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
Nick Cave & The Birthday Party: Mutiny in Heaven
Before The Bad Seeds there was The Birthday Party, four Melbourne school kids burning with the white heat of punk with Nick Cave as frontman, a teenage Bukowski channeling poetry, literature, rockabilly and blues. Here the original band tell their story.
Robert Irwin: A Desert of Pure Feeling
No artist instills a sense of sublime awe like the legendary Robert Irwin, Elusive yet down to earth, Irwin is a true original. His extraordinary work is honored in this stunning portrait of one of the most influential contemporary artists of our age.
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)