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OREM, Utah (AP) -- A documentary tracking the controversy generated by filmmaker Michael Moore's visit to Utah Valley State will be released on DVD this summer.
"This Divided State" will be available in Utah this August, and released nationwide in September, said the filmmaker, Steve Greenstreet.
Greenstreet documented the battle over Moore's invitation and the use of student funds to cover his $40,000 speaking fee for a visit just before the November presidential election. It eventually spurred an invitation to conservative broadcaster Sean Hannity to also speak at UVSC to provide political balance. Hannity waived his usual speaking fee, although the school paid for security and travel, and publicly challenged Moore to face off in a campus debate.
Greenstreet dropped his courses at nearby Brigham Young University in the fall of 2004 as the controversy heated up.
He formed a production company, Minority Films, and spent hundreds of hours on the film -- recording scenes on campus, interviewing people in their homes and editing footage.
Communication students from UVSC also helped.
The final product was screened in February at UVSC without a distributor.
About a month later, Greenstreet began a nationwide tour of college campuses. He showed "This Divided State" for the launch of Campus Progress, part of The Center for American Progress. About 300 people were in the audience for each screening, he said. The film was shown at about 20 colleges and universities
Greenstreet recently returned from the 2005 Santa Cruz Film Festival, where "This Divided State" received the audience award for Best Documentary Feature.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
