Bumfights

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Bumfights: Cause for Concern is an independent video originally created by Indecline in documentary style showing homeless people ("bums") fighting and attempting amateur stunts in exchange for money, alcohol, and other incentives. Homeless people were actually hurt in the making of these videos and had no stunt doubles. The film was produced by Ryan McPherson, Zachary Bubeck, Daniel J. Tanner, and Michael Slyman, and has been distributed mainly over the Internet. In 2003, Indecline sold the rights to another company, who in turn credited the pseudonyms "Shannon Muston" and "Taylor White" as the creators. The videos have proven to be highly controversial. They have been banned in a number of countries, felony and misdemeanor charges have been filed against the producers along with civil lawsuits. The filmmakers maintain that the production of the video was a mutually beneficial arrangement and that the homeless people depicted freely chose to participate.

In July 2004, four teenagers in Melbourne, Australia, faced murder charges after they set fire to a homeless man's makeshift shelter, supposedly inspired by the Bumfights videos. In August 2005, two 19-year-old men attacked homeless Los Angeles residents with baseball bats, saying they were inspired by Bumfights.

In April 2006, the four filmmakers agreed to pay three men depicted in the videos and not to produce any more "Bumfights" videos or distribute videos already made, under a settlement announced as a lawsuit was to go to trial.

Bumfights videos

• Bumfights: Cause for Concern (2002)
• Bumfights 2: Bumlife (2003)
• Bumfights 3: The Felony Footage (2004)

Popular Culture

• In one episode of the 2003 remake of Dragnet, the case investigated is strongly based on the Bumfights videos (called "Bum Wars" in the episode).
• In the episode of American Dad, Threat Levels, Stan begins a Bumfights Federation for himself, staging Bumfights on his own street, in a wrestling ring and giving the competitors professional wrestling-style personas and nicknames.

See also

• Hunting For Bambi

External links

• [IndeclineFilms]
• [www.bumfights.com — Bumfights homepage]
• [Review of the video at Rotten.com]
• [Interview with Bumfights creator Ryen McPherson]

 

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