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Andrew Jon Thomson

Date of Birth / Doğum Tarihi
28 October 1969, Palo Alto, California, USA

Trivia / Önemsiz Şeyler
Directs and produces behind the scenes documentaries for feature films through his company Behind the Scenes Productions. In this capacity he has interviewed Jonathan Winters, Robin Williams, Jaqueline Bisset, Barry Bostwick, Nell Carter, Jim Hanks, John Livingston, Sabrina Lloyd, Martin Guigui, Mark Decena, Debbie Brubaker, Ned Kopp and many others.Has been active in various progressive causes, and founded the nonprofit organizations Friends of Miranda Forest and Alaska Action Center. (www.alaskaactioncenter.org)Has dual British-American citizenship.Learned to inspect and edit film the old fashioned way with razor blades and tape as a child in elementary school while working part time at Serious Business Company, the groundbreaking Bay Area idependent film distributor founded and operated by Fruede Bartlett, mother of his childhood friend Adam Elon Bartlett, whose birth was featured in the acclaimed film '1970' directed by experimental film pioneer Scott Bartlett (father of Adam Elon and former husband to Freude, special effects consultant to 'Altered States' and 'Eraserhead' among other films)Led the band '23' as lead singer-songwriter and guitar player. Other members of this band later went on to record several hit CDs with the band 'Cake'.In 2004, he founded the Freedom Cinema Festival with the help of a small army of volunteers and a stack of socially concious sponsors. The event was launced during Sundance 2004 and continues in Park City, Utah in January as well as in the San Francisco Bay Area during summer. Dedicated to cinema and art that focuses on freedom, the fest can be found online at www.freedomcinemafestival.org

Personal Quotes / Kişisel Alıntılar
Just because they are out to get you doesn't mean you should be paranoid.All art promotes or opposes particular political values. All art is propoganda. Most of us are simply unaware that our own prejudices and unconcious assumptions are broadcast through our work. We all form our views and beliefs based on the culture to which we belong. From childhood on we imitate what we observe. The artist has as much responsibility to conciously choose the messages they convey and consider the potential impacts of their works on society as a housebuilder has to consider the strength of their building materials. If a house is built carelessly it may fall down on it's occupants, and if an artwork is made carelessly it may create a net harm to society. At the least, the social responsibility of an artist is equal to anyone making anything. Artists are not exempt from ethics nor are they society's sole guardians. Every action has an effect, no matter how subtle.