
International Premiere
Each great artist passes a handwritten note to the next generation.”—Julian Schnabel
Following his acclaimed Bosch: The Garden of Dreams, José Luis López-Linares invited the great French screenwriter (and novelist, and director) Jean-Claude Carrière to survey the work of the great 18th-century Spanish artist Francisco Goya. Carrière wrote the screenplay for Milos Forman’s Goya’s Ghosts, after all. More than that, he was for two decades Luis Buñuel’s closest collaborator; he and Buñuel twice made pilgrimage to the Prado to steep in Goya’s paintings, finding there the full spectrum of joy, love, and anguish.
In his late 80s, Carrière proves an engaging, philosophical, and insightful guide, musing freely on biographical tidbits, close scrutiny of the art, and reflecting on his own life, music, movies, and the human condition. Carrière passed away last year before the film was complete, so the documentary also serves as a remembrance of this charming writer and intellectual, bolstered by further commentary from filmmakers Julian Schnabel and Carlos Saura, as well as several curators, critics, and academics. It’s a pleasure to be immersed in this level of erudition and enthusiasm for art.
Presented by
Supported by
Media Partner
Jean-Claude Carrière, Julian Schnabel, Carlos Saura
France/Spain/Portugal
2022
In French, Spanish, and English with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
There's Still Tomorrow
A critical and box office sensation in Italy, Paola Cortellesi's triumphant directorial debut is the tale of a Roman housewife in 1946, who stands up against the routine sexist abuse she suffers. Funny, heartbreaking and inspiring.
The Way, My Way
All manner of pilgrims flock to France and Spain to walk the 800 km Camino de Santiago. One such is Bill, a stroppy sexagenarian Australian filmmaker who's determined to do the Camino with minimal prep, a dickey leg, and no firm idea why.
The Stand
This rousing doc explores a 1985 dispute over logging in the Haida Gwaii. Taking us from canny retrospective commentary to the thick of the action, director Chris Auchter employs animation and a wealth of archival footage to riveting effect.
Resident Orca
Captured in Puget Sound in 1970, killer whale Lolita spent the next half century in a cramped tank in Seaquarium, Miami. The film follows a coalition of Lummi elders, animal lovers and philanthropists on a rescue mission to return her to the ocean.
No Other Land
Deemed by many critics one of the essential films of 2024, a multiple festival award winner and Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, No Other Land is a reminder that mass expulsion is by no means a new reality for Palestinians.
Misericordia
Edgy, eccentric, and unapologetically queer, this film goes from drama to comedy without putting a foot wrong. Sex and murder are the subjects, and writer-director Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake) mines them for suspense and outrageous laughs.
Credits
Executive Producer
Ruth Gabriel
Producer
José Luis López-Linares, Antonio Saura, Stéphane Sorlat
Screenwriter
Jean-Claude Carrière, Cristina Otero Roth
Cinematography
José Luis Lopez-Linares, Andrés Recio Illán
Editor
Cristina Otero Roth
Director

José Luis López-Linares
José Luis López-Linares began his career in film as a cinematographer before moving into directing and producing documentaries 20 years ago. His works have been nominated for the Emmy Awards, selected for major international film festivals, and received numerous awards, including three Goya Awards. His first feature documentary, Storm the Skies (1997), won the Ondas Special Jury Award. Bosch: The Garden of Dreams (2016) was awarded Best Documentary by Cinema Writers Circle Awards in Spain. López-Linares wrote the script for Finding Altamira (2016) starring Antonio Banderas.
Filmography: Storm the Skies (1997); The Chicken, the Fish and the King Crab (2008); Bosch: The Garden of Dreams (2016); Altamira, the Origin of Art (2018)