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Documentary Production and Distribution News
| Controversial Black World Documentary Released on DVD By StudentFilmmakers.com posted Sep 24, 2011, 03:36 |
Under wraps for six years, the official film about the creation of the YF-23 stealth fighter is being re-released by Lloyd-Morris Productions on DVD and VOD.
(Los Angeles, CA) “Web of Secrecy: YF-23 Black Widow II Declassified” is a 50 min. documentary about the legendary plane, and its fly-off against the F-22 near the end of the Cold War. Producer mark Morris reports “as soon as word spread on the internet about the upcoming release, it caused a stir among aviation historians and enthusiasts.”
The film’s marketing plan targets the aviation and aerospace community on the web through online distribution, VOD and streaming outlets. The release comes at a time when recent news reports of crashes and groundings of the F-22, the winner of the fly-off competition, have focused renewed attention to the fighters’ rivalry. The filmmakers’ attempts to release the film were stymied by rights issues until now, “Compounded by the fact that, in the ten years since the film was completed, three distributors went out of business while handling it. Since it lost the competition the curse of the YF-23 seems to touch all those connected with it,” notes producer Todd Brown.
“Because of its seemingly superior capabilities over the competing YF-22, many in the know at the time (1990) cried ‘foul’ when the contract decision was made. But it wasn’t the only time the government made a selection based on the best ‘arrangement’ rather than the best product. Shades of the Boeing tanker scandal,” comments Peter Facer, the director.
“Even though only two prototypes were ever built, the YF-23’s reputation is still huge. Today a large air museum uses the plane as its logo, several model plane manufacturers sell models of the YF-23, it is a popular RC plane kit, and plane lovers are still talking about it all over the internet,” stated producer Mark Morris.
The documentary is a rarity in the world of science and technology shows which proliferate on cable. “It doesn’t follow the usual pattern of 'gee-whiz' science info, instead it provides a personal and even poignant look at the human face of the brains who designed and built the most advanced aircraft on the planet,” points out Facer. “And equally important, it profiles the unusual environment of that Cold War era that enabled such a technical accomplishment to happen in only 44 months - something that probably won’t happen ever again.”
“'Web Of Secrecy' tells the true story of the ingenuity required to create technology that didn’t exist, and the intense human drama that formed the backdrop to the winner-take-all Pentagon competition,” stated Morris. “Its the science, the secrets the heartaches and the triumphs, told by the scientists and test pilots themselves.”
Lloyd-Morris Productions is an award-winning producer of documentaries for television and home video since 1980. Widely known for focusing on little-known stories of human endeavor, “Ultimate Joy Ride” garnered over 2.7 million views online, and “Stuntman”, a biopic about a Czech stuntman making it in Hollywood, was released internationally.
The company’s website devoted to its latest release, “Web of Secrecy” contains in-depth information about the YF-23 fighter, the team of engineers who designed it, and availability of the documentary.
Film trailer:
http://www.yf23fighter.com/YF23fighter/Secrets-reavealed-in-Documentary.html
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