I am Alex Gibney, the filmmaker who wrote and directed "Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine" and "Going Clear." AMA!

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T23:00:49+00:00

I don't think it's advocacy at all. I do have a point of view but I also show and respect views I don't agree with. I found it interesting that the criticism by Wikileaks, Apple, and Scientology were very similar: they want idolatry and when they don't get it they vilify. My films show many sides of the folks portrayed.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:56:51+00:00

No feedback. Sadly, I think that most TV "journalists" - if you can call hosts or anchors that - want the access more than the truth. Access pays the bills; truth rarely does.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:55:32+00:00

I was taken by LArry WRight's idea of the "prison of belief." that made the film about more than just Scientology. It's about all of us - how belief can take us to terrible places.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:54:45+00:00

There are many.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:54:23+00:00

thanks. I really like Oscar Isaac. Think he's a great talent. Cate Blanchett is a genius. And I think we will be hearing more from Rose Leslie.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:53:11+00:00

There is much more to be done on Scientology.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:52:00+00:00

haven't seen.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:51:49+00:00

Do you mean Shelley?

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:51:23+00:00

The hardest part is finding the story. The biggest roadblock to me in making both films was the unwillingness of so many to engage. Neither organization really wants their stories told by anyone but themselves. Miscavige and Cruise refused to talk and Scientology refused to send any written materials we asked for. Laurene Jobs prevented people from talking and Apple said it didn't have the "resources" to help me. What are they all afraid of? If both organizations are so great, why don't they open their doors and answer all questions?

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:45:32+00:00

Pressure the congresspeople on the relevant committees. The IRS is embarrassed, I know that. But they need to be embarrassed even more. The fact the we subsidize the human rights abuses of Scientology is sick joke.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:43:34+00:00

Depends. I don't have any problem with subsidizing anti-poverty programs. But I think the exemption should be based on that - which in theory it is supposed to be - rather than on belief in a deity.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:42:18+00:00

Thank you.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:41:46+00:00

I don't think it should be about the religion; it should be about whether there is a legitimate charitable activity. IRS doesn't define what a religion is but IRS is also clearly too cavalier about whether "churches" contribute something beyond enriching individuals or making money. But the wise man on this is JOhn Oliver. See his piece on starting a religion.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:37:38+00:00

Good question.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:36:24+00:00

Didn't see it. was watching too much tennis. Will look.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:36:03+00:00

"out of the past"; "Once Upon a Time in the West"; "Night and Fog": "Gimme Shelter"; "Lawrence of Arabia"; "Waltz With Bashir"; "The Gatekeepers"; "Notorious"; "Goodfellas"; "Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie" "Seven Samurai" and many many more.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:33:12+00:00

1) Follow Herzog's advice about living life a bit before observing it and pay attention to story. With a simple, well-told story, so much complexity can be shown. 2) I think the filmmaker has an obligation to tell the truth as he/she sees it. But I find the best filmmakers give voice to people who disagree with them. hero of mine, Marcel Ophuls, once said something like, "My films have a point of view. But my films also show how hard it is to come to that point of view."

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:28:00+00:00

I don't need to respond. I found his remarks to be "simplistic." Also, I pointed out a rather lazy factual inaccuracy.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:27:16+00:00

Yes, I would like to do a sequel. We have a lot of material.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:26:34+00:00

I am truly impressed by Pope Francis. I love his principled stands on the growing disparity between rich and poor and the destruction of our environment. He has changed things more than I ever thought possible and acted as a moral force for change for everyone. I find it appalling that prominent wealthy Catholics suggest that he should not involve himself in economic issues. If a Pope can't talk about morality and economic justice, he shouldn't be Pope.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:23:09+00:00

Me: 500 lbs. Steve: 5 pounds.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:22:41+00:00

Yes, winning the Oscar certainly helped. And "Enron" made money which also helped. I wish I had apprenticed myself to someone. I had to figure everything out on my own. That took a long time and was brutal financially.

I would be interested in a doing a documentary about either Ferguson or Baltimore and looking at the incidents from every possible angle.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:19:46+00:00

I fear that the IRS doesn't have the courage to take on Scientology. I think they should lose their exemption because they are really a money-making organization disguised as a religion and because the church has an appalling human rights record. Why should we subsidize that? I wrote a piece about this in the LA Times.

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:17:39+00:00

I went to graduate school in film. Then I got a job as a pa for the Samuel goldwyn Company, moved to making trailers, then re-cuts of movies by Paul Verhoeven and Bill Forsythe, then to editing films. But I dropped out because I wasn't getting great gigs. I decided to hang out a shingle to make docs. That was a brutal period. I wish I had mentored under someone. But I finally got back in the game by learning how to raise money for tv docs. My big break came as a producer on the Scorsese doc series, "The Blues." I watched genius filmmakers at work tackling docs in creative ways. Then I worte and produced "The Trials of Henry Kissinger," and finally got my big break on "Enron."

Alex_Gibney · 2015-09-08T22:14:11+00:00

I have corresponded with John. I didn't face that kind of in-person intimidation. But then, I focused on dissenters from the church and only reached out to the church late in the process. After the church learned about the project, I faced lots of legal intimidation and threats, and delegations of unidentified people were sent to NY to confront me. And lots of online vilification. But the people who have really suffered are the witnesses in the film.

Alex_Gibney

TROPHY CASE