Exit Through The Gift Shop

PAAM filmArt presents movies that are recognized works of art – as well as inspiring films about art and artists – followed by a discussion and guest speakers. Screenings are twice monthly on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm. In partnership with the Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF), PAAM presents a bi-monthly film series screening art-house and art documentary films, ranging from the new to the classic. A discussion led by Howard Karren – owner of Alden Gallery and a former editor of Premier Magazine – follows each film.

This Tuesday’s film is directed by Banksy – Exit Through The Gift Shop.

A Frenchman living in Los Angeles, Thierry Guetta, decides he wants to make a documentary about street art, and gets some of the most internationally acclaimed graffiti warriors to collaborate, including Shepard Fairey and that ultrachic, stencil-crazed Brit, Banksy, who refuses to publicly show his face or use his real voice. After traveling around and filming endless reams of footage, Guetta never actually edits it, and ends up getting into the act himself, assisting artists in their creations. Ultimately, he decides to put on a show in L.A. of his own work, based purely on hype, and that’s when Banksy takes over the movie and does a 180, turning it into a documentary about Guetta. As only the deepest cynic might have foreseen, Guetta’s art show in L.A. is a raging success — financially, at least. Fascinating, arguably fraudulent, and often quite amusing in a field that takes itself very, very seriously, Exit Through the Gift Shop is a funhouse mirror held up to the state of art today. 87 minutes.

All screenings are at Whalers’ Wharf Cinema (241 Commercial Street, Provincetown)

Tags: commercial street provincetown, documentary films, Exit, funhouse mirror, Gift, international film festival, paam, piff, provincetown international film festival, shepard fairey