Jon Moritsugu
Santa Fe, NM
Writer/director Jon Moritsugu has been making films since 1985. In 1989, Village Voice critic J. Hoberman called Moritsugu’s Brown University thesis short, Der Elvis, one of the “Top 50 films of the 80’s.” Since then, his features Mod F**k Explosion, My Degeneration, Fame Whore, Scumrock, and Hippy Porn have scorched eyeballs worldwide at Sundance, MOMA, Cannes and The Guggenheim, and in Berlin and Toronto. In 1993, James Schamus (Focus Features) produced Moritsugu’s television comedy, Terminal USA, which aired nationwide on PBS. Moritsugu has garnered critical acclaim and top awards at the New York Underground Film Festival (Best Feature 3 times in a row) and Oscar consideration for his movie, Fame Whore. In 2012, his music video No Future Shock for the band TV On The Radio received a Grammy nomination. Moritsugu recently received the Chicago Underground Film Festival “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his newest feature, Pig Death Machine.
Scumrock
Jon Moritsugu has been making films since 1985.
Artist BioScumrock is the sixth feature-length work by underground/cult legend Jon Moritsugu and his first shot on video. In this movie, a pretentious, underground filmmaker struggles with his masterpiece, while a scuzzy, punkoid chick tries to keep her band from fading into obscurity. Scumrock was shot in San Francisco using out-dated, analog gear in order to “drag video down into the gutter.” The movie stars Moritsugu’s wife and mainstay, Amy Davis, and Kyp Malone in his pre-TV ON THE RADIO days. Co-starring is James Duval, most notoriously known for playing Frank the Bunny in Donnie Darko. Mel Davis, Moritsugu’s father-in-law, who has previously worked with Benny Goodman, Tony Bennett and Woody Allen, created the original musical compositions for Scumrock. The movie won Best Feature Award at both the Chicago and New York Underground Film Festivals and has screened around the world to popular and critical acclaim.