Chasing Chasing Amy, Kevin Smith Documentary That Was a Hit at Film Festivals, Gets a Distribution Deal

The film centers on the production of, and reception to, Smith's 1997 romantic comedy Chasing Amy.

By Russ Burlingame

Chasing Chasing Amy, a documentary looks at the complicated legacy of Kevin Smith's 1997 romantic comedy Chasing Amy, has been picked up for world sales by Level 33 Entertainment. The movie has played at dozens of film festivals since it was completed last year, and was named to the Popcorn List (which celebrates the best movies with no distributor). Chasing Chasing Amy marks the feature film debut of Sav Rodgers, who credits the movie with saving his life. Much of the movie will focus on "the transformational impact of the rom-com on a 12-year-old queer kid from Kansas, coming of age and to terms with his identity," according to Variety, who first reported news of the distribution deal.

Chasing Amy, which centered on a straight man (Ben Affleck) pursuing a relationship with a lesbian woman (Joey Lauren Adams), was praised upon its release for being that rare 1990s movie that featured queer characters who weren't there exclusively as punchlines. Over the years, though, criticism of the film emerged, arguing that centering a straight male did a disservice to the queer characters the movie was trying to elevate. The movie is a favorite for fans of Smith's movies, but remains controversial in the LGBTQ+ community.

Characters from Chasing Amy had follow-up cameos in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back and Jay & Silent Bob Reboot.

On Thursday, July 20th, the filmmakers behind Chasing Chasing Amy will have a panel at Comic Con International in San Diego. Here's the official panel description:

5:30pm – 6:30pm (Indigo Ballroom) — "Chasing 'Chasing Amy'": How Fandom Inspires Creativity 

Related:

How can a deep love of a movie result in bold new work? How meta can a documentary about loving a movie become? See for yourself by joining us for a conversation about the new Tribeca Film Festival selected documentary Chasing Chasing Amy and how one closeted queer kid's love of Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy resulted in the journey of a lifetime. 

Moderated by Chasing Amy director Kevin Smith, this conversation focuses on the creation and ideation of Chasing Chasing Amy, how art inspires life and inspires art again, and how art's meaning evolves over time. Panelists include Award-winning filmmaker/subject Sav Rodgers ("Out Here in Kansas," "Dragtivists"), principal subject Regina "Riley" Rodgers ("The Remus Gang"), lesbian writer and culture critic Trish Bendix, and writer/YouTuber Princess Weekes.

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