Danny Ledonne
Danny Ledonne | |
---|---|
Born | Alamosa, Colorado, U.S. | January 18, 1982
Education | American University (MFA) |
Occupation(s) | Film director, producer |
Years active | 2002–present |
Danny A. Ledonne (born January 18, 1982) is an American film director and former video game developer. From 2011 to 2014, he worked as a professor in Film and Media Arts at American University, served on the board of the Southern Colorado Film Commission, and became the director for the 2015 edition of the festival.[1][2][3] He is known for the documentary Playing Columbine, about the controversy surrounding his 2005 video game Super Columbine Massacre RPG!.
Early life
Ledonne attended the
In 2005 he released his first and to date only video game, called
Ledonne defended the game despite its negative reaction, saying that the story of the attackers resonated with his own experience at school.
"I was an easy target to be picked on, and that started in kindergarten... It was the kind of bullying that most kids who were bullied experienced... When you get pushed every day, and when you are ostracized not once, not twice, but years in and out, your perception of reality is distorted... These things really do warp your understanding and your perception of humanity in some almost irrevocable way.[9]
Since the game's release, Ledonne has become an unwitting champion for video games,[10] despite Super Columbine Massacre being the only game he ever created.
Film career
Upon graduating from college, Ledonne worked on narrative and documentary short films such as Solace, The Unbelievable Truth, The Good Life, Super 7, and Wild Animals, Domesticated Humans (which he wrote and directed).
In 2007, he produced and edited the full-length documentary Playing Columbine.[13] The film features over fifty interviews with game industry leaders, theorists, and developers, authors, filmmakers, journalists, elected officials, school shooting survivors, concerned citizens, festival organizers, media activists, free speech loyalists, and video game players. The film chronicles the controversy surrounding Super Columbine Massacre RPG!. It also features numerous other independent games, and film examines the video game/real world violence debate as well as exploring the future of interactive media's potential to confront serious issues.
The film features notable figures including
In 2011, Ledonne released his second documentary, Duck! (A Documentary), which explores the different species and natures of ducks across North America.[16]
Teaching career and Adams State lawsuit
In May 2011, Ledonne became a part-time film instructor at the Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado. He taught three courses per semester under the mass communication program and carried out video production services on behalf of the university. He also served on the board of the Southern Colorado Film Commission for a number of years, and became the festival's director in 2015. Ledonne was later made a full-time visiting professor, with full benefits.
During the latter months of his final contract with the university, Ledonne established the website Watching Adams, a blog that discussed and often criticized the institution's administrators. In many of his posts, Ledonne brought light to a situation regarding significant differences in the pay structure between administrative and academic staff. In some cases, it was demonstrated that athletic and administrative staff made 120 percent or more of industry benchmarks, and that academic faculty made 80 percent or less.
Within two days of the post regarding the pay structure, University President Beverlee McClure issued Ledonne with a "No Trespass Order" of the university campus and its buildings, on the grounds that his behavior was deemed to be disruptive, detrimental and posed a safety risk to the university. The university labelled Ledonne as a "terrorist" and said that any attempt to enter the campus would result in being arrested.[17][18][19] The ban also prohibited Ledonne from attending the 2015 edition of the Southern Colorado Film Festival, of which he was the president; he was therefore forced to resign from his post.
In February 2016, the
Speaking about the settlement, Ledonne said via a statement from the ACLU:[20]
I sought this legal action to challenge the university's heavy-handed attempt to discourage me and others who disagree with the administration from speaking out... I am very satisfied with the settlement and look forward to continuing my work in this community.
Campaign work
In 2013, Ledonne helped found the Keep Polston Public group in Alamosa, Colorado. The group was formed in opposition to the handover of the derelict site of the former Polston Elementary School to a private enterprise, which planned to transform the area into an RV resort and demolish the community garden that had occupied the site during the school's operational years in the late 1990s and after its closure. As the only Alamosa native in the KPP and a former pupil of the school, Ledonne played a crucial role in the organization. He helped the group work with legal consultants to challenge the school's decision, citing that it may have been illegal on several counts. After the challenge failed, the group filed a lawsuit alleging that the school board had violated Colorado Open Meeting Law, the state's constitution and the Colorado Public Schools Act procedure for sale of real estate. In 2014, the group agreed to drop the lawsuit in exchange for the chance to buy the property for $900,000.[21][22][23][24] The full sum was successfully raised and the property was purchased by the Trust for Public Land. It is now owned outright by the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition.[25]
Awards
Year | Nominated work | Awards | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | EcoViews; Reclaiming the Bay | CINE Competition | Best Documentary (Student) (shared with Ted Roach, Alex Morrison, Caroline Aguilar, Suzanne C. Taylor, Dustin Harrison-Atlas, Brad Allgood, Sandy Cannon-Brown, J.P. Eason and Brad Lambert)[26] |
Won |
2010 | EcoViews; Reclaiming the Bay | Student Academy Awards | Best Documentary (shared with Ted Roach, Alex Morrison, Caroline Aguilar, Suzanne C. Taylor, Dustin Harrison-Atlas, Brad Allgood, Sandy Cannon-Brown, J.P. Eason and Brad Lambert)[27] |
Nominated |
Personal life
Ledonne holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film & Electronic Media from American University in Washington, D.C.
He has a black belt in Taekwondo.[28]
References
- ^ Ledonne assists SoCo with film production efforts. Adams.edu (November 30, 2011). Retrieved on 2012-12-04.
- ^ Danny Ledonne. American University (April 3, 2012). Retrieved on 2012-12-04.
- ^ Souther Colorado Film Festival Staff
- ^ Crecente, Brian D (May 2006). "Gamer was on deadly road". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
- ^ Biography for Danny Ledonne
- ^ Edge, Mark; Ian Freeman; Danny Ledonne (May 24, 2008). Danny Ledonne and Jack Thompson on Free Talk Live radio. Free Talk Live. Archived from the original (MP3) on February 25, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
- PC World. Archived from the originalon November 4, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
- ^ Holmes, T.J.; Betty Nguyen (November 7, 2007). "Transcripts – CNN Sunday Morning". CNN. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
- ^ "Rocky Mountain News". Archived from the original on June 22, 2008.
- ^ Rocha, Roberto (November 29, 2007). "Defending video games; Danny Ledonne. 'They're susceptible to hyperbole and speculation'". The Gazette. p. B8.
- ^ Danny Ledonne's IMDb filmography
- ^ Ship of Fools on Vimeo. Vimeo.com (April 13, 2008). Retrieved on 2012-12-04.
- ^ Official site of Playing Columbine. Playingcolumbine.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-04.
- ^ Playing Columbine: Interview with Director Danny Ledonne. blog.spout.com (November 19, 2008).
- ^ preview of AFI screening at The Screening Log Archived September 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Screeninglog.com (September 4, 2008). Retrieved on 2012-12-04.
- ^ Duck A Documentary Official Website
- ^ Valley Courier Article on ASU Lawsuit
- ^ Denver Westword Article on Ledonne ASU Case
- ^ Colorado Public Radio Article on Ledonne ASU Case
- ^ Former instructor prevails in free speech lawsuit against Adams State, Eliza Carter, The Colorado Independent, July 25, 2016; retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ Health blog on Healthy Living Park
- ^ Westwood Article on Polston Park
- ^ Keep Polston Public Press Release
- ^ Keep Polston Public Fundraising Video
- ^ Rio Grande Farm Park Story
- ^ Ledonne awards page IMDB
- ^ Ledonne awards page IMDB
- ^ Danny Ledonne's IMDB Biography
External links
- Emberwilde Productions official website
- Danny Ledonne at IMDb
- Official homepage of Playing Columbine (documentary)
- Playing Columbine review in Variety
- New York Times story on Ledonne and SCMRPG
- Danny Ledonne on Free Talk Live radio