Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business is a 2020 documentary film about working in the film business directed by Justin McConnell.

Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business
Film poster
Directed byJustin McConnell
CinematographyJustin McConnell
Edited byKevin Burke
Justin McConnell
Music bySean Motley
Release date
  • 5 June 2020 (2020-06-05) (Superchannel Canadian Film Fest)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

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Development

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McConnell came up with the idea for the documentary after making his third film, Skull World, as it "struck me that a really simple, but effective thing that I could create would be what at the time I set out to make as sort of a film school in a box; the kind of thing that I wish existed ten years earlier, so that I could turn to it, or that as a younger filmmaker I could get a better indication of at least a path you could follow".[1][2]

Release

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Clapboard Jungle had its world premiere on 6 June 2020 at the Superchannel Canadian Film Fest.[3] It went on to screen at other film festivals that included FrightFest, where it received the award for Best Documentary.[4]

The documentary was released digitally on January 19, 2021, via Gravitas Ventures and Kamidaze Dogfight.[5]

Reception

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Critical reception for Clapboard Jungle has been positive.[6][7] Common praise for the film centered upon McConnell's choice to focus the documentary on himself, which PopHorror called "a bold choice", and the portrayal of the difficulties faced in indie film production.[8][9] Flickering Myth noted that "Crucially, despite McConnell directing this film himself, it manages to avoid feeling like a navel-gazing vanity project."[10] Rachel Reeves of Rue Morgue also praised the film, writing that it was "a rare and intimate peek behind the curtain of indie filmmaking."[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Fantasia 2020: Interview with Director Justin McConnell on Indie Filmmaking Documentary CLAPBOARD JUNGLE". Dread Central. 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  2. ^ "Horror Feature: Interview with Justin McConnell, director of Clapboard Jungle". The Horror Channel. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  3. ^ "2020 Schedule". Canadian Film Fest. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  4. ^ Graham, Jamie (September 2020). "The Total Film FrightFest Awards 2020". Total Film. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  5. ^ "Justin McConnell's Documentary 'Clapboard Jungle' Available Soon on Digital". PopHorror. 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  6. ^ Puchko, Kristy (2021-01-19). "Now on Digital: 'Clapboard Jungle' Offers A Personal Journey Any True Film Lover Should See". Pajiba. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  7. ^ Adams, Allen. "'Clapboard Jungle' an up-and-down exploration of indie filmmaking". The Maine Edge. Archived from the original on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  8. ^ "'Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business:' A Glimpse Behind The Hard Process of Independent Filmmaking". PopHorror. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  9. ^ "Clapboard Jungle". Film Threat. 2020-08-22. Archived from the original on 2020-09-23. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  10. ^ "Arrow Video FrightFest 2020 Review – Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business". Flickering Myth. 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  11. ^ "Movie Review: "Clapboard Jungle" Offers an Informative, Emotional Look at Indie Filmmaking Realities". Rue Morgue. 27 January 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
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