Producer Profile: Participant Productions (US)

April 1, 2007 by Brendan Christie

Participant Productions

Los Angeles

www.participantproductions.com

What hasn’t been said about Oscar-winner An Inconvenient Truth? A Participant Productions/Paramount Classics film directed by Davis Guggenheim, the film literally picked up the world and moved it onto a better path.

A few of the comments from our readers: ‘One of the most important films of the last few years. It presented the facts in a coherent and compelling way, and really made me and others question the way we live our lives.’ Or: ‘It’s the most important documentary of the year. What could be more important than trying to turn the thinking of the people of our world around, to give us all a better future?’ Or: ‘An animated Al Gore builds a rational argument that is impossible to take lightly, acknowledging that the reality of climate change is not a political issue, but a moral choice. Every person on Earth should see this documentary.’ And if you think about the simplicity of the delivery, the results are that much more staggering. But often the brilliance of an idea is knowing when not to get in the way of the story.

Participant can boast a string of great docs in their catalog, including The World According to Sesame Street and Murderball. But what other film company might get credit for getting a president elected…? Gore in 2008?

Recent titles: An Inconvenient Truth, The World According to Sesame Street

Employees: 25

Hours this year: 5 projects, each at about 90 minutes

Upcoming includes: Chicago 10 (dir. Brett Morgen), SOP (Errol Morris, through Sony Pictures Classics), Carter (Jonathan Demme) Untitled Darfur doc (Ted Braun/Warner Indie.)