Point and Shoot
The struggle for political freedom and personal transformation
In 2006, Matt VanDyke, a timid 28—year—old with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, left home in Baltimore and set off on a self—described “crash course in manhood”. He bought a motorcycle and a video camera and began a three—year, 35,000—mile motorcycle trip through Northern Africa and the Middle East. While traveling, he struck up an unlikely friendship with a Libyan hippie, and when revolution broke out in Libya, Matt joined his friend in the fight against dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
With a gun in one hand and a camera in the other, Matt fought in — and filmed — the war until he was captured by Gaddafi forces and held in solitary confinement for six months. Two—time Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker, Marshall Curry, tells this harrowing and sometimes humorous story of a young man’s struggle for political revolution and personal transformation.
Director
Marshall Curry
Producer
Marshall Curry, Elizabeth Martin, and Matthew Vandyke
Runtime
83 Minutes
Rights Represented
International Rights
Captions Available
English
Language
English
Press
“A gripping non-fiction thriller. Riveting…suspenseful, densely edited…an extraordinary and quietly disturbing film.”
- The Hollywood Reporter
“The tale told in Point and Shoot is a virtual swashbuckler… a subtle, but nonetheless eloquent critique not just of one man’s compulsions, but a culture’s. Grade: A”
- IndieWire
“Both an affecting account of VanDyke’s existential pursuit of self-definition, and a visceral report on ‘the most filmed war in history’, it’s a dizzyingly brilliant work.”
- The Guardian
“Director Marshall Curry’s phenomenal documentary…shrewdly melds his interview with VanDyke with his subject’s own footage to show how he became empowered. It is an exciting, worthwhile journey full of harrowing escapes and escapades.”
- Salon.com
Festival & Awards
WINNER – Grand Jury Prize – Best Documentary TRIBECA Film Festival
Special Jury Prize – BOSTON Film Festival
Official Selection HOT DOCS Film Festival
Nominee – GOTHAM Independent Film Awards
Nominee – International Documentary Association Awards
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