As “Kony 2012” became one of the most rapidly spread viral videos in online video history, the group of filmmakers incorporated under the name Invisible Children, raised eyebrows and questions for many who saw the video. The group of three San Diego filmmakers have made hundreds of films vaguely addressing the social unrest in Uganda.
Reports are that last night, Invisible Children filmmaker and “Kony 2012” star Jason Russell was arrested for allegedly masturbating in public and vandalizing cars while intoxicated.
Last week, Indiewire took a closer look at what people were saying about the organization, and even defended the organization on some points (Hey, it’s not that uncommon for filmmakers to not spend all of their money on their films, and none or very little on their subjects!).
As people the world over began to take a closer look at the organization (and sift through their more than 200 videos), some really strange things came up. For instance, the organization produced a slick “High School Musical” spoof in 2006 to promote a nationwide awareness-raising town square sleep-in. With vague gestures towards the issue they claimed they were raising awareness for, people were given further evidence to question whether the filmmakers had the best of intentions.
UK television personality Charlie Brooker dellivered a fantastic tirade against the organizations dubious intentions, too. In it, he includes footage of a visit to Liberty University, where Russell speaks about the craft of making an evangelical Christian message palatable to a broad audience.
Things also didn’t fare very well when a group of Ugandan citizens were shown the “Kony 2012” hit.
Will it all be unveiled as a cruel hoax? One couldn’t possibly have imagined a more bizarre unfolding of events.
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