Rebel Yell

Michael Tucker's sound bites are typical of most independent documentary filmmakers. 'What do I need funding for?' he asks without a trace irony when discussing budgets. And although his first film, 2004's Gunner Palace, was a commercial success because of its theatrical release, he admits he likes the confines of the tv hour. 'It's good to have limits up front, because it forces you to focus more,' he says. As a relative newcomer to the doc scene - his second feature film, The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair, has its world premiere this month at the Toronto International Film Festival - it's possible Tucker simply hasn't yet learned his lines. What's more likely, however, is that this is a filmmaker willing to break the mold.

September 1, 2006

Michael Tucker's sound bites are typical of most independent documentary filmmakers. 'What do I need funding for?' he asks without a trace irony when discussing budgets. And although his first film, 2004's Gunner Palace, was a commercial success because of its theatrical release, he admits he likes the confines of the tv hour. 'It's good to have limits up front, because it forces you to focus more,' he says. As a relative newcomer to the doc scene - his second feature film, The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair, has its world premiere this month at the Toronto International Film Festival - it's possible Tucker simply hasn't yet learned his lines. What's more likely, however, is that this is a filmmaker willing to break the mold.