RJ Wolcott

Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING - For Troy Hale, a film’s quality is measured on the conversations it sparks.

His latest, Fart: A Documentary, isn’t likely to pass silently among viewers.

“Farting is a topic you don’t talk about,” Hale said. “It’s funny because it’s repressed and embarrassing (to us), but if someone else does it we laugh at it.”

Socially acceptable or not, it was hours of conversations about farting with friends and family, as well as a 95-page Microsoft Word document and a lack of films about flatulence, that set Hale on his path.

Fart: The Documentary hinges on the battle between social conventions and the body's need to pass gas. It's also an examination of fart-based humor through the lenses of different time periods and across cultures.

It also has the potential to be recognized by Guinness World Records for the most farts in a film, more than 380, though Hale, who teaches film at Michigan State University, said that's a rough estimate. He's waiting to hear back from Guinness.

Fart humor transcends time, age and nationality, Hale said. A Japanese scroll from the 16th century, depicting Japanese cultural figures farting on invading Europeans and their culture, tells Hale that farts have been funny for generations.

“I couldn’t find a country that didn’t find farting funny,” he said.

He also visited Mr. Methane, a performer from the United Kingdom who passes gas as part of his stage performance.

His search for the humor behind farting also involved talking with doctors about the health benefits of farting. During his research, Hale learned that the average person farts 14 times a day and passes gas at approximately 7 mph.

The film cost, “about the price of a mid-sized car,” he said, money he put up himself. His previous work, including documentaries on the rise of Chinese students enrolled in American universities, have been well received, netting him 21 regional Emmys.

Hale said "Fart" took about 3 years to complete and was a chance to explore a more lighthearted subject. It’s something he believes will resonate with audiences, flatulent or otherwise.

The film is available on ITunes, Amazon, the Google Play store, on-demand and through Vudu.

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.