Written by John Finn 330-263-2145 Email Story | Print Story

October 14, 2003

Michael Moore

WOOSTER, Ohio — Controversial author, filmmaker, and political activist Michael Moore will present “Bowling for Columbine: America’s Culture of Fear and its Consequences” at the next Wooster Forum event on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Because of the overwhelming response to Moore’s scheduled appearance, the site has been changed to the Armington Physical Education Center (1267 Beall Ave.). A TICKET IS REQUIRED AND ALL TICKETS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED.

The producer of such documentaries as “Bowling for Columbine” and “Roger and Me,” Moore is also the author of Stupid White Men…and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation, Downsize This! Random Threats from an Unarmed American, and the recently released Dude, Where’s My Country. In advance of his appearance in Wooster, two of Moore’s documentaries, “Bowling for Columbine” and “Roger and Me,” will be shown on Friday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m., respectively, in the auditorium of Mateer Hall (931 College Mall). There will also be a talkback session with Dina Berger, assistant professor of history, Heather Fitz Gibbon, associate professor of sociology and coordinator of the women’s studies program, and Mark Weaver, professor of political science, on Monday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. in the pit at Lowry Center.

Born in 1954 to Irish-Catholic parents in Davison, Mich., Moore developed an interest in politics while in high school, when two significant events shaped his future as a political activist: receiving a merit badge as an Eagle Scout for a slide show that exposed environmentally unfriendly businesses in Flint, and becoming one of the youngest people in the United States to be elected to public office when he won a seat on Flint’s School Board at the age of 18 in 1972.

After a brief stint at University of Michigan-Flint, Moore dropped out to focus on activism and journalism. He worked for the Flint Voice, an alternative weekly newspaper, and eventually assumed the position of editor. Under his leadership the publication became the Michigan Voice, one of the most respected alternative political publications in the Midwest. From there, Moore was lured to Mother Jones magazine, where he became editor in 1986, but after a dispute with publishers he was fired, reportedly for refusing to run an article critical of the Sandanista rebels in Nicaragua that Moore believed was both inflammatory and inaccurate.

Moore’s breakthrough project was “Roger & Me,” a documentary set in Flint, Mich., that chronicled the collapse of the local economy following the closing of General Motors’ Flint plants despite their continued profitability. In the film, Moore and his crew repeatedly fail to get General Motors chairman Roger Smith to agree to an interview, but the film itself became a major critical and financial success and was honored at a number of film festivals.

Other projects for Moore included serving as an interviewer in the production of “Blood in the Face,” a documentary about extremist White Power groups, and producing a sequel to “Roger & Me,” titled “Roger & Me — Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint.” In 1994, Moore tried television with the satiric news and commentary program “TV Nation,” which aired first on NBC and later on Fox. In 1998, he produced “The Big One,” a documentary based on Downsize This! that explored the economic inequality in America. In 1999, Moore returned to television with “The Awful Truth,” a blend of comedy and pointed political commentary that aired for two seasons in the U.S.

In the spring of 2002, Stupid White Men was published and quickly become a major bestseller. Later that year, Moore released his fourth feature film, “Bowling for Columbine.” It was the first documentary to be shown in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 46 years, and was honored with the festival’s Jury Award. Subsequently becoming the most financially successful documentary in the history of film, “Bowling for Columbine” won an Oscar in 2003, and Moore used his acceptance speech as a forum for public criticism of President George W. Bush and the war against Iraq, which had been launched only a few days before.

The final Forum event will be “Antigone: The Rock Musical,” a production by The College of Wooster’s department of theatre on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 30-31, at 8:15 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. in Freedlander Theatre (329 E. University St.). To reserve tickets, call 330-263-2241.

For additional information about the Wooster Forum, call 330-263-2132.