Skip to main content
John Singer Sargent: Fashion & Swagger film image; cameraman filming a painted portrait

John Singer Sargent: Fashion & Swagger

Portraits

This event has passed

Canadian Premiere

The latest in the popular Exhibition on Screen series, John Singer Sargent: Fashion & Swagger provides new insight into one of America’s most beloved painters. Known for his incandescent portraits of the upper echelons of high society, Sargent possessed the ability to capture the essence and soul of a person, producing some of the most memorable portraits ever created. Filmed in conjunction with twin blockbuster shows at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Tate Gallery in London, this allows a detailed look at his masterworks alongside the wardrobes that have been preserved, allowing us to see how Sargent rendered each fold and gather with his brushstrokes.

The film also highlights other important aspects of his work, like his large-scale murals in Boston, and explores his artistic influences, placing his painting within the context of art history and haute couture. Director David Bickerstaff gathers art historians, curators, artists, and fashion experts to illuminate the intersection of art, fashion, and society, and invites us to arrive at a new appreciation for this master of portraiture and light.

 

Sept 28 & 30: Q&A with producer Phil Grabsky

 

Presented by

Media Partner

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

UK

Year

2024

Language

English

Film Contact
Links
Content Warning

Nudity

G

Open to youth!

93 min
Art, Music & Photography Documentary Q&As at VIFF U18 May Attend
Exhibition on Screen, Seventh Art Productions

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Phil Grabsky

Producer

Phil Grabsky

Screenwriter

David Bickerstaff, Phil Grabsky

Cinematography

David Bickerstaff, Joshua Csehak, Phil Grabsky, Hugh Hood

Editor

David Bickerstaff

Original Music

Asa Bennett

David Bickerstaff headshot; John Singer Sargent: Fashion & Swagger director

David Bickerstaff

David Bickerstaff is an artist, award-winning filmmaker, and BAFTA member who founded AtomicTV in 1997. His work has been showcased internationally at venues like the Wellcome Collection and the documentary fortnight at the Museum of Modern Art New York. He directs short artist documentaries for Art360 Foundation and collaborates with producer Phil Grabsky at Exhibition on Screen, creating acclaimed features on artists like Van Gogh and Michelangelo. As Creative Director at NewAngle Productions, David designs video installations for institutions including the Royal Collection Trust and the British Museum.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

The Baltimorons

Dir. Jay Duplass
101 min

An early Xmas present and the rom-com of the year: a dental emergency on Christmas Eve brings together flailing comedian Chris and cynical divorcee Didi for a series of low-key urban misadventures.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Ju Dou

Dir. Zhang Yimou
95 min

Zhang Yimou's second film as director is a carnal melodrama with stunning, saturated imagery and a star-marking performance from Gong Li. A landmark in Chinese cinema.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine

Dir. Michael John Warren
90 min

A remarkable line up of artists come together to share their love for the great American singer-songwriter John Prine, including Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Kurt Vile and Kasey Musgraves.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

The Secret Agent

Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
158 min

Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name — but he’ll soon come to understand precisely how rampant the country’s corruption has become.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Cutting Through Rocks
Cutting Through Rocks film image; person riding a motorcycle backlit by a sunset

Cutting Through Rocks

Dir. Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni
95 min

Winner of Sundance's World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize, Cutting Through Rocks follows Sara Shahverdi — motorcyclist, midwife, and first-ever councilwoman elected in her Iranian village. A vérité triumph by Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

The Tale of Silyan

Dir. Tamara Kotevska
81 min

From Oscar-nominee Tamara Kotevska (Honeyland), this is a poetic, curious and enchanting non-fiction fable about a farmer's son who turns into a stork.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema