Ron Galella was the original American paparazzo, a social pariah and celebrity scourge. But at 79, he now feels like more of a pop idol himself and, surprisingly, an artist.
Director: Leon Gast
In-person: director Leon Gast and producer Adam Schlesinger
Fest Year: 2010
Ron Galella is not anyone’s idea of a hero. He’s been called a pest and a parasite, been punched in the face by Marlon Brando and lost a lawsuit to Jackie O. But no one ever said that being the godfather of American paparazzi was going to be easy. The world of cell phone cameras and TMZ has no place for a showman like Ron, but that doesn’t stop him, at 79, from working the red carpets with his wide-angle lens. And, over the years, as his shutter has clicked tens of thousands of times from the bushes and sidewalks, Ron has slowly achieved that most unlikely of transformations: He’s become an artist. As Leon Gast (When We Were Kings) teases Ron’s amazing life story out of him, we begin to feel almost nostalgic for a time when paparazzi processed their own film and engaged in a dance with their celebrity prey. (DW)