Fursonas documentary out now – one of the top Furry News stories of the year.

by Patch O'Furr

Here’s one of those media events where a story catches on and gets a lot of coverage at once.  That used to happen very rarely.  Now it’s happening every month or so in 2016, “The Year of Furry.”  The director, Dominic (Video Wolf) is killing it with interviews and promotion.

Those headlines will make some whiskers twitch!  I think the movie isn’t made just to cause a stir. It’s an honest and well told story aimed at your brain and heart.  (More about this below).  For info from other furries, see these:

 

Coming soon – a special announcement about Fursonas, with partnership between Dogpatch Press and a high profile special event.

 

First, see the movie with a Furry audience at Biggest Little Fur Con in Reno.

The show is Saturday 5/14, 1-2 PM.  From the con events schedule:

“Fursonas is a four-year exploration into the complexities of furry fandom. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January, where it received the Spirit of Slamdance Award for bringing positive energy into the festival. Since then, the film has shown in select theaters across America to both furry and non-furry audiences… This special screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Video.”

A fan comment says why Fursonas stands out as both a good Furry movie and a Good Movie:

“This film is like no other furry fandom documentary. Rather than focusing on just the innocent facade Uncle Kage puts the furry fandom behind, This film puts you into the minds of many different members of the fandom; furries who are well known and admired to ones who are criticized for their conceivably “unfavorable” lifestyles. You will be shuffled between opinions as you watch the film shift its tone, leaving you with mixed emotions and showing nothing but the truth. This film is undeniably worth the watch!” – (Caffeinated_water)

About those fur-raising headlines – just my opinion.

The movie is being characterized from some writers as a “whistleblower” piece, or a takedown story about dictatorship by Uncle Kage, the CEO of Anthrocon.

Yes and No.  There’s a lot more than Kage in it, but he serves as a focal point.

The movie does criticize how some furries’ personal expression has gotten the outcast treatment.  That’s paradoxical to acceptance.  But in my opinion, the judgy treatment represents community tendencies more than one guy’s domination.  He’s not a villain.

I sympathize with the movie.  I also respect Kage, especially with last year’s PR coup of getting a Furry parade celebrated on the streets of Pittsburgh.  I think he’s doing a job and his heart’s in the right place.  He also makes the same mistakes as the rest of us when saying personal opinions in official capacity.

I also think the movie’s criticism is fairly gentle, letting words speak for themselves.

“Exposing the David Miscavige of Furries”  compares Kage to a leader of Scientology.  I think that’s grossly exaggerated by that writer.  Furries aren’t a cult, nobody is forced to be here, and there’s little exploitation without real ranks.

Dominic was banned from Anthrocon for using con footage without permission.  Permission wouldn’t happen without giving up extreme editorial control over his work.  Con organizers have admitted not watching the movie when they made the ban.

On one hand, the ban make’s Dominic’s point. On the other hand, it’s not exactly dictating if they’ve been put in the position of needing to be strict.  Who’s most to blame for this?  Society!  If furries weren’t a target for misrepresentation, it wouldn’t be such an issue.  The con can’t just look the other way for one person, because “big media” could get away with more.

Dominic made a conscious choice to use footage against the rule.  I think his choice is legit to get his movie out, because his heart’s in the right place too. It reminds me of pirate radio vs. FCC regulation, or local craft food vs. the FDA. It’s not bad to have regulations – it’s bad when individuals can’t have freedom without overdone standards meant for big business.

Lastly, I think there’s more dubious cherrypicking by a writer here: “‘The Lion King’ is an extraordinarily sexual film”: Inside the fascinating, misunderstood world of furries.  That’s an unfortunate quote out of context.  But that kind of risk is just part of having something worthy to promote.  Check the interviews – I think Dominic is doing a fantastic job and not “scandalmongering” or discrediting people.

See the movie for yourself and make up your own mind.