Startup.com (2001)

Directors:

Chris Hegedus
Jehane Noujaim

Release Date:

25 May 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

The rise and fall of the American dream.

Plot:

Traces the birth and failure of new media company govWorks.com.

Plot Keywords:

Business | Venture Capital | Friendship | Childhood Friend | Entrepreneur

Awards:

10 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Kaleil Isaza Tuzman	...	Himself
Tom Herman	...	Himself
Kenneth Austin	...	Himself
Tricia Burke	...	Herself
Roy Burston	...	Himself
David Camp	...	Himself
Dora Glottman	...	Herself
Julian Herbstein	...	Himself
Christina Ortez	...	Herself
Jonathan Angus	...	Himself
Chieh Cheung	...	Himself
Sean Coar	...	Himself
Ambika Conroy	...	Herself
Patrick Cromer	...	Himself
Jerry Greenberg	...	Himself
Richard Herman	...	Himself
Susan Herman	...	Herself
Tia Herman	...	Herself
Bob Higgins	...	Himself
Maynard Jackson	...	Himself
Brian Locke	...	Himself
Bryan Mundy	...	Himself
Spyros Poulios	...	Himself
Marvin Pritchett	...	Himself
Robert Tisch	...	Himself
Ani Tuzman	...	Herself
Kathy Wylde	...	Herself
Kristen Kimball	...	Herself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Neil Cavuto	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bill Clinton	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Chris Hegedus
Jehane Noujaim

Produced by
Chris Hegedus	....	executive producer
Rebecca Marshall	....	associate producer
Jehane Noujaim	....	executive producer
D.A. Pennebaker	....	producer
Frazer Pennebaker	....	executive producer
Edward Rugoff	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Jehane Noujaim

Film Editing by
Pedro Pablo Celedón
Chris Hegedus
Erez Laufer
Jehane Noujaim

Art Department
Jared Goldfeder	....	property master

Sound Department
Chris Hegedus	....	sound
Jacob Ribicoff	....	sound editor
Dominick Tavella	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Nick Doob	....	additional video
Mona Eldaief	....	additional video
Chris Hegedus	....	additional video
D.A. Pennebaker	....	additional video
Jojo Pennebaker	....	additional video (as John Paul Pennebaker)
Andrew Sachs	....	additional video
Rosadel Varela	....	additional video

Editorial Department
David Gauff	....	online editor
Michael Hatzer	....	color timer

Music Department
Sherief Elkatsha	....	music consultant
Kit Pennebaker	....	musical consultant

Other crew
Karen Shatzkin	....	legal services
Andrew Rossi	....	consulting attorney (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Noujaim Films
• Pennebaker Hegedus Films

Distributors

• International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (IDFA) (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Artificial Eye
• Artisan Entertainment
• Madman Entertainment (2002) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Diamond Time  music clearances

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language

Runtime:

107 min | Argentina:105 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Germany:o.Al. | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Highland Capital Partners - Two International Place, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Noujaim Films

Trivia:

"The Competitor" who is donning the govWorks.com cap, Bryan R. Mundy of ezGov.com, died in a house fire six days before the movie premiered at Sundance.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Dot (2002)

Soundtrack:

Sofa Rockers

On the whole, a solid, respectable fairly fulfilling though uninsightful piece of journalism.

Actually, to correct the plot outline above this movie does NOT "trace the birth and success...of new media company govWorks.com." Rather, it douments the rise and fall of a company whose fortunes seem to accurately reflect the demise of 1000s of similar dotcom start-ups. I saw the video on tape and not in a theater and thought the lack of art and panache in the news-like cinema verite photography was disappointing, but the story does deliver. The relationship between the protagonists--then antagonists--who founded and ran govWorks.com makes for compelling viewing and substantial response even weeks after the story-telling. The docu relies on the screen-filling charisma and intelligence of Kaleil Tuzman, CEO of the start-up company guarantees to drive the narrative. His former roommate Jehane Noujaim produced, directed and shot the feature doc with veteran Chris Hegedus, but it would not have been possible w/out Noujaim's access to the primary subject, Tuzman.

Interestingly, feature stories and reviews in the NY media describe Tuzmnan as both Hindu and as a "Latino Jew." It's exactly the type of detail missing in a doc that does not rely on narration to fill in the blanks.

On the whole, a solid, respectable fairly fulfilling though uninsightful piece of journalism.