Take 5 with "What if Cannabis Cured Cancer"

As we gear up for the Oxford Film Festival 2011 to be held at the Malco Studio Theater on Feb. 10-13, 2011, we thought we might introduce you to some of the people behind the movies we can't wait to show you.

Meet Take 5 filmmaker, Len Richmond, director of "What if Cannabis Cured Cancer." 
For the full schedule and description of the films, visit www.oxfordfilmfest.com.

Q. 1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone should see it.

A: Using original and archival footage, the 60 minute documentary presents highly convincing evidence that this forbidden herb has healing properties beyond any other plant on the planet— interacting as it does with the body’s own “endocannabinoid system” to keep us fit and disease-free. 


“What if Cannabis Cured Cancer” explains how we are all born with a form of marijuana already in our bodies, and when pot is consumed, the “endocannabinoids” inside us—along with any cannabinoids we ingest—fit together like a key in a lock. Thereby promoting the death of cancer cells without harming the body’s healthy cells. A powerful and eye-opening film about the future of cannabis—and perhaps even the future of medicine. Narrated by Emmy-winning actor, PETER COYOTE. Trailer, Follow on Facebook, Profile on Cannabis Planet TV.
Q. 2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in getting the film made?

A: That when you make a film that tells the truth about marijuana, they will love you ("they" being the people who struggle to get the truth to get out)
Q. 3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?

A: From All Movie Guide: With an extended television background that includes writing work on such popular shows as Three's Company in the U.S. and Agony in the U.K., writer-turned-director Len Richmond honed his storytelling skills on the small screen for just over two decades before opting to step into the director's chair for the comedy A Dirty Little Business. Though the Santa Monica, CA native's earliest professional writing experience found him penning episodes of the classic American sitcom Three's Company, Richmond soon opted to branch out overseas where he created the BAFTA nominated U.K. comedy series Agony. Agony has been broadcast in 36 countries including twice on PBS. Its American spin-off, The Lucie Arnaz Show, ran on CBS. A subsequent move to Paris found Richmond lending his pen to the French detective series Le Chinois, starring Charles Aznavour; with a stint on the highly-rated U.K. beauty salon comedy Split Ends following later that same year. In the decade following his work on Split Ends, Richmond eschewed television writing in favor of penning articles for such well-known magazines as Cosmopolitan and Forum, where he served an extensive stint as a popular sex-advice columnist. Though his editorial work on The Gay Liberation Book and the publication of his first novel, Naked in Paradise, may have signaled a shift away from his original career as a television writer, film reviews for The Time Out Film Guide as well as celebrity profiles in Time Out Interviews showed a writer still very much taken by the entertainment industry. Richmond cemented his devotion to the screen by writing and directing the award-winning feature, A Dirty Little Business. An independent comedy starring Michael York as a Russian entrepreneur in search of the American dream, A Dirty Little Business) offered a gleefully irreverent behind-the-scenes look at the American sex-toy industry and featured a bouncing pop soundtrack by London techno-pop duo Erasure. It also starred Beverly D’Angelo. His controversial anti-cancer documentaries, "Everything Bad is Good” and "What if Cannabis Cured Cancer", are now available on DVD from Amazon ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Q. 4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?

A: Doing it myself (I currently sell the DVD on Amazon). Distribution is a racket. They keep all the profits and call it expenses. We don't need them anymore, thank God.
Q. 5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?

A: I want to continue making films, on my own computer, with my own money, that have the capacity to change the world and challenge the corporate monopoly on truth. They don't want you to know that the "evil" drug marijuana could very well cure cancer. They can't make a huge profit off cannabis they way they can off surgery and deadly drugs. I'm not trying to break into the business. I'm trying to do an end run around the business - because I have been in the business and it destroys even the successful. Three famous directors I've personally known have died of strokes and heart attacks.