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Art Gallery of Ontario, Baillie Court, 317 Dundas Street West 9:00 PM OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION Herb and Dorothy Director Megumi Sasaki will be present You don’t have to be a Rockefeller to collect art. He was a postal clerk. She was a librarian. With their modest means, this couple managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history. Meet Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, whose shared passion and commitment defies stereotypes and redefines what it means to be an art collector. The Washington Post calls this award-winning film “a love affair with art.” MEGUMI SASAKI Born in Japan, Megumi Sasaki has lived in New York since 1988. As a freelance journalist, her coverage of the Berlin Wall’s fall garnered her great success in Japan. She then worked as a freelance television news director and field producer, developing programs for Japan’s documentary series NHK Special. In 2002 Megumi founded production company Fine Line Media. Herb and Dorothy is the first feature documentary project of the company. Art Gallery of Ontario, Baillie Court, 317 Dundas Street West This film will be screened again on Sunday, March 1, at 4:00 pm at the Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue.
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 Our City Dreams © Di San Luca Films |
The screening will be followed by a conversation between Chiara Clemente and Katherine Knight Filmed over the course of two years, Clemente’s feature takes viewers into the creative spaces of five women artists spanning different generations and representing different cultures, and all living and working in New York: Marina Abramovic, Ghada Amer, Kiki Smith, Nancy Spero and Swoon share their creative processes and personal stories. The film takes us deep into the city these women inhabit, creating a portrait not only of the artists, but also of New York and its ever-evolving role in contemporary art. CHIARA CLEMENTE Chiara Clemente directed her first art documentary for the RaiSat Art channel in Italy in 2000. Based on the success of that film, she was invited to direct 12 more. Commissions have included documentaries on artists and architects such as Jim Dine, Frank Gehry and Brice Marden. Clemente also began collaborating with artists on short films, such as These Imaginary Boys and Know Yourself with Adrian Tranquilli. In 2002, she directed and photographed Three Worlds: A Portrait of Francesco Clemente. She is currently working on another collaboration with Adrian Tranquilli. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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Introduction by AA Bronson In 1969, three young artists living in Toronto formed General Idea, a media-based collective, and quickly became international “art stars” challenging and transforming conventional ideas about art. Their enormous body of work explores pop culture, consumerism, media and celebrity. They also focused strongly on the AIDS epidemic and AIDS activism at a time when the virus was first being identified. The members—who changed their names to Jorge Zontal, Felix Partz and AA Bronson—lived and worked together until 1994, when Felix and Jorge died of AIDS. Narrated by AA Bronson, this film charts the life of one of Canada’s most internationally celebrated artist collectives. ANNETTE MANGAARD Born in Denmark and raised in Canada, Annette Mangaard attended the Ontario College of Art and earned a degree in painting and printmaking. As an independent filmmaker she has written and directed 15 films in just over than a decade. Her films include Into the Night, The Many Faces of Arnaud Maggs, and Fish Tale Soup. She is currently working on several projects, including a documentary about the changing circumstances of the Inuit artists of Cape Dorset, for Bravo, TVO and APTN. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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 © Estate of Keith Haring, Courtesy Haring Archive, New York |
Introduction by Jane Perdue An intimate portrait of world-renowned artist Keith Haring, whose mantra was “Art is for everyone!” The film is an intimate exploration of his background and career as one of the most popular and significant artists of the 20th century. Through archival footage and interviews, this film traces the life and work of Haring from his early years growing up in a small Pennsylvania town to his rise to stardom in the New York art scene of the 1980s, to his untimely death at the age of 31. Testimonies from friends and family are interspersed with interviews with the artist and his peers, including Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono and Jean-Michel Basquiat. CHRISTINA CLAUSEN Born in Denmark, Christina Clausen lives and works for the most part in Rome. Since 1991 she has worked for Rai Television. In 1998 she debuted as a director with Tedeschi in Italia 1943–1945. She has also worked in Austrian television (ORF) and Swiss television (RTL). Since 1994, she has curated several audiovisual projects for exhibitions of contemporary art in Italian museums. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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Introduction by Katherine Knight Yves Klein died at age 34 and his brief career lasted only seven years, from 1955 to 1962. But he nonetheless managed to shake the foundations of modern art, creating works that crossed over many genres. Using archival footage, artwork and fictional re-enactment, director François Lévy-Kuentz has composed a fascinating biography which radiates a powerful consciousness: that of the artist in the intimacy of his creation, his doubts and his disappointments; that of a visionary buoyed by his confidence in his genius. This film follows Klein’s life, showing the progress of his career and unravelling the mysterious correlations running through his work. FRANÇOIS LÉVY-KUENTZ Born in Paris in 1960, author-director François Lévy-Kuentz received a degree in cinema from the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle. His interest in painting inspired him to make his first film, Man Ray, 2 bis rue Férou, in 1989. He has also directed numerous films on art : L’atelier de Robert Combas, Matta, Les concessions de Boltanski, Le regard rapproché, Georges de la Tour, Arroyo-Cadaquès, Le voyage de Delacroix, Les copistes du Louvre, Pascin, l’impudique, Chagall, à la Russie aux ânes et aux autres and Jean Painlevé, fantaisie pour biologie marine. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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 © The Film Sales Company |
Introduction by John Greyson Derek is a glorious, yet fitting, remembrance of one of independent film’s greatest treasures, Derek Jarman. It is lovingly crafted by filmmaker and friend Isaac Julien, who assembles a moving collage of rare home movies, film clips and interviews, as well as a cinematic love letter from actress Tilda Swinton written a decade after Jarman’s death. The film tells the story of Jarman’s life and chronicles everyday England from the 1960s to the early 1990s. It also includes clips of Jarman’s feature-length and Super-8 films. Swinton’s input serves as the poetic overlay, telling the whole truth about the life Jarman led and the cultural abyss left by his absence. ISAAC JULIEN Isaac Julien was born in London, where he currently lives and works. After graduating from St. Martin’s School of Art, Julien founded Sankofa Film and Video Collective (1983–1992), and in 1991 was a founding member of Normal Films. He came to prominence in the film world with his 1989 drama-documentary Looking for Langston, and gained further success in 1991 with his film Young Soul Rebels. A successful artist as well, he was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2001 and was the recipient of the prestigious MIT Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts that same year. His widely acclaimed documentary film BaadAsssss Cinema was made in 2002. Julien was a jury member at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival and the 2007 Rotterdam International Film Festival. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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Ellsworth Kelly is widely regarded as one of the most important abstract painters, sculptors and printmakers working today. His emphasis on pure form and colour and his suppression of gesture in favour of creating spatial unity have played a pivotal role in the development of abstract art in America. In following Kelly as he revisits the Paris of his early twenties, the film uncovers early influences that Kelly would return to, reiterate, refine and rework throughout his career. film also follows Kelly’s creation of two wall sculptures commissioned for the United States embassy in Beijing. EDGAR B. HOWARD In 1979, Edgar B. Howard established Checkerboard Film Foundation to document on film and video the American arts for archival and educational purposes. With his first profile on painter Brice Marden in 1977, Howard began filming artists and capturing their creative processes. Films on Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, Roy Lichtenstein, Philip Johnson, the Paris Review and Billy Collins are examples of Checkerboard’s titles. All reflect the wide range of artistic endeavours Howard has chosen to explore. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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Introduction by Jane Perdue Filmed over several months, Making Space is an intimate portrait of sculptor Antony Gormley, one of Britain’s most celebrated artists, as he prepares for a major exhibition. film follows Gormley as he makes three ambitious new works and shows how he produces his art—from casting moulds of his own body to collaborating with makers and eventual installation in the gallery. Exploring both the premise of his sculptures and the ups and downs of the creative journey, Making Space gradually builds a picture of both the pressures and the compulsions that lie behind Gormley’s work. BEEBAN KIDRON Beeban Kidron is an acclaimed filmmaker and director of drama and documentaries. Her television work includes the BAFTA-award-winning Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and the documentaries Carry Greenham Home and Hookers, Hustlers, Pimps and their Johns. Feature films include To Wong Foo, Swept Away and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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 © Julien Devaux |
Francis Alÿs, a contemporary Belgian artist, is painter, videomaker and urban interventionist all rolled into one. A resident of Mexico City for more than 15 years, the city has played an important role in his artistic practice, which often examines the act of walking through an urban environment. Julien Devaux delves into Alÿs’s unique and poetic work, focusing particularly on the artist’s relationship to the city he inhabits. JULIEN DEVAUX Born in Belgium, Julien Devaux moved to Paris after studying fine arts and art history to work as a chief film editor. He has since directed and edited several projects and has frequently collaborated with artist Francis Alÿs. Wide Details is his first feature documentary. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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Introduction by Leah Sandals Jean-Michel Basquiat rose to fame in the 1980s New York art scene and became highly recognized as the epitome of the hot, young artist in a booming art market. He died at the age of 27, leaving behind a strong legacy and influence. short documentary by Tamra Davis premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; it features one of the last interviews Basquiat gave and some of the only footage of Basquiat in his studio painting and talking about his work. TAMRA DAVIS Born in California, Tamra Davis studied the art of filmmaking at the Los Angeles City College Cinema. She began her career directing music videos for such artists as Hanson, Luscious Jackson, Sonic Youth, Cher and Bette Midler, and directed her first feature film, Gun Crazy, in 1992. Other features include Billy Madison, Half Baked and Crossroads. Davis has also directed documentaries like Mi Vida Loca and short films such as To the Curb and Sophie goes to the Beach. She helmed the filming of a feature-length concert film for the Indigo Girls, and travelled to Africa where she directed a film for the United Nations about Bill Clinton’s initiative on landmines. |
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 Courtesy Gallery HD |
Known for his distinctive and unorthodox approach to filmmaking, David Lynch has garnered a strong cult following despite the ever-growing popularity of his films. This documentary reveals David Lynch, the visual artist. Following him as he prepares his 2007 retrospective exhibition “The Air is on Fire” in Milan, the film features interviews with actors Laura Dern and Dennis Hopper, as well as with writer Kristine McKenna and exhibition curator Ilana Shamoon, who discuss Lynch as a painter, sculptor, photographer and filmmaker. MARINA ZENOVICH Marina Zenovich’s film Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and won its Best Documentary Editing Award. It was also chosen as an official selection at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. The film was named one of the best five documentaries of 2008 by the National Board of Review. Other Zenovich films include Who is Bernard Tapie?, Independent’s Day and Estonia Dreams of Eurovision! Further credits include Vanessa Beecroft in Berlin, Julian Schnabel in Naples, Robert Wilson: Video Portrait, John Baldessari and Takashi Murakami for Gallery HD’s series Art in Progress. Both screenings Saturday, February 28, 7:00 pm
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 Courtesy Alice Neel Estate |
The screening will be followed by a conversation between Andrew and Sarah Milroy Alice Neel (1900–1984), one of the great portrait painters of the 20th century, reinvented the genre by expressing the inner landscape of her subjects. Directed by Neel’s grandson, this very personal documentary captures the story of life, exploring the struggles she faced as a woman artist, a single mother and a painter who defied convention. With unlimited access to photos, video, art and letters, Andrew Neel reveals a portrait of the artist consistent with themes of intimacy, family and survival that are so central to her work. ANDREW NEEL Andrew Neel was born in Vermont and graduated from Columbia in 2001 with a BA in film studies. He founded SeeThink Productions in 2002 for the making of his first 35mm short film, billy 528, which won Best Experimental Drama at the New York Film and Video Festival in 2002 before airing on Showtime in 2003. His first feature-length film, Darkon, won the Audience Award at the 2006 SXSW Film Festival and was subsequently acquired by IFCtv. His third feature-length film, The Feature, recently premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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 © Michael Blackwood Productions, Inc. |
Throughout his career spanning 50 years, Georg Baselitz has created imagery that deals unflinchingly with his position as a postwar artist. In the fall of 2007, a retrospective exhibition of his work opened at London’s Royal Academy of Arts curated by Norman Rosenthal, who had first exhibited paintings by Baselitz in the early 1970s. In this film, Baselitz and Rosenthal tour the exhibition discussing the paintings and sculptures, the artist’s beginnings and progress. In the course of their conversations during the walk-through, Baselitz’s struggle to find a way to make art in Germany in the post–World War II era becomes evident. MICHAEL BLACKWOOD Independent documentary filmmaker Michael Blackwood has produced and directed more than 100 films during the course of his career, aiming to create a permanent record of the leading figures in the cultural landscape of our time. His interests are in the areas of architecture, art, music and dance. Coming out of a background of cinéma-vérité, narration is used very sparingly, if at all, which allows the subjects to speak for themselves. This approach makes his documentaries meaningful primary source material. Since 1966, Blackwood’s films have been aired in the United States and abroad and can be found in the permanent collections of many museums and universities. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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 Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer © Neue Gallery |
Director Terrence Turner will be present Adele’s Wish is the remarkable story of an 84-year-old Los Angeles woman’s struggle to recover five rare paintings that were seized from her family by the Nazis in 1938. For nearly a decade, Maria Altmann and her lawyer, Randol Schoenberg, battled Austria for the return of artworks by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. Although it began as a legal dispute, the struggle quickly turned into a political, cultural and ethical confrontation during which Austria was forced to re-examine not only its role in the Nazi art thefts, but also its anti-Semitic past. TERRENCE TURNER An award-winning director, producer, writer and artist, Terrence Turner dedicated two years to researching, writing and producing Adele’s Wish. An ardent observer of the human condition, Terrence Turner’s focus is on crafting evocative and thought-provoking stories for discerning audiences. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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 © Arthouse FIlms |
Director Megumi Sasaki tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to minimalist and conceptual art, Herb and Dorothy Vogel quietly began purchasing the works of then-unknown artists. Their circle includes Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Barry, Lucio Pozzi and Lawrence Weiner. Through interviews and footage, this film explores the amazing story of these curatorial visionaries and documents the donation of their enormous collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue
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