Academy Award-Nominated Filmmaker & Host of 30 Days
Thursday, December 8, 2011
7 p.m.
Purdue University
Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center
Morgan Spurlock is an award-winning writer, director, and producer best known for his immersive explorations of social issues.
His first feature length film, Super Size Me, played to audiences in more than 100 countries, changed school lunch programs across the nation, empowered millions of people to change their own eating habits, and eliminated Super Size options from the world’s largest fast food chain. The film was also used by senators, congressman and lobby groups nationwide as a call action for multiple food and education related causes. The film won Best Directing honors at the Sundance and Edinburgh film festivals, as well as the inaugural Writers Guild of America documentary screenplay award and an Academy Award nomination for best feature documentary.
Following of the heels of its success, Spurlock began production on his first network television series, the critically acclaimed FX program, 30 Days. The show, which ran for three seasons and dealt with such polarizing issues as the minimum wage, prison reform, abortion and gun control, garnered awards from such esteemed groups as the Sargent Shriver Center for Poverty Law, the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Center for a Commercial Free Childhood, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
In the spring of 2006, Spurlock joined forces with Hart Sharpe Video to create a film distribution partnership whose sole goal was to get more high quality documentaries into the marketplace. The titles, released under the banner “Morgan Spurlock Presents,” have been screened in all broadcast mediums and have been some of the most watched films on Hulu and Snag Films. Since its inception, nine films have been distributed, including the award-winning movies Chalk, Confessions of a Superhero, The Future of Food, and Czech Dream. In May of 2008, the label’s first full co-production, The Third Wave, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
His second feature documentary, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was named “one of the most important films of the year” by the Islamic Society of North America.
FOX premiered his production of The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice! in January 2010. It has been nominated for a 2011 Writer’s Guild of America award. In 2010 Spurlock was also part of a team of celebrated directors behind the film adaptation of the best selling book Freakonomics.
His new film, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. It’s a documentary about branding, advertising and product placement, made possible by branding, advertising and product placement. It was released in April and is getting rave reviews.
Starting August 1st, Spurlock will be hosting a new series on Current TV called "50 Documentaries to See Before You Die."