This Divided State 2005This Divided State is a documentary by first-time filmmaker Steven Greenstreet that details the conflict that erupted at Utah Valley State College in 2004. This conflict dealt with a speaking invitation from the student council of the school to filmmaker and political activist Michael Moore.
Following the invitation to speak, events escalated in their intensity. Student petitions circulated, demonstrations took place, and local citizen Kay Andersen offered $25,000 to the student body to cancel the engagement. When this attempt failed, Andersen attempted to sue UVSC's student body.
In an attempt to appease controversy, conservative political pundit Sean Hannity was invited to speak in order to provide balance to the political views being advocated on campus. Though Hannity waived his normal $100,000 speakers fee, he nevertheless demanded the university cover his travel expenses, which were actually greater than Moore's $40,000 speaker's fee.[1]
After completing the film and premiering it at Utah Valley State College, the liberal organization Center for American Progress chose the film for its "Reel Progress" series, where Greenstreet introduced the film and led discussions about it on more than 20 college campuses including Yale University, New York University and the University of Southern California.
Afterward, Bryan Young and Elias Pate, key figures in the production of the film, arranged a "self-distributed" theatrical release. This Divided State played in more than 20 major U.S. cities including New York City and Los Angeles. The film ended its theatrical run on September 27, 2005, when it was released in North America on DVD by the Disinformation company.
