Next week, Australian cinemas will premiere *Primetime*, a feature film directed by Lance Oppenheim that explores the life of Chris Hansen, the former host of the television series *To Catch a Predator*. This marks the 30-year-old filmmaker’s debut in feature-length movies and is the first of two releases planned for this year. Oppenheim’s second project, *You Can See Everything*, is a documentary filmed over three years alongside comedian Nathan Fielder, chronicling the final chapter of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’s legal troubles leading up to her prison sentence for fraud.
Oppenheim is known for his distinctive “docu-fantasias,” documentaries that reveal eccentric aspects of American life through a blend of real and surreal imagery. His previous works include *Some Kind of Heaven* (2020), an examination of a wealthy retirement community in Florida, and *Spermworld* (2024), which investigates the underground sperm donation market.
Among his recent projects is the three-part docuseries *Ren Faire*, which captures the Texas Renaissance Festival, an annual eight-weekend event that draws approximately half a million visitors and generates millions of dollars. Set in a themed environment where attendees dress in period costumes and adopt Elizabethan mannerisms—sometimes using modern conveniences such as tap-to-pay technology for purchasing mead—the festival has become a distinct cultural phenomenon.
The series centers on the festival’s founder, George Coulam, known as “King George,” who established the event in 1974 and has maintained control ever since. His lavish home, styled with ostentatious décor reminiscent of Trump-era extravagance, reflects his larger-than-life persona. At the time of filming, Coulam was in his eighties, contending with skin cancer and pursuing a vigorous daily routine that included testosterone injections and taking Viagra, with a candid goal of maintaining sexual vitality until death. Coulam passed away in 2025.
Following his planned retirement, *Ren Faire* documents a power struggle among three potential successors. They include Darla, a former elephant trainer; Louie “Lord of the Corn” Migliaccio, who envisions modernizing the festival with electronic dance music and an educational component called Renaissance University; and Jeffrey Baldwin, the festival’s longtime general manager who refers to himself as the “head Oompa Loompa.” Baldwin’s deep loyalty to Coulam, despite the founder’s intermittent acknowledgment, paints a poignant portrait of devotion and belonging within this insular community.
The series combines stylized cinematography and an eerie musical score to blur the lines between documentary and fantasy, reflecting the festival’s nature as a collective escape into a constructed reality. While Oppenheim captures moments of humor inherent in the festival’s elaborate role-playing, he approaches his subjects with empathy and curiosity. The resulting portrayal offers insight into how participants find purpose and identity through the Renaissance Festival’s elaborate pageantry, underscoring a broader human desire to create meaning through imaginative worlds.