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First time filmmaker hires Morgan Spurlock and Michael Moore’s key crew

An Australian first time feature filmmaker has hired top American talent to help create his documentary film.

Director Joe Cross employed talent from Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock’s teams to realise his documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.

The film is the opposite to Morgan Spurlock’s Supersize Me. Cross embarked on a road trip across the USA with a cameraman, sound guy and a juicer to eat and drink only fruit and vegetables to lose weight, while discovering why people were addicted to fast food.

The film was produced by Stacey Offman, who produced Morgan Spurlock’s Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden.

Cross hired Kurt Engfehr who was editor of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 to co-direct. Fellow Fahrenheit alumni Chris Seward was Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead’s editor.

An overweight broker, Cross sold his previous business and without knowledge of the industry set out to make the film.

Of the experience, Cross said: “I think that it was incredibly enjoyable but the toughest thing I’ve done in business. I always loved the movies but didn’t realise how tough it was to make one.”

“I have a new found respect for anybody in the film business because it’s a really tough job. You can spend a week working hard on something that’s never used. You can put a lot of work and then two months later in the edit it doesn’t fit and ends up on the cutting room floor.”

“Kurt and Chris helped me with the film but at the end of the day, all editing and storytelling decisions were mine.”

The film was made for $AU2m in 2009, when US-Australian the exchange rate was at around 60%.

While Cross doesn’t expect to make a positive return on investment from the film, he has set up a healthy-diet company and plans to produce Weight Watcher style meal plans based around juicing.

Cross has made a deal with Woolworths to release and distribute the DVD in the produce section of the supermarket as of 28 November, the same day as the film’s Australian theatrical premiere at Dendy Opera Quays.

The film is also available on iTunes.

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