Starsuckers is a 2009 British documentary film aiming to expose the "shams and deceit involved in creating a pernicious celebrity culture

Celebrity culture

A celebrity culture is the structure that influences those deemed to be celebrities.-Brief history of celebrity culture:Any medium can be viewed as a vehicle for creating a celebrity culture. The famous religious books of the world's faiths are replete with examples of individuals who are well...

".

Directed by Chris Atkins, director of the 2007 documentary Taking Liberties

Taking Liberties (film)

Taking Liberties is a documentary film about the erosion of civil liberties in the United Kingdom and increase of surveillance under the government of Tony Blair...

, it shows the production team planting a variety of celebrity-related stories in the UK media, such as a claim that the singer Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne

Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...

 had been seen asleep in a nightclub

Nightclub

A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...

. A variety of tabloid newspapers accepted the stories without corroboration or evidence.

It launched as part of the British Film Institute

British Film Institute

The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...

's 53rd Film Festival.

Legal threats from Max Clifford

On 23 October 2009, six days before the Starsuckers premiere, the makers reported that they had received an e-mail from the law firm Carter-Ruck

Carter-Ruck

Carter-Ruck is a British law firm founded by Peter Carter-Ruck.According to their website they specialise in libel, privacy, international law and commercial litigation....

, acting on behalf of controversial publicist

Publicist

A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...

 Max Clifford

Max Clifford

Maxwell Frank Clifford is an English publicist, considered the highest-profile and best-known publicist in the United Kingdom...

 and threatening them with an injunction

Injunction

An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...

.

External links

• http://www.starsuckersmovie.com
• Screen Daily
• UK screen