Ep. 91: How ‘Bodied’ Director Joseph Kahn Made This Year’s Most Subversive Film

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob sits down with director Joseph Kahn. Long considered one of the most prolific and commercially successful music video directors, Kahn has recently made his return to feature films with ‘Bodied’, the story of ambitious graduate student who becomes immersed in the world of battle-rap. Written by Canadian battle-rapper Alex Larsen, and produced by Eminem, ‘Bodied’ won the Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award: Midnight Madness at TIFF 2017, and is currently playing at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Kahn talks about why he thinks ‘Bodied’ has struck a chord with “repressed” audiences, how Eminem got involved with the film, and the difference between art and entertainment. He also discusses the art of battle-rap, how he honed his craft working on commercials and music videos, and why good art needs to offend.