Fresh from its screenings at Sundance and Berlin, Exit Through The Gift Shop arrives in Glasgow trailing clouds of glory. The elusive street artist Banksy has created a wonderfully playful, inventive documentary that purports to be all about him but is actually more about his obsessive former associate Thierry 'Terry ' Guetta, the nature of celebrity and the gullibility of the modern art world. Guetta is a Frenchman living in Los Angeles who set himself the task of befriending and filming every street artist he could find. Banksy was the prize catch. Once they met in 2006, Guetta become Banksy's most devoted fan. Unfortunately, he maybe wasn't Banksy's most talented fan although he was encouraged to assume he personality of 'Mr Brainwash' and create a truly hilarious exhibition in the derelict CBS studios in Los Angeles where he aped the work of Warhol, Jackson Pollock and, you've guessed it, Banksy. Surely the art establishment wouldn't be fooled by such an obvious fraud and prankster? Would they? Little did Banksy realise what a monster he had created, or did he? Painfully funny, cruelly close to the truth and completely unmissable.
Thanks To Revolver
Note: This film replaces the previously advertised screening of Corso: The Last Beat which was cancelled due to circumstances beyond the festival's control.