Who is Gatsby Randolph
WRITTEN BY - Marcus Turner & Kobie ‘Gatsby’ Randolph
DIRECTED BY : Kobie ‘Gatsby’ Randloph
About the Film
Up for 2021 Oscar consideration in Best Documentary and Best Film categories, Who is Gatsby Randolph is a funny, poignant wild ride through the red carpets and hills of Hollywood with unfettered access to all the glitz and glamour the city is built on.
Hollywood is well known for glamour, extravagance, and endless paparazzi, but the journey to success is easily overlooked. Who is Gatsby Randolph is the entertaining and ironic story of aspiring music producer Kobie Randolph’s alter ego, Gatsby Randolph, and his road to breaking into the entertainment industry.
The film follows Kobie / Gatsby as he flies on a one-way ticket from Tennessee to LA for a once-in-a-lifetime deal, only to watch it fall apart and be left standing on the sidewalk in Hollywood with no options. Ever the chameleon, Kobie invents the alter-ego ‘Gatsby Randolph’, a fictitious celebrity, and quickly sets a course to conquer the city that had all but slammed the door on his dreams.
The documentary includes many “A” list names – such as Beyonce, Jeff Bezos, Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Z, Steven Spielberg, and Kanye West amongst others – and takes the audience through Gatsby’s journey as he talks his way into some of the most exclusive parties in Hollywood.
Cast:
Where to View
Film Details
Completed : May 2019
Theatrical Release : February 2023
Budget : $750,000 USD
Running Time : 80 mins
Country of Origin : USA
Screener Link : Click here (password required)
Genre : Documentary
Director’s Statement
Marcus Turner is known for Marco Polo (2008), Who Is Gatsby Randolph (2019) and The Candy Shop (2008). Mr. Turner graduated Cum Laude from The University of Cincinnati’s Communications Arts program and attended New York University’s MFA in Film program. Before joining The New School faculty, Marcus taught Film Production and Film Studies at The City University of New York and Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. His research and teaching interests are in African American Narrative and Documentary film, French and Asian World Cinema and Jazz in Literature and Film. On the professional side, his passion for storytelling began on the set of the seminal Spike Lee film “She's Gotta Have It”. An Emmy nominated director, Mr. Turner has worked for more than twenty years as a producer, director and writer on commercials, music videos and public service announcements through his own Burnt Toast Films production company. His directorial effort "Et Tu Brutus" won a CLIO Award and his work with the Parisian super group Bisso Na Bisso won the All Africa Kora Award for Best Director. Recently Mr. Turner produced the television series “Sharp Talk” hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, as well the documentary “No Justice, No Peace”, a film exploring errant police behaviour and the United States criminal justice system.
Movie Poster
Reviews
"Hotly tipped for consideration in the Best Documentary and Best Film category at the 2021 Oscars, 'Who Is Gatsby Randolph' is a warts and all, fly on the wall account of what really goes down once the stars disappear behind the chaos of the red carpet and zinging flashlights to party like the Romans minus the paparazzi."
SCENESTR | Read full review
"Randolph has a great presence on camera he is clearly part business and part magician. Who else but a magician would be able to go to the lengths that was needed to get some of the footage for this movie over the course of several years (as it was pointed out at the end of the movie) which explains the mockumentary feel, the blurring of the line between feature and documentary makes me feel uncomfortable to definitively label this as a documentary because it is more then that and because of my own preconceived notions of what a documentary is. It is great to be put in a cinematic position by filmmakers and that way I am able to say Who is Gatsby Randolph? is unlike anything I have seen before. I found myself laughing throughout the movie and was led by the hand into ‘it is so crazy that must be true’ territory."
The Movie Boards | Read full review
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