discovered that he is acting, would his creations all of the sudden lose their essential art-ness? Hours of Thierry's film, documented in EXIT, attest to his history. The real question is, do you like Mr. Brainwashe's art? What does it say to you? Personally, Banksy and Fairey seem to have a lot more to say than MBW and therefore I like their art better - but that's just my opinion. And the movie is excellent - however you try to define it. JG

[Lord Mercius]

Granted, I was high when I watched it, but I got the strong impression that Mr. Guetta was mentally disturbed. It seemed others in Exit took notice of this a bit, but if the way he's editing Life Remote Control (if he's actually in control of the creation process of that movie) is in any way indicative of how he perceives the world (dramatized with scene splices and theatrical scores, of course), then we may be looking at an undiagnosed schizophrenic of perhaps a category heretofore unclassified. The way he describes things seems to indicate that he has no sense of chronological direction, that the catalysts of actions and events are mysteries to him, as well as people, and that, in spite of all this, he's somehow managed to--quite possibly through the incessant use of the video camera--make sense of it all and live some semblance of a 'normal' life. Perhaps the camera is what helped 'organize' reality chronologically for him, which explains his obsessive filming, since that part of his mind (possibly the thalamus, which translates short-term memory into long-term memory) does not appear to function normally.

Just a theory. If this is the case, then we're looking at a documentary within a documentary in more than one sense, in that the story of MBW happening upon the world of street art contains its own universe of material in addition to the world and dynamics of street art itself.

Any thoughts on this theory? Please feel free to email me. Not a psychologist (mathematician), but I read and study. Thanks!

[Paulynorris]

Anyone who doubts the film should watch the DVD extra stuff.Clearlly it's as real as any film/docu,maybe a little artistic licence(I don't care).But I loved it.Also Banksy at Bristol art museum,after which I smiled for a week,at the ideas,serious messages/statements,humour an sheer genius.

[Poetseye.wordpress.com]

Fascinating movie any way I look at it. At face value it's quite an education in street art. If Banksy really did craft this story and Thierry is his creative invention, it's a brilliant creation... certainly more brilliant than Thierry himself. My favorite line of Banksy's in the movie was something to the effect that whereas Warhol took stuff that was out there and repeated it until it was meaningless, MBW in turn had taken it up and made it really meaningless. This plays very nicely on the insecurity that lies at the secret heart of every art aficionado or -nada: that maybe they're being "taken in." (Warhol's character in "Basquiat": "*sigh* I just don't know what's good anymore!) Interestingly, Thierry's fraud provided a foil to good and sincere artists like Banksy and -- I guess -- Warhol. I think I know more about this art than ever before... I think. Anyway I like it more, and respect the artists' intent and skills.

[twitter.com/RobShaver]

I find it more satisfying to believe that EXIT is a mockumentry. I think the footage of street artists working are mostly real but my credulity was stretched to the breaking point near the end when MBW is getting his "show" together. I think the quantity of art he had produced with assistance was beyond what I could believe. Plus there were many enigmatic statements at the end that clinched it for me.

I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it to my friends.

[B.]

its funny how you only see mr. brainwash splattering paint on his "work" that takes a lot of talent.NOT.

i used to respect banksy and his work.
fairey is the biggest sell out in the world, followed by banksy.

[Ashkhen]

Banksy, we want you in Armenia, cos here our streetartist have faced police, and may be judged.....for there graffiti of a ploitical prisoner and a hanged soldier.........react somehow.
p.s. I am a journalist, and may be I will be useful....

[Frayed Knot]

Grateful for this excellent interview but I can't help but read it as some of the MBW interviews I've digested: as light-hearted distraction and 3-card monte. In one moment Banksy is explaining that he's not clever enough for a ruse of this magnitude, and then he drops the Jack Benny quote with a curious postscript.

Personally, I like the film as a hoax and I don't think it drains the tale of its meaning. I'm also willing to accept that as a leap of logic, but frankly I see accepting the film as truth as an even larger leap. The film's various details: the storybook narrator, the offensive asides from MBW's confederates (and damn it Banksy you got yourself some EXCELLENT lines in this movie), the very strange Disneyland expedition, the very fact that Banksy was willing to let himself be continuously filmed by a seemingly genuine yet clumsy half-wit who could have easily had his film appropriated by the vice squad members he sloppily interacts with. It's all a bit too bizarre for straight dope.

I'm willing to bet that Guetta is a combination of truths, half-truths and pranky goodness (like perhaps anyone). I don't think the thing is wholesale wool but I do think MBW is a creation. The counterintelligence is there, as is the large group of smiling nodders. This is not Herzog, the film is not a mad scramble for truth with a semi-psychopathic genius. This is interpretive art and I'm willing to bet we'll never find the smoking gun, but nor have we found the smiling Banksy either.

All of Banksy's best ideas are here, fact or fiction: question what you see and know your enemy. And smile when they slip in excrement. As for him being a sell-out? Forget all that. Cream rises to the top and the slackjaws with disposable income will pay top dollar for it. At least he made an art object that most anyone can purchase to beautify their home and massage their brain with.

[nicko longabaugh]

My biggest issue is that Mr Brainwash's art is so obviously linked to Banksy. I get that you can be a filmmaker and a photographer and a documentary maker and even a writer (I have been all of those things).

But the visual medium of street art ... and , more to the point, the arresting, shock comedy of the work is not something you can just kind of flick a switch and turn on, as it appeared happened in the film.

I suspect the actual guy who is Mr Brainwash is real, and yes, he did once own a vintage clothes shop, and even, yes, he did film lots of footage of street artists. But when he suddenly transforms into LA's version of banksy, churning out so many works of art, mixing pop culture, social themes, shock images, etc etc etc ... that is so Banksy it's not funny.

I've walked the streets of inner Melbourne, Australia, for years, watching local artists trying to be the new Banksy and very few get even close to the humour and commentary that he brings to the artform. His wit is what sets him apart and was very evident in the LA show depicted.

That's why I'm dubious about Mr Brainwash. I think he should be Mr Handpuppet ... which I'm totally cool with. It's still a brilliant piece of work by Banksy: just to have all of us wondering. And I must admit, I walked out of the theatre, suspecting he was Banksy in disguise.

[Iliana]

English is not my first language and I didn't understand in the movie- how did Banksy get his hands on all the footage shot by Thierry? Otherwise the film has made me think, and that's all that's important...What IS art, at the end of the day? WHO decides which art is worthwhile? Freaky how easily we people get fooled though!:-)

[boozedealer]

Screw you Obert, what did Winger ever do to you?

[Kiril]

"anonymous British artist"
He's not anonymous, he's pseudonymous. We know who we're talking about, it's just not his real name.
Sorry.

[gydnew]

When I describe this movie to people I tell them its a story about a very strange guy but then it becomes something completely different.

Watching it I found myself sucked into Thierry's video taping compulsion as well as the inside look at grafffitti art. Mr. Brainwash came out of nowhere and I ended up walking away thinking about the nature of what art is.

Is it art if it has a message? Is it art if its done in collaboration? Is it art if you pay people to do it for you? Is it art if people pay millions to own it?

Whether this movie is a documentary or a mockumentary it starts the right kind of conversations.

[Bobcooleyphoto]

To AJ - thanks for a great article and interview!

@Ashkhen - you are a 'journalist'??? You can barely form a coherent sentence.

@ nicko longabaugh - Spot on - very close to what I was going to post, but I couldn't have said it any better.

Banksy is no sell-out; He's achieved what every artist wants - notoriety and to incite people to think about the nature of his work. I'm unclear how anyone can think that is 'selling out'... He's done it on his own terms. Kudos.

[Charles A. Price]

"My inability to go around schmoozing people might have hurt the film on one level, but on another level I’m a volatile drunk and it’s probably been an enormous blessing."

In this context, schmoozing is work, no? Does this imply Banksy drinks when he works, or that he doesn't; therefor the inability to go around... It seems all of a piece to me. Even the reduce/reuse/recycle aspect of 'current' street art/pop art/suburban ghetto is inherently about taking, 'honestly' or not; making it your own (well or poorly), putting it out there as/for comment, for community- secret or otherwise. I believe all of it. How could I not, I just watched it didn't I? How deep, how wide my rabbit hole? I have an Uncle Jack. He's conversing in a like language.
In any case, good piece, good film. Loved it!!!

[Dan McDonough]

Thanks for the interview. Too much of the commentary has swelled on the film's authenticity and not on the film itself. Thanks for changing that.

Though I believe the film is authentic ("real" is the wrong word), I'm not sure I care either way. Banksy does a great job showing us how unauthentic (and unreal) we have become to embrace MBW completely on a foundation of hype. What's terrifying is how profoundly this theme carries itself from art all the way to business, politics, the environment and all the other "important" stuff.

The film's message, in that respect, is as authentic as a message can be.

[Mchael McLoughlin]

It's quite simple really.The film is about art. Good art and Bad art. Banksy does Good art. MBW does Bad art. Good artists can do Bad art, but Bad artists can't do Good art. Most people don't know the difference so buy both. I don't know about art, but I know what I like, Banksy.

[Magdalena Wolyniec]

Thanks for the interview, AJ. Pleasure to read your website too!

[Hatcher]

Terry "Mr Brainwash" as you he calls himself1
Is far beyond a sell out, taking peoples art and basically selling it as his own? how can you call that art?
Art is a form of expression from within. You do not pay people to express your form of art as it isnt your own!
Banksy on the other, thankyou for the documentry truely slapping Terry in the face!
And cheers for the glasses!
peace out hatcher!

[Patricia]

I honestly enjoyed watching this film. It was contagious and did not want it to end. and indeed a real documentary..i loved the honesty from each artist. It's so refreshing to observe how these street artists create their craft, the excitement and risk taking factors involved. I've done graffiti on two occasions back in the late 80's and it was an exhilirating experience. Yet it was not my calling, nor did I have the guts to do it in a more grandioso level. I paint on canvas and love what I do. I take my hat off for these contemporary street artists. I've admired Fairey for some time especially while living in SF, OBEY was everywhere and captured a striking image. Bansky you are amazing, and admire your integrity to stay private and excel with your work. MBW- I liked his enthusiasm from the start, totally honest and open to explore a whole new direction. He has so much footage, my goodness, he was obsessed with recording street art. He sincerely loves life. In the end collaboration takes effect. The right time, the right place, and the right folks to interact with, made Mister Brainwash become. It is very hard to be an aspiring artist, successful and famous in such short time. Many of us will get there after a few shows, for others it will take zions to get there, and others never. To be a great artist, the work has to be prolific, and the work must speak for itself. and "who you know" indeed so true! Passion is the core, and not always about the money..of course money is icing on the cake! but recognition may be what most artists hope to reach, and Bansky has completely done this and with superior message. Great interview Bansky! Thank you and MBW for sharing this film, and meanwhile receiving feedback from other artists that may resent your popularity and for selling out..i say "blah". You've done it right and with passion! All great art must be documented, and as the film, graffiti is a temporary art form that recycles over and over again...it's fascinating to observe this expanding metamorphosis! May 2011 continue to be an exciting and creative year!

[Patrick Dougherty]

Someone once said: "You're only a sellout if you're making money off of something you don't believe in." (It might have been Moby). How many people here work for companies whose values they don't believe in, especially the ones that try to pass judgment on others being "sell-outs." What's a sell out?

I just now finished watching Exit for the first time, and just having a film that compliments the street art film genre (there's only a few) is refreshing and welcome. If someone makes street art where there was just a wall, I value it. Where this documentary didn't exist, now it's here. Someone created something--it's art. So are all of your opinions. I may value Banksy's message/metaphorical prose in his images WAY more to the level of Picasso than I do Thierry's (more like Kitsch), but then again I probably wouldn't have been exposed to Banksy without Theirry. So I'm thankful Theirry did the only thing he knew how to do, be himself. This movie is a credit to that theme: Be Yourself!

My final thought about the film is seeing the process in doing street art. As an artist, for me the doing is the art. People can say your product is one thing and another, but no one has an f-ing clue what's going on in you as you're doing it. That's what art is all about and it's what makes this movie stand out huge for me.
(((:-P)))

[Ben Hall]

Yeah, I really liked the film, didn't even think for a second it wasn't real. I also like the fact that some people are really breaking it down and doubting it as a 'prank'... As talented as Banksy is, you really can't make this stuff up. Documentary is a weird thing, as a viewer, if you are into the subject matter you'll forgive a multitude of sins made in the production / post production process. There's a few sins here but I kind of like that, adds to the character of the film. Banksy, Werner Hertzog he ain't, honest he is. Good job fella, now get on with some painting will you?

[nameme]

omg Banksy owns the system so hard. Nice to play and see you in the streets.

[SanFrustration]

In terms of being "real," there is a big difference between something being naturally authentic and something being manufactured. While Thierry Guetta is without doubt a real person with a documented history within the street art community, his foray into art required a great deal of resources and support.

This is where much of the arguments questioning the true authenticity lie, and I along with many others believe Banksy has been very careful to mask his true level of involvement in creating/assisting/promoting MBW.

[Andrew Davies]

I'd just assumed the guy was made up from scratch. Never bothered to even Google it. Quite funny to find out otherwise.

Also never occured to me to think Banksy was a sell out for making the film. Don't see anything wrong with it at all. Well done.

[HowieTheDuck]

Cheers for the film Banksky, show's how f'n mad L.A. is, and captures fully how totally useless commercialism is and in the end futile, souless. reminds me of the last time I was there, (in Hollywierd), hanging out with some homeless dudes next to the directors guild where everyone going in to some special event with their million dollar suits were stepping over the homeless people laying, (dead?) in their path to the building where i suppose they were just telling each other how great they are. Just my opinion but Ethiopia could use some art to uplift them, if you get invited to the academy awards for this film, my advice is; stay the f**k out of L.A.!

[Pamela Tom]

Who's interviewing Thierry? Typically the director/filmmaker interviews the subject, yet Thierry refers to banksy in the third person. And who's directing all the verite scenes? And if not banksy, i'd sure like to know who the phantom director is behind this brilliant film.

[Miss MJ]

Thanks for the interview, a good one indeed.

The film was just shown at the DocPoint festival in Helsinki. I enjoyed it a lot and understand completely why it has received all the awards and honours. As a film.

As for the "reality" of it, I happened to see I'm Still Here by Affleck/Phoenix a few days before and with that in mind, didn't really think twice whether EXIT is a real docu - from my humble pow, that is. It doesn't really matter, whether Mr Brainwash is a real person or not, because the film is not about him as much as it is about the ways current art world works. I greatly enjoyed the way it comments (critically, at times) in the methods of Banksy himself.

[.]

Ok, just finished the movie.
I was looking this story about MBW (which, btw, is an awful name) and wondering "What the heck is Banksy doing here?" And then remembered what he told to Thierry to do the documentary about.
Well, I'm just writing here so to tell Banksy (if he ever reads this) to come and paint in Buenos Aires. I mean, the city is damn big, you could paint in front of a policeman and your bigger problem would be give him 10 pounds (and he would even let you finish, or give you a hand). Nobody would ever erase it, and your only problem would be someone painting over it. I'v seen the same "I love you Juan" or "Fuc... you Juan" written in the same places for years.
Just that, keep Buenos Aires in mind, lot of space, no security and long-run graffitis .

[betty k]

Just saw Exit this afternoon & believe 100% in the veracity of this documentary on street art & the integrity of Banksy as reflected in the film & in this interview. All Truth, "whose mother is history, the rival of time, repository of great deeds, witness to the past, example & advisor to the present, & forewarning to the future" as Cervantes said.

[Low Key]

personally, i think hes more of a utilitarian than anything else. Providing the middle class, the public voice with a vivid statement fused with politically charged points of view. yeah , he may not provide a solution but atleast hes providing a statement heavy enough to make us think about what the possibilities are to such solutions.

[Amanda]

‘OH MY GOD, BANKSY IS SUCH A SELL-OUT’

What a fucking hipster thing to say about a piece of work you haven't seen. Loved everything about EXIT.

[Jacqueline Leighton Boyce]

Banksy's film brings out so much paranoia from people who are scared that they may have 'missed the point' and terror/panic that they may have 'mis-understood something subtle'. There is nothing complicated about the film, to me its all about a case of mis-judgement and lots of beautiful street art too.

I love this film and (by the way) paranoia is cool :)

[Stanley Kachuik]

Just watched EXIT. Seems everything played out as it should have. Banksy and the rest of the subversive street art crew have spent a decade courting with public sentiment towards their graffiti art. Banksy traded roles with Thyerri when he asked for the tapes to remake the documentary. Thyerri then took on Banksy's role of artist, at a time when the public was looking for a way to express that they related with this artistic medium. Switching roles with Thyerri allowed Banksy and the rest of the street artist's to remain detached from their audience. Brilliantly setting the stage for the real show. The publics reaction to Thyerri unwittingly playing his role as the mainstreamer. ART MIMICS LIFE MIMICS ART...copy of a copy!

[Maresa]

Just saw the film. I didn't know anything about street art before i saw this, only that i noticed tags on walls in back alleys on my way to the bus in the morning. I didn't know about Banksy or any of his work, but I'm really glad i fell upon this film.
I found it intruiging and though-provoking at the very least which is obviously the reason it was nominated for an oscar. Banksy extended his artistic vision to the screen. This film is ripe with rich cinemactic genious as only an artist who concerns himself with both image AND depth could perceive. (I think that's really what MBWs film lacked, he couldn't find depth in what he was doing, he was all surface, also prob the reason he felt so real as a person. He allowed himself to be completely exposed to the world, he is truly one-dementional/innocent.)
Before this film, to me graffiti art was a ridiculous fad made of spray paint, glue and ink-jet printers. Banksy taught me a valuable lesson, the books cover says a lot more than you think.
Instead of being mad at the man who 'exposed' you and this Thierry character, be thankful that he brought light to your craft, your passion. He has given you a voice that people actually want to listen to - now that someone has shown us what you are really trying to say.

[Matt Jones]

Now I am more confused by Exit than ever.. I was convinced MBW was a prank.

Nevertheless, this is pure cinema. I saw the movie two months ago and I am still talking about it to any one else that has seen it.

Cheers Banksy! Good movie!

M@

[Sylvia]

Excellent interview! Gives me even greater appreciation for a brilliant documentary.

I'm sure a lot of street artists have reason to feel that Banksy is a sell-out and MBW is undeserving (as are a lot of artists in the spotlight, actually). But the story of how an art form can "self-combust," as Banksy says, needs to be told, as unpopular as it may be to have anything to do with the limelight. It's a film that had to be made, and Banksy pulled it off.

"Exit" also opens the way for art to act on the media people currently use. People are spending so much of their time online and in their electronic devices, for "street art" to show up in film and make it even to the discussions in the entertainment Academies, for "street art"to go viral on a larger scale, is very effective in raising people's awareness about the current hypocrisy of the art world.

[Ryan Beringer]

(ri-kal-si-trent)

adj. - Stubbornly resistant to authority, domination or mis-guidance.

[Zigi Stardusted]

I think Banksy's main agenda here is captured in one of his great throw-away lines at the end: "I used to encourage everyone I met to make art. I don't do that anymore."

Appearances can be deceptive. Theme is subjective. They say if you call something 'art', then it is art. Whether it has depth of message or underlying meaning is besides the point. This is a film about judgment -- the notion of calling someone a 'sell-out', not the sell-out himself. If Warhol paints a Campbell's soup can and it is great art, then why is Thierry's altered soup can somehow not art?

This is a story of punk. The New York Dolls ripping off a bunch of Keith Richards riffs, who ripped them off from a bunch of old black dudes, were a great goddam rock band.

Who is to say someone else is not an artist? Thierry is an artist. Banksy is an artist. I am an artist, even! Fuggit all!

[Kate Maldonado]

I think MBW is a hoax; an elaborate joke played on the scenesters of LA. I swear, whenever I see a middle aged man in a vintage shirt and porkpie hat, I run.
One of my exes was a street artist. He wasn't anything close to the talent in this film, yet even he had a little copycat following him around. It would be hard not to copy someone like Banksy.

[winston]

This film (and banksy's art) are a kind of charming brilliance that keep giving each time they're called to mind.

[qate]

The best lies are the ones you want to believe in!

[Jake]

The most fascinating thing, I guess you could say, about Banksy's art has more to do with the people who enjoy it. Everyone likes to talk about how awesome and cool and hip Banksy's art is and how Banksy "just gets it." Yet, almost none of those people have the ability to understand what Banksy means by any of it. Do you guys remember the scene in Exit Through The Gift Shop where they talk to that lady who bought a big Banksy piece for her wall? She said something along the lines of: "the first time I saw Banksy's work, I thought he was a genius." Really? Who here really believes this lady has a friggin' clue what ANY of Banksy's art means? She was some dumb retarded housewife with millions of dollars and an IQ of about 8 and we're supposed to believe she has a clue as to what Banksy means by any of his art, let alone the one that graces her wall? Man, people are stupid. I think if more people knew what his art stood for, they'd probably be less thrilled. Anyways, that's just one example. If you want to observe this phenomenon more, ask your Banksy-obsessed friends to explain one of his pieces to you, or why they think he is so clever. They won't have a valid answer.