For filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, “keeping it real” is more than just a phrase — it’s the philosophy that drives him to write, direct and star in his documentaries.
Spurlock will be the featured speaker for the Assembly Series at 7 p.m. April 1 in Graham Chapel. The event, sponsored by Congress of the South 40, is free and open to the public.
Spurlock achieved fame for his Academy Award-nominated documentary, “Super Size Me.” In it, he uses himself as a guinea pig to document what happens when a person consumes nothing but fast food for a month. After three square meals per day, Spurlock became twenty-five pounds heavier and suffered liver dysfunction and depression. His results helped stir a much-needed awareness of the danger of fast food.
“Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” is Spurlock’s attempt to track down the world’s most wanted terrorist by journeying to North Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He also produced “What Would Jesus Buy?” which examines the commercialization of Christmas in America. He is currently working on a film titled “Freakanomics.”
Besides his work in documentary film and television, Spurlock also is a playwright and the author of “Don’t Eat This Book.” A native of West Virginia, Spurlock earned a BFA in film from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.