Hollywood Reporter - Kevin Smith: The indie director is being honored for facing issues through his art

by Mona Mansour
Quick quiz: What filmmaker has brought to the screen: a) two self-described “hetero life partners,” b) a sexual encounter with a dead man in a convenience store bathroom and c) Alanis Morissette as God, crouching down to smell flowers and celebrate Her handiwork?

The answer, of course, is New Jersey’s Kevin Smith. There is simply no other writer-director who can attest to the originality of Smith’s vision.

Smith burst onto the scene with 1994’s “Clerks,” a black-and-white film shot after hours at his then place of employment. His portrayal of two guys working dead-end jobs in a convenience store–and the freaky friends and patrons they encounter on an average day–struck a chord with audiences and critics, picking up awards at Sundance and Cannes.

Smith followed his auspicious debut with “Mallrats” (1995), “Chasing Amy” (1997), “Dogma” (1999) and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001). His recent projects include the upcoming fall feature “Jersey Girl,” starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, and “Fletch Won,” which is in preproduction.

Throughout his career, Smith has managed to convey an unmistakable point of view, with characters discussing everything from whether cookie stands are indeed part of the food court to whether Lois Lane’s uterus is capable of carrying Superman’s child. It’s quite fitting that the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival will present “Freedom in the Arts: An Evening with Kevin Smith” on Saturday, as part of its HBO programming.

“Comedy can be a sharp form of social comment and criticism,” festival founder and executive director Stu Smiley says. “Our Freedom of Speech programming acknowledges artists who have used their art and craft to speak out on social issues. In comedy, the freedom of speech really means the freedom to create satire or lampoon institutions, without fear of censorship. Much of comedy, at its best, is social satire.”

Smith’s social satire is perhaps most evident in “Dogma,” in which two banished angels from heaven rush to a New Jersey church where they’ll be given a second chance to re-enter heaven.

In the film, a “disgruntled” apostle, played by Chris Rock, offers his take on religion: “People only want to hear the good shit–life eternal, a place in God’s heaven–but as soon as you hear that you’re getting all this good shit from a black Jesus, you freak. And that, my friends, is called hypocrisy. A black man can steal your stereo, but he can’t be your savior.”

Smith’s frankness has, of course, earned him his share of controversy. “Dogma” was dropped by Miramax (and sold to Lions Gate) after its parent company, Buena Vista, received flak from religious groups who claimed the film was anti-Catholic.

When asked if today’s political climate puts freedom of speech at even greater risk, Smiley responds: “Freedom of speech is always in danger of being chipped away when a country faces uncertain times. Although, I don’t think there has been an institutional diminishment of liberties. I think it’s fair to say the current climate has made people more aware of what they say and how they say it.”

But even for Smith, there are limits to what he will put in his films: “You’ll never hear my characters talk about how they like Variety better than The Hollywood Reporter,” he says.