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Assholes: A Theory has the answers, beginning November 13. John Walker’s entertaining and oh-so-timely feature doc starts national theatrical tour this fall.

PRESS RELEASE
29/10/2019

“A thoughtful accounting of society’s most noxious people” – NOW Magazine

“Leave it to John Walker to get down to the butt of the matter… there’s much humour but also a few swift kicks to the derriere” – Toronto Star

“A quirky and unique documentary with its tongue firmly in cheek” – Cinema Axis

October 29, 2019 – Toronto – National Film Board of Canada

With venomous social media, resurgent authoritarianism and rampant narcissism threatening to trash civilization as we know it, the time has come for Assholes: A Theory (John Walker Productions/NFB in association with CBC documentary Channel), acclaimed director John Walker’s latest feature doc, opening theatrically in cities across Canada beginning November 13.

Distributed by the NFB, the film will open first in Winnipeg, followed by theatrical dates in Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. The director will be in attendance to take audience questions in  Montreal (November 30) and Toronto (December 1).

Why do assholes thrive in certain environments? What explains their perverse appeal? And how do they keep getting elected!

Inspired by Aaron James’ New York Times bestseller of the same name, Assholes: A Theory investigates the breeding grounds of contemporary “asshole culture” and locates signs of civility in an otherwise rude-’n-nasty universe. Venturing into predominantly male domain, Walker moves from Ivy League frat clubs to the bratty princedoms of Silicon Valley and bear pits of international finance.

Lively commentary is provided by the likes of comedy legend John Cleese, former RCMP officer Sherry Lee Benson-Podolchuk, and Italian LGBTQ activist Vladimir Luxuria, who famously locked horns with Silvio Berlusconi, the p***y-grabbing prototype of the 21st-century demagogue.

Honoured with a Focus On retrospective at the 2018 Hot Docs film festival, Walker is one of Canada’s most distinguished documentary filmmakers. Assholes: A Theory is produced by John Walker and Ann Bernier for John Walker Productions Ltd. and by Annette Clarke for the NFB’s Quebec and Atlantic Studio in Halifax.

National screening schedule

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Related Products

Electronic Press Kit | Images, trailers, synopses: Assholes: A Theory

Associated Links

Assholes: A Theory – website
John Walker Productions
CBC documentary Channel

Media Relations

  • About the NFB

    Founded in 1939, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a one-of-a-kind producer, co-producer and distributor of distinctive, engaging, relevant and innovative documentary and animated films. As a talent incubator, it is one of the world’s leading creative centres. The NFB has enabled Canadians to tell and hear each other’s stories for over eight decades, and its films are a reliable and accessible educational resource. The NFB is also recognized around the world for its expertise in preservation and conservation, and for its rich and vibrant collection of works, which form a pillar of Canada’s cultural heritage. To date, the NFB has produced more than 14,000 works, 6,500 of which can be streamed free of charge at nfb.ca. The NFB and its productions and co-productions have earned over 7,000 awards, including 11 Oscars and an Honorary Academy Award for overall excellence in cinema.