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So Surreal: Behind the Masks film image; man in museum looking up

So Surreal: Behind the Masks

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From 1885 to 1951, Canadian law banned the Indigenous Potlatch ceremony. Those who defied the ban were arrested, and masks and ceremonial objects were confiscated. The Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw nation has made it their quest to track down these sacred items. In some cases, the masks traveled across the country and eventually to Europe, finding their way into museums and private art collections, as well as ending up in the hands of surrealists like Max Ernst, André Breton, and Joan Miró. So Surreal: Behind the Masks traces the delightful confluence of the Yup’ik sensibility and the Western avant-garde movement and demonstrates the tremendous impact of Indigenous art in the most unexpected corners.

Neil Diamond and Joanne Roberton’s hugely entertaining film is part detective movie, part art doc. As it moves back and forth between Alert Bay, New York, and Paris, it provides an unusual and little-known perspective on art history, while highlighting the crucial work of redressing the cultural genocide perpetrated by Canadian and American authorities. Vital and vibrant, this film is an outstanding achievement.

 

Dec 27 & 28: Q&A with filmmaker Joanne Robertson

Directors

Neil Diamond & Joanne Robertson

Featuring

Neil Diamond, Bill Cranmer, Juanita Johnston, Chuna McIntyre, John McIntyre

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2024

Language

English

19+
88 min
Rezolution Pictures

Book Tickets

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Credits

Executive Producer

Catherine Bainbridge, Ernest Webb

Producer

Daniel Morin

Screenwriter

Neil Diamond, Joanne Robertson

Cinematography

Glauco Bermudez, Yoan Cart

Editor

Rebecca Lessard

Original Music

Anaïs Larocque

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