Starsuckers

director: Chris Atkins, UK 2009, 1h 43min

When the media makes a star - they make you the sucker.

Starsuckers is the most controversial documentary of the year, and was released in British cinemas in November 2009 to critical acclaim. It's a darkly humourous and shocking exposé of the celebrity obsessed media, that uncovers the real reasons behind our addiction to fame and blows the lid on the corporations and individuals who profit from it. Directed by Chris Atkins, BAFTA nominated for Taking Liberties, Starsuckers exploded into the news in October when it emerged that the team had been selling fake celebrity stories to all the British Tabloids. This became a news sensation in it's own right, and was followed by the darker revelation that Atkins had secretly filmed four journalists for three Sunday tabloids trying to buy medical records. The filmmakers also stung Max Clifford, who the film shows boasting about his clients on undercover camera. When Clifford found out, he hired the infamous law firm Carter Ruck and threatened to injunct the film which would have prevented it's release. The film ends with a damning critique of Bob Geldof's Live Aid and the star-studded Live 8 concerts in 2005.