"Triviatown"
Patrick Cady, Co-Director,
Executive Producer
Recorded April 2, 2009.
For the past 40 years, thousands have come to Stevens Point on one weekend for
one thing – the World's Largest Trivia Contest. "Triviatown" follows
the teams as they cluster together in basements, garages and living rooms for
54 straight hours playing trivia.
Watch Flash videoFilmmaker Biography
Patrick "got hooked" on film working as the camera intern on director John Sayles' "Passion Fish." Eight years after hauling cases for Roger Deakins on that first film, he was singled out as one of Variety's "Ten Cinematographers to Watch" for his work shooting "Girlfight." He then went on to shoot Mr. Sayles' "Sunshine State," which was lauded as one of the best films of 2002 by The New York Times. He also was a cinematographer on CBS's premiere season of "Cold Case," which was the nation's most watched new drama. He continues to shoot movies and TV shows, including HBO's critical hit "In Treatment" and "The Stepfather" for Sony/Screen Gems.
Patrick lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter; both have been remarkably supportive of his pursuit to make a film about the World's Largest Trivia Contest.
More about the film
For the past 35 years, thousands of Americans have come to one town on one weekend for one thing – The World's Largest Trivia Contest. Each year in April, 11,000 players on 450 teams compete hundreds of miles from the nearest major city. Groups of five to fifty cluster together in basements, garages and living rooms for 54 straight hours. Old friends compete against old enemies. Husbands battle wives. Grandparents wake up kids at 4 a.m. to find out where Spongebob lives.
"The Contest," as it's known, keeps them together – families, the class of '79, the Beerpigs. Thousands of people tethered to the tiny town of Stevens Point. Most claim trivia as just a hobby yet many spend all year compiling notes on every film, show and commercial they see.
Starting at 6 on Friday night, The Oz takes to the airwaves as the masses huddle around their radios listening to 90FM, the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point radio station. Over the next 54 hours, teams have the length of two songs to come up with answers to the world's most trivial questions. What was the name of the milk on the table in Close Encounters? You better be able to find out in four minutes if you hope to win.
What brings them back every year? For the team of grownup uber-geeks known as Network, it's not wanting to lose to the upperclassmen who have been taunting them since freshman year – 1974. For the Cakers, it's the "Tequila Olympics." For others on teams like Graduates of a Lesser God, it's the only place they've ever fit in next to a popular girl. Many started playing as kids and have moved on to careers or families outside of trivia. Many more have not. The world changes. The contest is always there.
Questions overwhelm us for the next 54 hours. Norm's Stool gets on an early roll. Network falls behind but rallies to get within striking distance. Amazingly the Cakers stop drinking long enough to make a move for the top 10. And finally, in the weekend's most emotional moment – well, we can't tell you that …
Broadcast schedule
More Information
DVD available at www.triviatownmovie.com.
The DVD offers the movie, several bonus scenes, and a director's
commentary.