(2012-04-27 14:44:24)

Based on a true story?

Viewers love a "based on a true story" story as this film claims to be. But is it? This is a quirky film about a rather manic frenchman who follows and films graffiti artists and then decides to become one. If you are like me, you'll quickly be asking yourself "is this for real?" and be compelled to pause the movie for a bit of googling. My conclusion: a film based on real events and real people with a story largely fabricated for the film. I believe the main character in this movie and his story was created expressly for this movie - sort of stenciled into a backdrop of real events. Others may see things very differently. Isn't that one measure of good art? This is a film worth springing for the Blu-ray version.

(2012-04-27 02:56:57)

So much more than I initially expected

This was possibly the greatest documentary I have ever seen. I really really mean that. By the end of the movie I wanted to laugh hysterically - while simultaneously I was quite horrified and saddened. I am showing this film to everyone I know.However, I have heard rumors of this documentary being fake...if that's the case, I am again saddened for having been manipulated, BUT still extremely pleased because it's just freakin hilarious...and makes valid points nonetheless :)

Think

(2012-04-21 01:49:04)

funny... profound... disturbing... what is art?

I was not interested in seeing this- but a friend wanted to see it- and I was glad I did as it is kind of brilliant. Still processing what it had to say about what art is and isn't. It is funny, engaging and I learned something significant about the folks who create street art. I still don't think it is right to deface someone else's property- but here and there were some beautiful and intriguing pieces that were certainly more than graffiti.

the_rattlesnake25

(2012-04-20 13:27:24)

Everybody forges a million pounds, right?

An experience will ultimately become a diluted memory, unless theexperience itself is documented in image or film, in which case it willlast forever (or until it is deleted/destroyed...). 'Exit Through TheGift Shop' is a brilliant examination of the underground street artculture, and a poignant look at man's obsession with a culture he isincreasingly drawn into throughout his life.Thierry Guetta (pronounced Te-ree), is a French immigrant living LosAngeles with his loving wife and children and a good honest job, butthere is one object he will never leave the house without; his videocamera. Guetta has been enticed into the everyday cinema veritГѓВ©movement of simply recording any, and everything that goes on in hislife. From playing with his children, to his ultimate attraction offollowing other street artists around and documenting their work,Guetta loves to watch, document and admire from behind the lens. Guettaeventually earns the trust and respect of various artists around theglobe including the elusive Banksy, his cousin Space Invader andShepard Fairey, and provides the audience with an up close and personalview of a culture (or industry) which has been projected into thelimelight over the past five years.Narrated by Rhys Ifans, 'Exit' has been acknowledged as not having aregistered director, instead it is a smoothly edited combination ofGuetta's extensive and various filmed sequences from over the years(the film shows his EXTENSIVE physical collection of tapes from morethan decade of film-making) and interviews with various leading figuresin the industry. For example Banksy is interviewed at length over hisinvolvement with Guetta and comes across as a very down-to-earth,humble and at times, incredibly funny person. While everybody,including Guetta, are extremely brazen and don't hold back whenspeaking about each other, their profession or how the street artculture has developed over time into a somewhat monopolisticenvironment (which can be viewed by the fact that the rich and famousturned out in droves for Banksy's first exhibition in the UnitedStates).This isn't a film about 'graffiti' though, as some may simply see it ason the surface, aside from the exploration of a fast growing communityit is also a deep, scary and heart-warming look at Thierry Guetta'slife over a decade onwards as he constantly leaves behind his familyand his job to follow various artists around the globe. Mentallyunstable, or one of the greatest French minds of the last twenty years,nobody is quite sure what Thierry Guetta (also known as Mr Brainwash)is, but what everybody does acknowledge is that he is a man with apassion and while he may not follow the same ideology as everybodyelse, his heart is still in the right place. 'Exit Through The GiftShop' is a fascinating documentary focusing on a rising culture thatmany people may not have much knowledge about, except for knowing thename of the elusive, and as I have mentioned, surprisingly hilariousBanksy.

(2012-04-16 07:26:51)

awsome

This review is from: Exit Through the Gift Shop (DVD) its a great documentary about the new art seen of the last 10 years its funny brilliant and full information if you like banksy or the graphite art seen its a great dvd to have. and its in great condistion with all that stuff it shows.

(2012-04-16 02:57:38)

Awesome, kept my attention

I really enjoyed this documentary. As an artist and a huge fan of Banksy and street art in general, I enjoyed watching the techniques of street artists and being introduced to artists I hadn't really heard of. 'Mister Brainwash' is an amusing idiot, to say the least. I liked his style and ideas but was disappointed in the fact that he had other artists make his designs for him. I'm glad I watched it, and I'm now inspired to go create some art!

tedg

(2012-04-11 02:02:14)

Mister Brainwash

A key insight for me is what I amusingly call Ted's law. In this, whenwe layer abstractions in art, the "distance" between layers is equal.This is a great example.The idea builds on the notion that humans alone are capable of seeingthemselves in the world as they see the world. It is how we defineconsciousness.Shakespeare started the notion of folding in art, where we add anotherlayer: we have us as audience, a state both we and the play (in thiscase the play) acknowledge. In the play, we have people in the samestate, an audience of sorts for the world of the movie. SinceShakespeare, we elaborate these folds because of the greater narrativepalette it affords, but the basic dynamics are analogic layers, folds.Ted's law holds that the relationship of abstraction establishedbetween the audience and the play is the same as that between theaudience and the play (or whatever) within.Banksy is an artist who works with this idea. His art almost alwaysconsists of two elements. One is chaotic, sloppy, copying (or adoptingexisting) graffiti, the vandalism sort. Superimposed on that is anobserver rendered in a different style. These are made from stencilsbut originate in and reference photographs. These are on the street, soan observer can see the people looking at the art, the character withinthe art, and some random "art" designated from previously would havebeen equivalent to trash.Frankly, this is a trivial idea because it is "small art." Small art isart designed to be consumed in the moment between the flipping of pagesin a magazine, or during commercials. It has to be attractive and easyto "read." On reflection, it has to have a simple explanation. Part ofthis is the supposition that it is art of the people, real, visceralart. For me, it is background noise. It cannot help me, shape me ordestroy me. That's a job for big, long form art.Okay, now the film. The idea is the same: we have the street art. We add another layer: thestory of the artists. We add yet another layer, the story of thefilmmaker covering the story of the artists, making the "observer art"that is superimposed on graffiti, which in turn is linked to us aspassers by. I do not suppose that this was designed by Banksy as aproject beforehand, because that assumes less spontaneity than headvertises. I suppose instead that the story is much as it ispresented: he fell into an opportunity and exploited it in the way heworks.The thing that has captured the imagination of the film public (and theAcademy) is the tantalizing prospect that some part is a hoax. Thisclearly is engineered, because a similar joke is behind his street art.But even that is small art.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

(2012-04-10 20:45:35)

If it sells, it's art? - an intriguing and amusing take on the rise (and fall?) of the underground world of street art

So there's this French guy (Thierry) who runs a vintage clothing boutique in L.A., and who's obsessed with shooting video. He captures everything he can - no matter how boring or profound, and just throws his tapes into boxes ... until he finds something fascinating to follow and make a film about, and doesn't have a clue what to do with it. It turns out his cousin is the semi-famous street artist, "Space Intruder." He introduces Thierry to the world of street art, where he ends up meeting Banksy, the most famous and elusive of them all, and gets inspired to be an artist in his own right, whether or not he has anything original to say. This all takes place as the art market is discovering street art, and what had been transgressive acts of artistic rebellion put up in secret are now becoming costly and coveted and displayed with pride by the same museums that Banksy once had to sneak into in order to place his work. When Banksy discovers that the guy has no idea how to make the film that this movement calls for with all his material, he decides to take on the task of making the film himself. It becomes a film about the obsessive guy with a camera who wanted to make a film about street artists and became Mr. Brainwash, either the ultimate con-artist or the true artist who revealed that all art is a con, a "brainwash scheme," and still managed to make money with it. Of course, as some have alleged, the film itself could be just another Banksy prank. It's fun to watch and pretty fascinating regardless. It ranks up there with Orson Welles's F for Fake as an exploration of the art world and its apparent charlatans, who nevertheless manage to produce work that can't simply be dismissed. Highly recommended for anyone interested in modern art, but it's portrait of what looks to be an impending trainwreck should be suspenseful and intriguing enough for almost any audience.

Movie_Muse_Reviews

(2012-04-03 22:15:12)

A unique documentary that will never be replicated

"Exit Through the Gift Shop" might be the only documentary where thedocumentarian is more fascinating than the film — and the film is quitefascinating. A documentary about street art and the shadowy enigmaticfigures that create it sounds interesting; a documentary about streetart made by one of those shadowy figures sounds captivating.British street artist Banksy, whose work has become world-renowned (andexpensive) in the last 5-10 years, has composed this documentary usinghours upon hours of footage taken by a man named Thierry Guetta, aFrench-born American who beginning in 1999 began to follow several ofthe world's most prolific street artists, including Shepard Fairey (theObama "Hope" poster) and Banksy, with the idea of making his own streetart documentary. When Guetta finally finished his documentary, Banksydetermined it was crap and took the reigns from Guetta, pushing him tofollow his own artistic passion. In the film, this is when Banksy turnsthe camera on Guetta, who builds his own street art identity, Mr.Brain-Wash, from basically nothing.The result is a sort of two-sided documentary and one that many believeto be partially fabricated. Considering Banksy is one of the mostelusive and mysterious artists in the world, it's hard not to considerthat his documentary might be just that — art. To explain, when ThierryGuetta starts to work on his own Mr. Brain-Wash art, he hires anextensive team of artists, graphic designers, sculptors and more tohelp bring his vision to life, so basically he buys his talent. Then,he uses his connections with Fairey and Banksy to score majorendorsements and hype his show and his reputation as the next bigthing. When his show becomes a runaway hit, we're left wondering: whatreally constitutes an artist?As such, the theory lingers out there as to whether Banksy, Fairey andGuetta were all collaborators on the aptly named "Mr. Brain-Wash" inorder to shed a new light on the public perception of art and streetart in particular. Doing so would boost the profile of the art formwhile also making people think twice about what they value as art bothinternally and with their wallets. However, if Banksy's film containsno contrivances, it nevertheless gives more credence to him and Faireyas true artists.Either way, the events could not be staged, especially all of Guetta'sfootage in the first portion of the film. As for the second part, ifGuetta truly created this persona with the genuine purpose of makinghis own art, people still flocked to see and buy his celebrity- themedAndy Warhol knock-offs, which turns out to be the take-home point ofthis part of the film. If anything, you could consider it a bit of asocial experiment, just one where we as viewers are not allowed on theother side of the glass.The film succeeds as both street art documentary and a character studyon Guetta, though a distinct feeling that certain things worthy ofexplanation are left out pervades the film. Just that faint notion ofviewer deception prevents "Gift Shop" from being an truly elitedocumentary. Because Banksy directed, you never get a sense of who isreally behind the camera conducting interviews with him, Fairey andGuetta toward the end of the film. Traditional documentary filmmakershave that kind of "presence" in their films that legitimize the workthey're doing because we clearly sense the intention, but Banksy beingthe figure he is, clouds up our sight of his intention. Fascinating,yes, but the film leaves you confused in several places."Exit Through the Gift Shop" pushes the boundaries for what adocumentary is and can be, which makes it one of the most unique filmsever made. The lack of clarity and the question of authenticity, asdistracting and bothersome as it may be, makes the film all the moreintriguing. In the end, Banksy's core question of who can be an artistand what constitutes an artist or art, rings loud and clear. Thatconversation will always be inextricably tied to all art forms forever.~Steven CVisit my site http://moviemusereviews.com

(2012-04-03 08:28:54)

Mr. Brainwash is definitely washing people heads

This review is from: Exit Through the Gift Shop (DVD) At first I thought it was a movie about street & art legend Bansky and other graffiti artists.... It's not...!! Its a documentary that engages you in the world of street art through a very unique personalty... you get a glimpse of what street art is, but the movie is really about art, art making and people who like ART! If you an artist or really like art you would enjoy this documentary and specially the tricks the artworld plays on you.

(2012-04-01 04:14:30)

Engaging, entertaining, and worth many a discussion after watching

This review is from: Exit Through the Gift Shop (Amazon Instant Video) My wife and I heard about Banksy some time ago and were actually anxious just to learn more about his craft and talent. Akin to the main theme of the movie, after watching Exit Through the Gift Shop I think we got what we were looking for, but not quite in the way we expected.The movie is divided pretty fairly into three equally entertaining sections. The first third introduces the protagonist, Thierry, and sets the background for his obsession with street artists. The middle portion of the movie introduces Banksy and follows the growth of his relationship with Thierry. The final act features Thierry almost exclusively, and while I was sure I knew where the film was going to end up, I found myself anxiously awaiting confirmation (incidentally, I couldn't have been more wrong).My favorite thing about this excellent film is the conversations it begets once the credits have rolled. Questions are raised about each of the film's featured artists and the art world in general that may not have clear answers, but are entertaining to discuss nonetheless. I appreciated that the film was willing to acknowledge that it didn't have the answers either, especially considering how difficult it must have been to not pretend otherwise.My wife and I may not agree about exactly what happened at the end of the film or why, but I think we can both agree on one thing after viewing: Banksy is much, much more talented than either of us originally thought (and we thought pretty highly of him before).

jnguyen46117

(2012-03-31 15:43:33)

Exit Through The Gift Shop: 9/10

Tbe film established this new idea of Banksy creating the streetgraffiti art, but that is a little misguided. But misguided or not,Exit Through the Gift Shop gives an entertaining look on modern art. Weused to think that art is boring and perhaps useless, but the filmproposes the idea of anyone can be an artist and succeed. The subject,Thierry, was originally a film maker turned into creating art. Most ofthe art is just photoshop work and Thierry just gave the idea, he didnot make the art. Even though Thierry didn't make the art, he still isthe famous one after the show. And throughout the film, you see thatthere's something wrong with this guy! But by the end of the day, he isthe one with the money. And that brings up a very interesting question.How the hell did that happen? Exit Through The Gift Shop isentertaining, engrossing, and phenomenally executed. The movie turnsart into a very interesting subject to debate about. OscarBuzz: BestDocumentary (Good chance)

Rick Powell

(2012-03-25 16:50:12)

Smug faux documentary - don't believe the hype

Whatever else I think about these self-reflexive mockumentary prankslike Casey Affleck's I'm Still Here and now, inappropriately nominatedfor an Academy Award for best Documentary Film, Banksy's Exit Throughthe Gift Shop, I have to admit they reflect their times in ways thatreal documentaries can't.How can I not admire filmmakers who create the reality they'redocumenting? Banksy's film goes steps farther by manufacturing thetarget demographic, as well. Pretty slick.Upon hearing initially about the "political" street artist's film, Itweeted something along these lines: If street artist Banksy reallywalked the walk he'd release his film for free under a Creative Commonslicense like Sita Sings the Blues.I said that because I hadn't seen it. Now that I've seen it and get thejoke, I'm glad to confront its politics: Few films could be fartherfrom the generosity and artistry of Nina Paley's film.I've never trusted the sincerity of Banksy's anonymous persona or theliteral sincerity of his "politics." I thought his painting of the Gazawall was glib self-promotion, at best. Now, after having watched thisfilm, I have my doubts that a real, single person called "Banksy" evenexists.Regardless, even if he did, I wouldn't believe a word he said.Exit Through the Gift Shop will probably win its Award, though, if myjudgment of the American cultural milieu holds true.As an antidote, watch CeskГѓВЅ sen. It's just as mischievous and honestlypolitical. I can't think of another film in which young artists wrestlewith their generation's need for irony. You won't find that sort ofself-awareness in Banksy's film.P.S. I've always found smug the art of Shepard Fairey so he certainlybelongs in this film.

(2012-03-24 21:22:20)

interesting

Good documentary, albeit a thinly veiled attempt to discredit another artist. There was a lot of character bashing, which made for a less than pleasurable experience.

(2012-03-18 14:50:56)

Underground Art As Traditional Commerce--A Real Life Tale of Hype And Delusion That Is Also The Year's Most Incisive Satire

Having heard much praise heaped on the art world documentary "Exit Through The Gift Shop," I expected to enjoy the film although I had no inherent interest in the graffiti scene. But the film is a sly examination of what constitutes art in the modern era. What starts out as a conventional biography turns into one of the most pointed satires about this topic that I've ever seen. (Coincidentally, I just watched the fictional comedy "(Untitled)" which covers many of the same themes and offers an equally savage skewering of the hype and pretensions to be found in this world). I didn't, however, realize that I was specifically aware of the film's subject matter. I lived in Los Angeles during the pivotal time period presented in the movie, and I remember and recognize the major event that dominates the film's second half. Of course, I didn't have an insider's knowledge of how it came about--and I had no idea that learning the story would be so patently absurd or that it would have me laughing out loud! That's right, for me, "Exit Through The Gift Shop" works as a comedy. I was entertained by the more conventional first half, but I was delighted by the ridiculous turn of events for the finale! The film follows Thierry Guetta, an amateur documentarian that becomes obsessed by the world of street art. With a camera constantly at the ready, Guetta insinuates himself into this underground community. He's an oddball, to be sure, traveling the globe and leaving his family to endlessly film footage without ever constructing a final product. When he teams up with one of Britain's most elusive talents (Banksy), the two become virtually inseparable. Banksy eventually steps into the spotlight with an upscale show in Los Angeles, asks what's going on with the documentary, and is perplexed by the hastily assembled disaster that Guetta finally presents. Banksy keeps the footage to see if he can put something more coherent together and sends Guetta off to put together a small show of his own art.As Guetta returns to stage an art spectacular, "Exit Through The Gift Shop" ramps up into overdrive. More concerned with hype and promotion than artistic integrity, Guetta forges an alter ego, employs a production team, and starts to mass produce derivative work based on classic pop art or recognizable pop iconography. Art as commerce--Guetta fashions himself a star! And if you tell enough people you're a genius, the word gets around. "Exit Through The Gift Shop," in the end, becomes an indictment of gullibility and hype--but also of success. The madcap and over-the-top antics of this self deluded narcissist becomes the year's most scathing comedy, all the more absurd because it's real. Banksy, never showing his face, claims credit for the resultant documentary--now about Guetta as opposed to the real street artists. And it is this sly shift of expectations and presentation that makes the film a unique entry into the documentary field. A lot of fun, but in a truly disturbing way! KGHarris, 2/11.

(2012-03-18 03:31:20)

Riveting, even if you know nothing about Street Art

Before I saw "Exit Through the Gift Shop", it struck me as something that I wouldn't really enjoy. While I had heard of Banksy, the British street artist, before, and had enjoyed the few paintings of his that I had seen, I pegged this movie as a self-glorifying ode to street art. From the opening of the film, however, it's clear that this documentary is not going to go down that route.The star of this film is not Banksy, it's actually the cameraman who films him, a French man by the name of Thierry Guetta. Thierry is an odd man who obsessively films everything in his life, and he stumbles upon the world of street art almost coincidentally. The film follows his exploits filming famed street artists (including Banksy) and his unlikely path into street art himself. The direction of the film changes significantly a few times, and it does take some getting used to, but in the end, it makes perfect sense, or no sense at all.Speculations have arisen that the whole film is in fact a hoax, created by Banksy, with many questioning the authenticity of Thierry's portrayal. Whether or not it's a "hoax", this film is definitely the best documentary I've seen this year (not that I've seen many). It's surprisingly funny, and it raises a lot of questions about what it means to truly be an artist, what it means to "sell out", and whether or not some people should attempt to create art at all. You'll be thinking about this one long after it's over.

John Jackson

(2012-03-14 15:33:51)

Documentary/ mockumentary

Exit Through The Gift Shop is a documentary...or is it? That is thedebate. Does it matter if this film is one or the other. Either way, itis entertaining. It shows that in this age of visual eye-candy andridiculously high budgets a film can be made and succeed. I feel halfthe fun of this film is wondering if such a strange mix of obsession,art, and humor can be real. Life is all of the above and that is real.If we make a documentary does it have to be heavy and serious? I havewatched numerous documentaries and features, more than I would haveliked, this was worth it. As many films can be, it was a little longbut enjoyable.

Framescourer

(2012-03-13 23:25:41)

Deceptively light-hearted tour of the rise of street art to high art

It turns out that Banksy can tell a story well, too. This is a super,era-defining 'documentary'. Although it's almost impossible to separatefact from faux, it hardly matters. The Keyser SГѓВ¶ze figure of Banksyhimself allows the focus of the film to slip off him onto relativelyperipheral characters like Shepard Fairey and a number of Europeanstreet artists. At the centre is the only truly fictional character,Thierry, who is 'responsible' for the guerrilla footage of the artistsat work and then gets sucked into the production of the art himself.It's a cunning Man Bites Dog-style, 'gone native' reversal which onlyserves to confirm the elusiveness of the true filmmaker.As I say, the film documents the rise of real urban art: how theinternet has allowed the temporary nature of graffiti to achieve a wideaudience and some sort of permanence. It also dusts down perennialdiscussions about the value of art. All this is unfussy though, couchedin a mad story which trips along well. Naturally, a lot of the footageis after dark and, with the style always cleaving towards realist, theimages are sometimes a bit rubbish. I'm just pleased it wasn't an hourand a half of rough cuts of being chased by the police. 7/10

jamesgill-1

(2012-03-13 02:30:09)

Banksy's humour is as sharp as ever - but just who is the target?

It took me a while to get a chance to see this film: anybody who wasaround Bristol last summer for Banksy's 'Homecoming' exhibition will beaware of the popularity of the city's most celebrated son, andtherefore I shouldn't have been surprised that when the first threetimes I tried to see the film the cinema was sold out. However, I gotthere in the end.In my admittedly naïve opinion, street art is one of the mostsignificant art movement of the 21st century. Its attraction lies inthe fact that it is one of the most democratic forms of visual art –there is a conscious rejection of the safety net of critical censorshipor gallery authority. Instead, the public are engaged with artists'work throughout the course of their daily lives, and it is up to themto conclude which side of the line this kind of work treads – is itgraffiti, a public menace and an eyesore, or is it a work of art thathas a right to be displayed wherever the artist chooses? I'm rambling.However, I wanted to establish my feelings towards street art as awhole before engaging with Banksy's satirical and humorousrepresentation of it within Exit Through the Gift Shop.To the film… Banksy's first foray into film-making drags his unique sweet and sourmix of humour and political satire kicking and screaming onto thesilver screen. Anyone hoping for a revelation of his true identity isto be disappointed – the film opens with a blacked-out figure of a manin a hood, and whilst the Bristol accent defies the voice alteration,it's clear that this film is not designed to be a personal unmasking.Rather, Banksy's humour has a very different kind of revelation inmind.The true hero (or perhaps anti-hero would be a better description) isthe curiously care-free French shop-keeper/amateur filmmaker, whoseinterest in graffiti artists is borne out of a chance confrontationwith the artist known as 'Space Invader'. The film follows Guetta'sattempts to capture his encounters with various street artists,including the notorious Banksy, on camera, and in the process Banksyencourages Guetta to create a documentary out of the ridiculous amountof film that he has amassed over several years of his life.Unfortunately, Guetta, although a handy cameraman, is quite clearly nota filmmaker. Part of Banksy's skill in creating this film is that itmakes us ask just who is the director in this haphazard process. One ofthe frequently-quoted lines of the film comes from Banksy himself,saying "it's basically the story of how one man set out to film theun-filmable. And failed." The character of Guetta that we see on screenis simply ridiculous, and yet we are attracted by his attitude ofnaivety. He is a hugely entertaining personality, and even more sobecause he appears to take himself so seriously. Even Banksy cannotquite know what to make of him. Is he a disguised genius, or a fool whogot lucky? Either way, Banksy's portrayal of the way in which Guettaengages with the art world breathes new life into that clichéd questionof what actually gives art both aesthetic and financial value. With thehelp of Rhys Ifans' superbly wry narration, the film conducts usthrough the emergence of the street art counterculture, and howperceptions of it have changed within the political, artistic andsocial establishment.There are so many things that could be said about this film, but it isdangerous to say more without ruining the sense of the unexpected thatthe film generates. That is a tribute to the intricacy of thedocumentary narrative, in which real life personalities generate thesame thrill of the unknown as fictional plot lines. Suffice it to say,I left feeling lusciously confused – who was I in the end laughing ator with? In the face of Banksy's teasingly ironic vision, no one isleft unscathed. Not even us. Not even Banksy himself.James Gill Twitter @jg8608 More reviews athttp://web.me.com/gilljames/Single_Admission

(2012-03-12 17:29:39)

Towards a New Cinema

Everyone knows that the distinction between fiction and non-fiction is a false dichotomy. They are two sides of the same coin and much of the most interesting recent cinema has attempted to address how and where they meet and intertwine. A camera in the room changes behavior, just what an actor ate for lunch affects their performance. It is time to do away with the old distinctions and embrace the new order. Though filmmakers on the margin have been doing this for sometime, Exit Through the Gift Shop has brought it right up to the fringe of the mainstream. Fact and fiction blend in Banksy's film about the art/street art world. The art world constructs and defines itself just as we construct and define our own realities and truths. Down with the cinema of facts! Onward with the cinema of truth!