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'Far Out Isn't Far Enough' Documentary to Premiere, 6/14

By: May. 29, 2013
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Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story is a brilliant, original and highly engrossing feature-length documentary depicting the life and times of the best-selling children's author and illustrator, Tomi Ungerer. This French artist's wild, lifelong adventure of testing societal boundaries through his use of subversive art and biting social satire is fully explored in this entertaining, 98-minute film which had its North American premiere at TIFF 2012. While you may not be familiar with Ungerer or his work, you will quickly be entranced by the force of nature that is Tomi Ungerer.

Far Out is the directorial feature-film debut of Brad Bernstein (also writer & producer), who weaves Ungerer's epic life story into an illustrated tapestry of the seminal events of the 20th Century - using Ungerer's own artwork. From his striking visual commentaries protesting American involvement in Vietnam to the many beloved characters of his children's books, Ungerer is admired worldwide for the influence his work has had on a variety of art forms, and for his contribution to children's literature. Yet the same factors that vaulted him to meteoric success - fearless creativity, absolute outspokenness, fierce independence - also made him a lightning rod for controversy and the object of intense malice.

With Ungerer in the driver's seat, Bernstein takes us on a striking emotional and visual journey through Nazi-occupied France during World War II, Ungerer's subsequent move to America and his Madison Avenue successes (The Village Voice, The New York Times) in the late 50's during the Golden Age of Magazine Illustration, his immediate influence on children's literature in the 1960's (Crictor, Moon Man, The Three Robbers), and the anti-Vietnam war and sociological poster art that made him iconic (Eat, Kiss For Peace, Black Power/White Power). Yet despite his monumental visual achievements and the successes of his children's books in the 60's - which would, later in life, earn him the coveted Hans Christian Andersen Award - Tomi Ungerer is virtually forgotten in North America, even his most recognized books now out of print.

What led to this man's freedom of expression being suppressed? What led to his demise? What forced him into obscurity on this side of the pond?

Through interviews with the late Maurice Sendak (Where The Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen); Pulitzer Prize-winning illustrator and author Jules Feiffer (Feiffer, Carnal Knowledge); The New York Times Book Review columnist Steven Heller; children's literature scholar Michael Patrick Hearn; and others, Far Out explores Ungerer's self-destruction and subsequent departure from America. To this end, Bernstein and his creative partners & collaborators at Corner of the Cave Media - Rick Cikowski and Brandon Dumlao - have attempted to present the story in the most visually compelling way possible, laboriously combing through thousands of pieces of Ungerer's artwork from his museum in Strasbourg, France. With the use of a variety of motion graphics techniques, they have taken almost 80-years' worth of Ungerer's art and brought it to life, animating his childhood sketches, ad campaigns, anti-Vietnam War posters, cartoons, children's books and erotica.



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