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It Started As A Joke is a feature documentary that chronicles the decade-long run of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival – including a final farewell show. The film celebrates Eugene’s unique brand of humor and his role in the alternative comedy movement, offers a bittersweet goodbye to an era, and reminds us of the healing properties of comedy – even in the most challenging of life’s circumstances. The film includes interviews with MICHAEL IAN BLACK, KRISTEN SCHAAL, WYATT CENAC, IRA GLASS, JOHN HODGMAN, KUMAIL NANJIANI, REGGIE WATTS and MICHAEL SHOWALTER, along with performances by JANEANE GAROFALO, JIM GAFFIGAN, JON GLASER, MIKE BIRBIGLIA, BOBCAT GOLDTHWAIT and more.
press:
“It Started As A Joke makes a lovely case that laughter is the best medicine”
“A fantastic film that is both incredibly funny and unexpectedly devastating.”
“A lovely and unexpectedly moving profile. A hidden history of alternative comedy.”
“Rarely do you get to see this side of comedians (there’s a whole lot of love, affection, and self-deprecation), which is why It Started As A Joke is the essential love letter to the alternative comedy generation.”
“A warm and inviting bio-doc of Mirman, one of the funniest and most delightful people in comedy, who put all of this together while dealing with unthinkable personal troubles. And on top of all of that, there’s a lot of really good stand-up too.”
“Both Hilarious and Heartbreaking””
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incredibly personal and really in the spirit of the alternative comedy scene, which is playful, informal and creative.
THE EUGENE MIRMAN COMEDY FESTIVAL / NEW YORK TIMES
