Matt Pizzolo
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Matt Pizzolo is an award-winning[1][2] film director, screenwriter, and producer from Long Island, New York. Best known for his work as writer-director of the indie movie Threat, Pizzolo also directed music videos for Atari Teenage Riot [3], created DiY-Fest, the touring carnival of Do-it-Yourself mediamaking (which was eventually integrated into the Van's Warped Tour), founded Kings Mob Productions with filmmaking partner Katie Nisa, and runs indie film studio HALO 8 Entertainment. In addition, Pizzolo writes under a variety of pseudonyms.
A lifelong straightedger, Pizzolo brings a unique hardcore punk approach to his projects, both in terms of content and execution. He has referred to himself as "more agitator than artist" and appears more interested in provoking his audiences than entertaining them. Threat, for example, has attracted controversy for allegedly glorifying violence and class conflict. When Threat opened at Montreal's Cinema du Parc, the Montreal Film Journal stated:
"Films like La Haine, Menace II Society or Fight Club also portray people raging against the machine, but they ultimately show that violence doesn't solve anything. Whereas Matt Pizzolo's flick openly glorifies murderous revolt, literally telling the audience to go out and beat up random people, just because." [4]
When questioned by the website Suicide Girls on the subject of violent class conflict in the film, Pizzolo gave insight into his intentions:
"Yeah, I came at it from an angle that class is really the ultimate divider in our culture, beyond even race or gender. And the thing these kids in the movie all share is that they're at the bottom rung of the class system and they're pissed about it. But it's not just about being poor, it's really just about being average in a world where decisions are made by a super wealthy minority. You may be white or black, male or female, but if you're not super wealthy or from the right family then you don't have any say... you go to war when they tell you to go to war. And the violence in Threat is about how we in the trenches are so angry, but we take it out on each other instead of taking drastic measures to make change." [5]
In 2005, Pizzolo formed HALO 8 Entertainment, a DVD and soundtrack label that releases projects from Kings Mob Productions as well as other iconoclastic filmmakers.
In October 2006, Pizzolo accepted the Grand Prize for Best Feature on behalf of Threat at the Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival in Lausanne, Switzerland.
In April 2007, Pizzolo was awarded the "First Feature Film - Special Mention" prize on behalf of Threat at the Rome Independent Film Festival in Rome, Italy.
In May 2008, two comic books written by Pizzolo - Godkiller and How To Make An American Porn - debuted on the website Televandalism.com.
[edit] External links
- [6], Rage music video, Atari Teenage Riot
- [7], Montreal Film Journal review
- [8], Suicide Girls interview
- [9], excerpt Godkiller comic book, illustrated by Anna Muckcracker
- [10], excerpt How To Make An American Porn comic book, pencilled & colored by Andrea Blanco, inked by Ale Alvarez
