The People vs. George Lucas

It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that George Lucas is one of the most successful filmmakers around. His popular Star Wars films earned him a massive worldwide fan base with a nucleus of hardcore followers, almost religious in their reverence of the director.

After releasing the Special Editions and the Prequel trilogy, however, something changed. Many original fans turned against him, and he became the target of disappointed bloggers, loud criticism and satire TV-shows. The People Vs George Lucas uses a courtroom approach, where friends and foes alike are heard, to disassemble this conflict between his defenders and his critics. Evidence and testimonials are presented in the form of interviews with former colleagues, Super 8 action figure films, 3D animations and other surprising formats.

Unique in its participatory concept, deconstructing and emphasizing the legacy of the Star Wars franchise, this documentary is an account on the clash between past and present, as well as intellectual ownership and copyright. This film recently became even more relevant after the announcement that the entire Star Wars series is soon to be released in 3D. –Stockholm International Film Festival