Christopher Bell, the director of the steroid documentary Bigger Stronger Faster, joined a panel discussion on anabolic steroids on May 3, 2008 at Pace University in New York City. “Tribeca Talks: Injecting the American Dream” was part of the Tribeca Film Festival and ESPN Sports Film Festival. The discussion was moderated by Shaun Assael, author of Steroid Nation
America’s performance-enhancing appetite has never been bigger. And it’s not just in professional sports or Hollywood. From high school locker rooms to anti-aging clinics, our nation is embracing steroids and human growth hormones like never before, spurring a furious debate about the ethics of enhancement. Join Christopher Bell, who documented his brothers’ struggle to be “the best,” BALCO founder Victor Conte, Jon Romano and Mark Haskins in a provocative discussion about the pitfalls and promise of the asterisk era, and where we go from here. Moderated by Steroid Nation author Shaun Assael.
New Yorkers have really embraced the film; this was confirmed firsthand by Anthony Roberts who had the opportunity to see Bigger Faster Stronger for the second time witnessing a large crowd of bodybuilders at the screening. Several sports writers, bloggers, and movie critics have screened the film at Tribeca and have written mostly positive reviews.
If anyone had the opportunity to attend the panel discussion, please post your reactions to the event in the comments below.
Cinematical interviewed Christopher Bell, director of “Bigger Stronger Faster*” at the Tribeca Film Festival this week. Cinematical picks up on anti-intellectual theme that pervades discussion of anabolic steroids, particularly in Congress. Chris Bell discusses how politicians (in this case, Republican Senator John Sweeney) make decisions on steroid policy.
In the movie, [New York congressman] John E. Sweeney says one of the most retarded things I’ve heard. He says that Donald Hooten, whose son Taylor committed suicide and they blamed steroids, was more important than statistics or any of that stuff. As a congressman, how can you be more concerned with emotions than statistics? If you were going to go to war based on emotions, that would be insane. We’re kinda in that situation right now.
It seems that emotion-based or faith-based policy has triumphed over policy based on science and logic again and again in the past several years. As has been said before, this documentary is about much more than the steroids. The anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism seen in the steroid debate is only a microcosm of tendencies that pervade our society. Scholars have written books
To see more of Chris Bell’s comments on anti-intellectualism, watch my video interview with him at the 2008 AFI Dallas International Film Festival.
The highly acclaimed steroid documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster*” is coming to New York City for a special screening at the Tribeca Film Festival and the ESPN Sports Film Festival. I had the opportunity to screen Bigger Stronger Faster at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival. I was impressed with the well-written and well-produced film which implored audience members to think critically about anabolic steroids while presenting interviews from a diverse group of individuals involved in both sides of the steroid debate.
If you catch the Tribeca screening, I strongly encourage you to take the time to meet with director Christopher Bell and co-producers Tamsin Rawady and Alex Buono.
“Bigger Stronger Faster*” opens today for the New York City premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival for the first of four screenings at the festival.
Sat, Apr 26, 9:00PM
Tishman Auditorium at The New School
Sun, Apr 27, 7:30PM
AMC Village VII Theater 5
Wed, Apr 30, 4:00PM
AMC Village VII Theater 2
Sat, May 03, 9:30PM
AMC 19th St. East Theater 3
