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Just in the nick of time… John Walker’s NFB co-production Assholes: A Theory debuts at Copenhagen’s CPH:DOX and Toronto’s Hot Docs.

PRESS RELEASE
05/03/2019

March 5, 2019 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada

John Walker’s Assholes: A Theory will have its world premiere at CPH:DOX (Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, March 20–31) and its North American premiere as a Special Presentation at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival (April 25–May 5). The latest feature-length documentary from the acclaimed Canadian filmmaker is co-produced by John Walker Productions Ltd. and the NFB.

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—an entertaining and oh-so-timely feature doc.

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

Lively commentary is provided by the likes of actor John Cleese, former Canadian police officer Sherry Lee Benson-Podolchuk, Italian LGBTQ activist Vladimir Luxuria, who famously locked horns with Silvio Berlusconi, the prototype of the 21st-century demagogue; as well as former Economist editor-in-chief Bill Emmott.

Assholes: A Theory is produced by John Walker and Ann Bernier (John Walker Productions Ltd.) and Annette Clarke (NFB).

John Walker is one of Canada’s most prolific and respected documentary filmmakers. His films have been widely broadcast and have appeared at major international film festivals in Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, London and Tokyo.

He has received over 60 Canadian and international nominations and awards. In 2018, he was honoured with a Hot Docs Festival Retrospective.

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Related Products

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

Associated Links

CPH:DOX
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
John Walker Productions Ltd.
Assholes: A Theory – website

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.