Abel Raises Cain
USA, 2005, Video, 84 min
Directors/Producers: Jenny Abel, Jeff Hockett (director in attendance)

Preceded by The Tree Officer

“The imagination and sheer guts of Mr. Abel are pure delight.” – Erma Bombeck

As far back as she can remember, Jenny Abel has seen her father appear on television under a variety of aliases, fooling news reporters and talk show hosts. He was continually plotting new ways to infiltrate the media with one of his seemingly absurd causes. Throughout the years, people have accused him of being a scam artist or an imposter. But to Jenny, he was always just a father with a unique profession.

Alan Abel’s career began in the 1950s with a campaign to clothe all naked animals for the sake of decency. Even though it was a satirical commentary on censorship, his slogan, “A nude horse is a rude horse,” was plastered on the front pages of newspapers all across the United States. This success inspired him on to a lifetime of similar stunts, all designed to provoke or amuse, and take advantage of the media’s weaknesses. Infiltrating a 1984 live national broadcast of Phil Donahue’s talkshow is just one such example included in a film full of classic media moments. As Phil shoots for ratings with a panel of gay senior citizens, members of Abel’s newly formed FAINT group (Fight Against Idiotic Neurotic Television) bring the show to a halt by collapsing in the aisles.

Filmmaker Jenny Abel, who has had a ringside seat to Alan’s antics throughout her life and, on several occasions, has been an unwitting accomplice to his mischief, has crafted a provocative and often hilarious film. In exploring why her father is hailed by some journalists as the “world’s greatest hoaxer” and scorned by others as a menace, she attempts to explain the true motives behind Alan’s pranks and, in the process, echoes his ultimate message – that you can’t believe everything you see, read, or hear.

Winner – Grand Jury Award-Best Documentary Feature, Slamdance Film Festival

The Tree Officer
Scotland, 2004, Video, 8 min
Director: Neil Jack
Producer: Cameron Fraser

The Tree Officer is an animated comedy, shot in spoof documentary style and described as “Wallace and Gromit meets The Office.” Set in the Tree Officer’s Department in the council, it focuses on the day-to-day running of the office and, in particular, a man stuck in the wrong job, the Tree Officer - Gary Dremmell. Passionate about botany and horticulture, Gary is wearied by the endless requests from the town’s citizens for trees to be cut down. Resigned to his fate, he signs his daily quota of death warrants with an air of droll melancholy, assisted by his two colleagues: Matt, a sardonic temp with a stapling addiction; and Avril, a dedicated worker with an unreliable arm and a dysfunctional relationship with technology.

Winner - Best New Screenplay, Best Animated Short, BAFTA Scotland Awards