Michael Mongillo has co-written and directed 2 feature length films and is working on his third. He is the co-founder of the New Haven Underground Film Festival and has written film, comic book, and music commentary for The Hartford Planet, Strictly Independent, and America Online's Rogue.

Michael deeply enjoyed The World's Best Prom and had the following things to say about the movie.


-Between school, festival submissions and leisure you've probably viewed
hundreds of documentary films. Does the World's Best Prom stand out?

Of the hundreds and hundreds of documentaries I've seen, "The World's Best
Prom" definitely stands out, as much for what it is as what it is not. At
their worst, documentaries tend to be more about the person making the film
than its subject matter. The next most usual offense is that the filmmaker
has a social or political agenda and their presentation of the "facts" are
so far from objective that their work becomes noting more than a propaganda
film. Even when I tend to agree with a particular filmmaker's point-of-view,
I can't abide the arrogance of not showing both sides or the tendency to
manipulate the viewer. The next most common flaw is when a doc filmmaker
exploits their subject matter, be it a person or an incident, either by
poking fun or taking advantage of a person's or an event's notoriety. Not
only is this opportunistic, it's just way too easy. I say all this because
"The World's Best Prom" avoids all of these common pitfalls. But it's not
just a great movie for what it doesn't do. It's inarguable that a doc
filmmaker cannot openly observe something without changing it; yet, even
though this need not be addressed directly in a film, I think the best
documentaries factor this in somehow and "The World's Best Prom" is in the
same league. Long answer longer: The movie is such a standout documentary
because it brings the viewer on a seemingly unfiltered journey of people's
lives during the most pivotal years for most young Americans. It is not the
prom but the lives of these people that the film is actually about, which is
why it is so incredibly effective and effecting.


-Did you relate to the Racine Prom experience?

No, I don't personally relate to the Racine prom experience. I didn't even
go to my junior prom. It just wasn't that important to me. In fact, the only
reason I went to senior prom was because I was dating one of the "in-crowd"
girls at the time. I remember having an okay time with my friends and my
date but it was nothing like the Racine prom experience. So, to me, the fact
that I don't necessarily relate to what happens in Racine, specifically,
speaks volumes of how engaging and universal the stories of the people you
follow throughout can be to anyone who watches the movie.


-How does the World's Best Prom compare to other representations of proms in
mainstream culture?

"The World's Best Prom" is only comparable to the representation of proms in
mainstream culture in so much as it deconstructs the representation of proms
in mainstream culture.


-Who was your favorite character in the World's Best Prom?

They're not characters, they're people. But seriously, I liked them all.


-How was your prom? Do you have a good prom story of your own?
See above.