Special Slamdance Coverage: Dave Markey

I never met or even heard of Bill Bartell before watching this documentary, but darn if filmmaker Dave Markey doesn't bring him to life in his brilliant film, THE SECRET LIVES OF BILL BARTELL. The film is a kaleidoscope of events and people; you'll think it's a mockumentary before realizing that...it's all true.

It is a testament to the craft of Dave that he creates such a stunning documentary about a unique subject, and we get into how he's sustained a career in music, punk rock, and documentary. The film had its world premiere at Slamdance 2025.

In this episode, we discuss:

the story behind THE SECRET LIVES OF BILL BARTELL;

how he got involved in filmmaking and got the skillset to make such a genre-breaking film;

creating the intentional rush the viewer gets from watching the film -- "I wanted to make the experience I had with him in real life";

how the film came together over 30 years and his use of a mockumentary structure;

his thoughts on funding and distributing his own films over the years;

the future of documentary filmmaking and the possibility of AI;

why Slamdance and why the Breakout Features category;

will LGBTQ films be harder to make in the future?

Dave's Indie Film/Filmmaker Highlights: HARLEY FLANAGAN: WIRED FOR CHAOS (2024) dir. by Rex Miller; 40 WATTS FROM NOWHERE (2025) dir. by Sue Carpenter; DEBARGE (2025) dir. by Matthew Siretta; Sean Baker

Links:

Follow THE SECRET LIVES OF BILL BARTELL On Instagram

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