Guy Maddin's THE GREEN FOG Headlines VIFF LIVE Lineup
By: BWW
News Desk Oct. 10, 2017
VIFF today announced that the VIFF LIVE lineup will include a special presentation of The Green Fog - A San Francisco Fantasia, a multi-experiential, visual and sound collage by award-winning filmmaker and cultural iconoclast Guy Maddin in collaboration with brothers Evan and Galen Johnson (The Forbidden Room, Seances) that re-imagines Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. Originally commissioned by SFFILM with support from Nion McEvoy and Stanford Live, this must-attend event features the world-renowned Kronos Quartet performing live the score composed by Jacob Garchik.
Maddin and his co-directors' interpretation of the Hitchcock classic doesn't use any footage from the original film. Instead, San Francisco Area-based footage from a variety of sources - studio classics, '50s noir, documentary and experimental films, and '70s prime-time TV - is pieced together to create a "parallel-universe version," (Maddin's words) employing the Canadian filmmaker's unique assemblage technique and style.
For more than 40 years, San Francisco's Kronos Quartet-David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello)-has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually re-imagining the string quartet experience. In the process, Kronos has become one of the world's most celebrated and influential ensembles, performing thousands of concerts, releasing more than 60 recordings, collaborating with an eclectic mix of composers and performers, commissioning over 900 works and arrangements for string quartet, and receiving more than 40 awards. Kronos' work has also featured prominently in a number of films, including two recent Academy Award-nominated documentaries: the AIDS-themed How to Survive a Plague and Dirty Wars. Additional films featuring Kronos' music include Hochelaga terre des ames, Noah, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, Dracula, and Mishima, as well as La grande bellezza (The Great Beauty), 21 Grams, Heat, and True Stories, among others.
"I'm so excited we get to team up with Kronos Quartet to lay some green fog over Vancouver. And what a strange experience it was working on this project," says Guy Maddin, co-director. "How often does one get to recast the stars of his or her favourite film? Or completely replace its soundtrack with a new one played live? How delightful to move archetypes around like so much furniture in a dream!"
The Green Fog special VIFF LIVE presentation will take place at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts on Sunday, October 10. Tickets will be available for purchase, online at viff.org on Monday, August 28, 2017.
VIFF also announced a selection of 17 awe-inspiring films in its aesthetically alluring M/A/D stream. These films celebrate the creative spirit and convey the power of Music/Art/Design in astonishing ways on the big screen.
The M/A/D films announced today include:
24 FramesDIRS. ABBAS KIAROSTAMI, IRAN/FRANCE
The late Abbas Kiarostami's last film contains 24 four-and-a-half-minute segments, each inhabiting a fixed frame and depicting landscapes, animals, even a digitized reproduction of Bruegel's The Hunters in the Snow. They also contain a haunting summation of the master's life's work that will have you seeing the world through new eyes. "A mesmeric glimpse into Kiarostami's mysterious mind... Gorgeous... Watching it is akin to opening a series of nesting dolls, or leafing through a book of dreams."-Guardian
Beuys: Art as a WeaponDIR. ANDRES VEIEL, GERMANY
Germany's Joseph Beuys, one of the most important European artists to come to prominence in the wake of WWII, produced confrontational performances and installations that shocked the establishment and expanded the boundaries of what art could be. Andres Veiel's wide-ranging portrait-the first detailed look at Beuys' life-is chock full of archival footage showing how the man and his art rose to near-mythological status. What might be surprising is how humorous and generous this revolutionary really was...
Big TimeDIR. KASPAR ASTRUP SCHRÖDER,, DENMARK
Seven arduous, successful years in the life of "starchitect" Bjarke Ingels are chronicled in Kaspar Astrup Schröder's revealingly intimate portrait. Named one of Time's 100 most influential people, Ingels comes across as a paradox: he's a down-to-earth visionary. In Copenhagen we see BIG's power station boasting a ski slope on its roof, in NY the focus is on VIA 57 West apartments, 2 World Trade Center - and health issues. (Meanwhile, Ingels designed the new 'Vancouver House' tower at Pacific and Granville!)
Bunch of KunstDIR. ANTONINO D'AMRBOSIO, USA
Iggy Pop-who makes an appearance here-calls the Sleaford Mods "the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band," and Christine Frantz's straight-shooting documentary captures the politically charged duo at their profane best. When we first see vocalist/ranter Jason Williamson and musician Andrew Fearns, they are 40-ish and still schlepping to gigs in a van. Two years later, their ferocious live performances and scathing, hilarious lyrics have propelled them to stardom. This is one ride you don't want to miss!
Bosch: The Garden of DreamsDIR. JOSÉ LUIS LÓPEZ-LINARES, SPAIN/FRANCE
Director José Luis López-Linares was given unprecedented access to Madrid's Prado museum and Hieronymus Bosch's most famous work, The Garden of Earthly Delights. Placing behind-the-scenes footage (restoration work, the X-raying of the painting, etc.) alongside interviews with writers Salman Rushdie and Orhan Pamuk, soprano Renée Fleming, philosopher Michel Onfray and others, López-Linares has crafted a fascinating, gorgeously shot film about one of the most mysterious art works of all time.
Chaplin in Bali: Journey to the EastDIR. RAPHAEL MILLET, FRANCE
With the coming of sound to motion pictures, Charlie Chaplin found himself at a creative crossroads, fearful that talking pictures may spell the end for him. So, he and his brother Sydney took a trip to Bali to find some peace and ponder their futures. Captivated by the local customs, especially the dances, Charlie began filming extensively... Raphael Millet haS Marshalled the footage Chaplin shot and created a time capsule that transports us to another world, a world from which Chaplin drew inspiration.
ChavelaDIR. CATHERINE GUND, DARESHA KYI, USA
A towering figure in Mexican pop and favourite of Almodóvar, Chavela Vargas was both a myth and a cypher. A singer who turned Rancheras into dark journeys of the soul, Vargas endured a hard life but each trial (including her late-in-life coming out) made her deep, coarse voice richer. Directors Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi use the devastatingly beautiful lyrics of Chavela's songs to illustrate the stages of a career punctuated by heartbreak. It's a fascinating story with a killer soundtrack to boot.
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of My LifeDIR. CHRIS PERKEL, USA
What do Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Whitney Houston, Sean "Puffy" Combs, and Alicia Keys have in common? They all owe much of their success to legendary recording exec Clive Davis. Brimming with fantastic archival performance footage, Chris Perkel's info-packed portrait traces Davis' life from childhood to his epiphany at the Monterey Pop music festival (where Joplin blew his mind) to his tenure at the top of the music industry. What a ride it's been!
David Hockney at the Royal Academy of ArtsDIR. PHIL GRABSKY, UK
VIFF favourite Phil Grabsky (The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan, VIFF 04; In Search of Beethoven, VIFF 09; In Search of Chopin, VIFF 14) returns with this probing and celebratory documentary on the work of Britain's greatest living artist, David Hockney. Focusing on two exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, in 2012 and 2016, the film features extensive, in-depth interviews with Hockney himself. And, with Grabsky at the helm, you know the images will be both beautiful and revealing.
Leaning Into the Wind: Andy GoldsworthyDIR. THOMAS RIEDELSHEIMER, GERMANY
Sixteen years ago, Thomas Riedelsheimer's documentary on artist Andy Goldsworthy, Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time, was a VIFF smash. Now the director-artist duo has re-teamed for another exquisite chronicle of Goldsworthy's ongoing fascination with re-shaping the natural world, as we follow him on his extensive travels from one site-specific work to another, revelling in his imagination and his art. Anchored by Riedelsheimer's gorgeous images, this is pure cinema for the soul.
Louise Lecavalier - Riding a Fire HorseDIR. RAYMOND ST-JEAN, CANADA
Since commencing her career as a platinum-blonde dreadlocked dynamo in the early '80s, Louise Lecavalier has established herself as a Canadian contemporary dance icon. Having toured with Zappa and Bowie, the Montreal dancer/choreographer (now 58) embodies electric energy, extreme dedication and unrelenting inventiveness. In Raymond St-Jean's mesmerizing homage, Lecavalier's unwavering creative vision is fully explored, illuminating a woman in perpetual motion, spiritually, mentally and physically.
Planeta PetrilaDIR. ANDREI D?SC?LESCU, ROMANIA
The Romanian mining town of Petrila is about to see its mine shut down, its last group of miners laid off and the mine's buildings demolished. Enter former-miner-turned-anarchic-artist Ion Barbu, an energetic surrealist determined to save the buildings and re-construct a sense of community through his art, which includes paintings, murals and performances. Mixing anger, comedy and empathy in equal measures, Andrei D?sc?lescu's superb documentary revels in the power of art to unite people in common cause.
Schumann's Bar TalksDIR. MARIEKE SCHROEDER, GERMANY
Munich's Charles Schumann, now 76, is to bartenders what Barcelona's Ferran Adrià is to chefs-a bigger-than-life legend who rewrote the rules of his artistic calling. Marieke Schroeder's very entertaining odyssey follows the snappily dressed Schumann, who resembles a cross between Max Von Sydow, Humphrey Bogart and Bruno Ganz, as he travels the world (Munich, Berlin, Vienna, New York, Havana, Tokyo, Paris) seeking out the best cocktail bars and expounding on the art of bartending. A Sazerac, anyone?
ShadowmanDIR. OREN JACOBY, USA
A staple of Manhattan's art scene in the 1980s, erstwhile Vancouverite Richard Hambleton painted menacing, shadowy figures all over a metropolis that was equally dangerous and exciting. Covering the street-art pioneer's heyday (when he was frequently mentioned in the same breath as Basquiat) and his subsequent long fall from grace, Oren Jacoby crafts a portrait of the often toxic New York art scene that left Hambleton more comfortable lurking in back alleys. "[An] intense, surprising story."-Screen
Song of GraniteDIR. Pat Collins, IRELAND/CANADA
The rare tribute to an artist that aspires to be as boldly creative as its subject, Pat Collins' biography of celebrated Irish sean-nós singer Joe Heaney seamlessly combines elements of narrative, documentary and lyrical filmmaking to create an evocative portrait of an artist and the land that forged him. "Heaney's story shows that this is music that doesn't originate with a spark but is carefully honed over the course of centuries, manifesting itself in magnetic talents."-IndieWire
Streetscapes [Dialogue]DIR. HEINZ EMIGHOLZ, GERMANY
Ambitious, experimental and never less than stimulating, Heinz Emigholz's film is written by himself and psychologist Zohar Rubinstein in the form of a dialogue. And what a dialogue it is: nuanced, digressive and unabashedly cerebral, it's the work of men for whom thinking is an art, an avocation, and a pleasure. Performers John Erdman and Jonathan Perel enact the exchanges against a backdrop of architecture that informs the speech, complicates it, and at times overwhelms it.
Where You're Meant to BeDIR. Paul Fegan, SCOTLAND
For pop tunester Aidan Moffat, formerly of indie band Arab Strap, it seemed like a good idea at the time: reconfigure folk legend Sheila Stewart's classic Scottish folk songs for a modern audience. Then he comes up against the dynamic 79-year-old hurricane herself, and she is forcefully opposed to his plans... Paul Fegan's frequently very funny and deeply musical film is "affectionate, playful and irreverent in spirit. But it becomes something else altogether, something affecting and profound..."-Guardian
Weekly announcements of confirmed titles and programmed events continue next week.
Tickets start at $15. Passes and ticket packs are available online on August 28th, with single tickets available online September 7th and in-person at the Vancity Theatre Box Office starting September 14th. All tickets will be available for purchase at viff.org.
Passes for Totally Indie Day are available for morning and afternoon sessions. Full day passes are also available, and include entrance to the after party. More information will be available at viff.orgon September 8th.
VIFF would like to thank Premier Partner TELUS, Premier Supporters Telefilm Canada and Creative BC as well as our other generous partners, sponsors and suppliers.
Each year VIFF relies on the hard work of more than 1,000 volunteers to assist in running the festival. Volunteer registration is now open at goviff.org/volunteer.
Founded in 1982, the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society is a not-for-profit cultural society and federally registered charitable organization that operates the internationally acclaimed Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and the year-round programming of the Vancity Theatre at the Vancouver International Film Centre. VIFF produces screenings, talks and events that act as a catalyst for a diverse community to discover, discuss and share the creativity and craft of storytelling on screen. In its 36th year, the Vancouver International Film Festival welcomes the world to Vancouver from September 28-October 13, 2017 as it showcases the top international, Canadian and BC films and plays host to industry professionals from around the globe.
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