"JEFFTOWNE"
A DOCUMENTARY MOTION PICTURE BY DANIEL KRAUS

Jefftowne available now on DVD. Purchase today!

BACKGROUND

"Jefftowne", a feature-length documentary film, was shot on 16mm film in Iowa City, Iowa in 1997 and had its world premiere at the prestigious 1998 Slamdance Film Festival, as one of only 13 films chosen from over 2000 submissions.

"Jefftowne" went on to play at dozens of international film festivals, and won the Grand Prize at the 1998 New York Underground Film Festival. It received rave reviews from such institutions as CNN, NPR, Details, Spin, The Village Voice, Filmmaker magazine, and Film Threat.

"Jefftowne" has recently been acquired by Troma Entertainment, who screened the film at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2001. It will be available on VHS and DVD at video stores nationwide in January 2002.

SYNOPSIS OF "JEFFTOWNE"

"Jefftowne" is a feature-length documentary motion picture about Jeff Towne, a 38-year-old man with Down's Syndrome. Jeff is a controversial character, for he is the opposite of the child-like, sympathetic handicapped person so often seen in the media. Instead, Jeff drinks heavily, indulges in pornography, and occasionally engages in petty theft.

The film follows approximately one year in Jeff's life. He spends part of his time with his 96-year-old adopted mother, Genevieve. She is wheelchair-bound, plays her organ in her free time, and tries desperately to communicate with Jeff, who can only speak through grunts. She desperately pins their financial future on the certainty that they will win the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes.

Jeff spends the rest of his days at the local mall movie theater. The employees there have become a sort of surrogate family for Jeff. They watch out for him and joke around with him. Their casualness with Jeff is sometimes startling - they ridicule him gently as they would with any friend. To outsiders, of course, this can be shocking at first.

The film follows Jeff's daily routine and daily troubles, including his poor leg circulation and constant dental troubles. It also follows several high points in Jeff's life, including his encounters with two celebrities -- William Shatner and Hulk Hogan.

"Jefftowne" is unflinching, but compassionate. If shows Jeff as he is - not perfect, but undeniably Jeff.

SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS

¤ Slamdance International Film Festival
     1 of 13 feature films presented, culled from over 1,300 entries

¤ New York Underground Film Festival
     WINNER, "Festival Choice Award"

¤ Cannes Film Festival Market
     presented by Troma Entertainment

¤ Connecticut Independent Film Festival
     Closing Night Feature

¤ Cucalorus Film Festival
     Opening Night Feature

¤ Leeds International Film Festival, UK

¤ GAGA Festival, Berlin, Germany

¤ Clair-Obscur International Film Festival, Sweden

¤ Chicago Underground Film Festival

¤ Atlanta Film Festival

¤ Tulsa Film Festival

¤ Iowa Film Festival

¤ sold-out bookings in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham, NC

¤ clips of "Jefftowne" have appeared on CNN and NPR

PUBLISHED REVIEWS OF "JEFFTOWNE"

"Keep your fingers crossed for JEFFTOWNE... a documentary that left audiences alternately SPEECHLESS and HYSTERICAL."

DETAILS
"Conveys something fundamental and PAINFULLY HUMAN about living within the confines of psychological diminishment."
VILLAGE VOICE
"*****... This is one of the rare documentaries that actually accomplishes its goals. JEFFTOWNE heads into new territory that TRULY ASTONISHES."
BEHIND THE SCENES
"**** Whenever we get too comfortable, Kraus SHOCKS us back ...a COMPLEX, DELICATE, HUMOROUS film."
FILM THREAT
"Intensely human, FASCINATING, challenges our presumptions... The ultimate film of the Downs Syndrome demographic."
PAPER
"One of our most CONTROVERSIAL films."
CHICAGO UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
"A bitter little corrective to sentimentality."
FILMMAKER
"A portrait that is all things: SHOCKING, AMBIGUOUS, OFFENSIVE, TRAGIC, as well as uplifting -- and not necessarily in that order. Don't expect to see a Forrest Slingbladed Rainman; JEFFTOWNE is UNCOMPROMISING in its depiction."
BIJOU THEATER
"LITTLE ANTI-CHRIST ON THE PRAIRIE... I watched it three times."
SPIN ON-LINE
"VIVA THE NEW FILMMAKER!!! An entertaining and IMPORTANT film of PURITY and INSIGHT, a film that makes us feel we have more in common than we ever dreamed."
SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
"Will leave you bewildered and almost IN SHOCK... a great story, A MOVING FILM."
REEL CAROLINA
"A revealing documentary, alternately POIGNANT and DISTURBING, yet marked by hope, desire, and a belief in the future."
ENCORE
"At once disturbing and heartwarming, JEFFTOWNE is a refreshing, entertaining character study."
ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL
"It ain't exactly "Life Goes On". JEFFTOWNE veers dangerously close to 'tardsploitation, but shows that retarded guys are more like the rest of us than we probably want to know."
NEW YORK UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL
"Watching JEFFTOWNE is neither a joyous or uplifting experience. It is, however, an IMPORTANT experience in which director Daniel Kraus takes us inside a world we might have not otherwise seen. There is ultimately a reward to be reaped from JEFFTOWNE."
CUCALORUS FILM FESTIVAL
"RISKY... Poignant, personal, and honest."
INDIEWIRE
"Overcomes exploitative premise... JEFFTOWNE is not out to make judgments on its subject, or how people treat him. It simply turns the camera on, and takes in a few instances in the place we call The Real World. Porno and all."
DAILY IOWAN
"HILARIOUS, DISTURBING, and POIGNANT. Far from likable at times, but amusing as hell. Kraus captures it all with a fresh, sympathetic, yet always investigative eye, which mixes the easier-to-swallow episodes with the risqué, occasionally pissed-off escapades."
SHOCK CINEMA