Canadian Premiere
In 1870s Arizona, a pair of drifters (Kiowa Gordon and John Way) are on a quest to find a legendary musician (Howe Gelb) when they team up with an Indigenous woman (Lily Gladstone) intent on reclaiming her land. Sounds like the setup to a classic Western, right? Instead, it’s but the springboard for a deep dive into a multiverse in which a dozen different mediums—including 16mm, paper cutouts, rotoscoping, hand-drawn animation, oil paints, 8k video, collage, and digital animation—are employed to distinguish between the disparate realities navigated by an ensemble of rogues.
Cerebral, psychedelic, and just plain silly in turns, physics scholar-turned-filmmaker Geoff Marslett’s staggeringly ambitious Quantum Cowboys is overwhelming in the most exhilarating way possible: a deliriously entertaining maelstrom of metaphysical ruminations, gunplay, musical interludes (Neko Case and John Doe stop by to croon tunes), and folksy wisdom (“Planning just insults the future.”). Playing out like a peyote-fueled fever dream, it serves notice that there are still new filmmaking frontiers to be explored.
Best Original Music Award, Annecy 2022
Media Partner
Kiowa Gordon, Lily Gladstone, John Way, David Arquette, Frank Mosley, Gary Farmer
USA
2022
In English and Spanish with English subtitles
At The Cinematheque
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
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A Duke Ellington Tribute with the Mike Braverman Sextet
After a scintillating session of Duke standards performed by The Mike Braverman Sextet, enjoy a roundup of Ellingtonia on Film: his first short sound films from the late 20s and 30s, and clips from the scores he composed in the 50s and 60s.
Credits
Executive Producer
David Arquette, Lily Gladstone, Kiowa Gordon
Producer
William Way, Melodie Sisk, Geoff Marslett
Screenwriter
Geoff Marslett
Cinematography
Jon Firestone, Adam J. Minnick
ANIM
Geoff Marslett
Editor
Matt Latham, Ian Holden, Tom Wilson
Original Music
Howe Gelb, The Colorist Orchestra, Maciej Zielinski, XIXA, Neko Case, John Doe
Director
Geoff Marslett
Geoff Marslett is a Texas-born animator, director, writer, producer, and actor. His work often revolves around the romance of connection and the way exploring your universe changes you and the place you explore. He grew up a cowboy with an interest in physics, and has worked in both construction and science before becoming a filmmaker. He adores feral cats and still genuinely loves making things. He splits his time between teaching at the University of Colorado and making his own films.
Filmography: Six in Austin: Out of Bounds (2002); Mars (2010); Loves Her Gun (2012)