Eleven Minutes makes its International Premiere at the 2008 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on April 24. Co-directed by Michael Selditch and Rob Tate, this documentary focuses on Jay McCarroll, a fashion designer who won the first season of the TV reality series Project Runway and was nicknamed by the show “the next great American designer.”

The film's title, Eleven Minutes, refers to the length of time McCarroll had at the prestigious New York City Fashion Week to showcase his entire collection and connect with the audience, the industry and potential buyers. Two years have passed since McCaroll won Project Runaway, and he’s yet to produce, showcase or sell his first collection. McCaroll fears that if he doesn’t do so soon the industry will view him as irrelevant and nothing more than a reality TV star instead of a legitimate fashion designer.

Selditch and Tate, who follow McCarroll during a calendar year as he designs his first collection and prepares to showcase it during the NYC Fashion Week, graciously participated in the following e-mail interview concerning their new documentary.

QUESTION:  Why did you decide to do a documentary about Jay McCarroll?

SELDITCH & TATE: We met Jay after being hired by Bravo to make Project Jay, an hour special on the Project Runway first winner. After directing quite a bit of non-scripted television, we found it refreshing to document a person who spoke his mind freely, regardless of whether the camera was rolling or not. Jay's blend of creativity and insecurity is not only compelling and entertaining, but very relatable to many struggling artists. The three of us became good friends, and when Jay told us his plans to show at Fashion Week and create his first independent line, it was a no-brainer to continue to document him on our own.

QUESTION:  When Jay won Project Runway he ended up turning down the $100,000 grand prize prize, a mentorship from Banana Republic and a spot at the 2005 New York fashion Week. He did this because of a clause stipulating that the producers of Project Runway would make 10 per cent of every professional project he works on indefinitely. If Jay had taken the money and prizes, do you think he would be more successful or less successful than he is now?

SELDITCH: Pretty much the same.

TATE: Arguably less so, as turning them down has gotten him a lot of attention that still resonates today.

QUESTION: Jay states that his success was based 90% on his hard work, talent, personality and 10% from being on Project Runway. In what way do you think his assessment is right or wrong? 

SELDITCH: Jay also states in the film that he would absolutely "never be showing in Bryant Park had it not been for Project Runway. We are all in agreement that he needed that break to be where he is now. But, now it should be about the work, and many many people, including myself, feel he still delivers.

TATE:  I'd like to re-frame this question. Percentages aside, would the first season of Project Runway -- the season that put it on the map, got it its first Emmy nomination, and set it apart from other realty shows -- would it have been the same without Jay McCarroll? I don't think it's unreasonable to say that Jay had a good deal to do with the show's original success.

QUESTION:  Throughout the film it appears as though Jay lacks self-confidence and is full of fear and self-doubt. One of his biggest fears involves falling on his face and having people in the fashion industry brush him off or have little regard for him because he won a reality television series. In retrospect, do you think his fears about this were relevant?

SELDITCH: I think all artists go through similar self criticism and evaluation about their work. It's the artists who stop and become overly confident that lose their edge and simply go through the motions. Yes, I think his fears were relevant, and the fact that he is not afraid to show those fears is one of the things that makes him compelling to many people.

TATE: It kind of makes you realize that just because a reality show calls you "the next great American designer," it doesn't make it true.

QUESTION:  Jay ultimately lands funding from the Humane Society of America for his collection. He’s against fashion designers using fur to create clothing and wants to pressure other designers, especially the younger ones, not to use it. Jay states that working without fur only pushes one to work a little bit harder to be more creative. What overall impact has Jay made in this area?

SELDITCH: His message is clear to me, but I'm not a fashion designer. You'd really have to ask young designers if Jay's passion is enough to move them to stop using fur.

TATE:  Sadly, I'm not sure it's had any effect. Though I do hope fur is on its way out.

QUESTION: What do you hope audiences will learn about the fashion industry through this film?

SELDITCH: It's really a tough industry -- an industry with very short memory, and not a lot of loyalty. Plus, it is an industry that requires an enormous amount of financial backing to launch a new line.

TATE: I think the film uses the fashion industry as a proxy for many creative industries. And in any creative industry, it's difficult to balance the art with the commerce.

QUESTION:  What do you want audiences to take away from your documentary?

SELDITCH: We set out to make a film that shows the "process." All art forms rely on a process -- from acting to architecture, the journey is not apparent from seeing the end results. This is one of the reasons that we chose to be transparent about our own process of making the documentary. Jay is the perfect mixture of huge talent, and deep personal conflict -- whether it is about his craft or his own life, and many artists relate to that.

TATE: Things don't often turn out the way you want them to.

Eleven Minutes screens on April 24 and April 25 at the 2008 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. For tickets, call the festival box office at 416-637-5150 or go to www.hotdocs.ca.

(Photo from Eleven Minutes, a Maximum Vacuum production.)