“One of the most compulsively watchable films at this year’s Hot Docs.”
Set!
by Scott Gawlik • 2021 • 105’ • USA
Credits
Director / Producer:
Scott Gawlik
Table setting — for most of us it’s a chore, but for some it’s a sport. Once a year, a group of highly competitive table-setters vie for the “Best of Show” ribbon at the Orange County Fair competition, often referred to as “The Olympics of Table Setting.” From taxidermied monkeys to table- reveal parties, eccentric personalities and old rivalries come to a head as contestants spend months preparing their tables only to be penalized by a misplaced dessert fork or what’s fondly referred to as “forking yourself.” But, SET! explores topics far beyond the silverware. It shows the extent to which a hobby can become a passion, which can then provide a purpose. It explores the reasons why we make art and how sharing your creative vision, however terrifying that may be, ultimately makes you a truer version of yourself.
Awards & Festivals
Best Documentary
– Newport Beach Film Festival 2021
Hot Docs 2021 [World Premiere]
Beat Film Festival 2021
Stranger Than Fiction 2021
Melbourne International Film Festival 2021
Phoenix Film Festival 2021
Newburyport Documentary Film Festival 2021
Edmonton International Film Festival 2021
Heartland Film Festival 2021
AGH Film Festival 2021
Film Fest Tucson 2021
Devour! The Food Film Festival 2021
Naples International Film Festival 2021
Newport Beach Film Festival 2021
Cork Film Festival 2021
Napa Valley Film Festival 2021
IDFA 2021
Docville 2022
Milwaukee Film Festival 2022
Docville Summer Outdoor 2022
International Intangible Heritage Film Festival 2022
Reviews
“One of the most compulsively watchable films at this year’s Hot Docs.”
— POV Magazine
“Pure entertainment.”
— Canada’s National Observer
“I didn't think a documentary about something so absurd was going to produce any kind of feeling in me, but it did.”
— La Estatuilla
“Full of passion and drama, colour and conflict.”
— Saltwire
“Has a hint of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN about it.”
— Deadline
Filmmaker’s Biography
Scott Gawlik is a multiple Emmy-nominated director, producer, and operator of Crazy Cow Productions. Notable works include: DAVE ATTELL: ROAD WORK (Comedy Central);TODD GLASS: ACT HAPPY (Netflix); and A LITTLE HELP WITH CAROL BURNETT (Netflix).