Canadian Premiere
Street photographer, portraitist, war photojournalist, and on-set photographer, James Hamilton has done it all in a remarkable career spanning six decades. He’s come face to face with icons from Mingus to Madonna, Lou Reed to Alfred Hitchcock. Developing film from an improvised darkroom in his small Manhattan apartment, Hamilton’s eye for composition and instinct for capturing spontaneous moments make him one of the greatest photographers of his generation. His print images shaped The Village Voice, Harper’s Bazaar, and The New York Observer, and he was at the vanguard of culture from the late 60s through the turn of the millennium.
D.W. Young’s energetic documentary not only opens up Hamilton’s voluminous archives but also relates the story of the halcyon days of alternative print media. Featuring interviews with cultural luminaries and commentators like Wes Anderson, Thurston Moore, Sylvia Platchy, and Joe Conason, Uncropped reveals essential insights into an artist who possesses a rare curiosity about the world and a talent for making human connections.
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
James Hamilton
USA
2023
English
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Wes Anderson, Chris Fralic, Irma Fralic, Dan Wechsler
Producer
Judith Mizrachy, D.W. Young
Cinematography
Marika Hacking, Francesco Saviano
Editor
D.W. Young
Original Music
David Ullmann
Art Director
Afternoon Inc.
D.W. Young
D.W. Young’s most recent film, The Booksellers, was released in the U.S. by Greenwich Entertainment and was sold internationally by Magnolia Pictures. His other features include the award-winning documentary A Hole in a Fence (2008) and the narrative The Happy House (2013), and his shorts include Not Interested (2010), A Favor for Jerry (2017), A Body of Language (2020) for The New Yorker, and Dancing on the Silk Razor (2023). His work has screened at the New York Film Festival, SXSW, DOC NYC, Woodstock, and many other festivals worldwide.
Filmography: A Hole in a Fence (2008); The Happy House (2013); Too Cold to Swim (2018)
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
Possible Love
Lee Chang-dong’s first film since Burning (2018) is a sardonic, slow-burning satire about two couples: a documentary filmmaker married to a wealthy businessman, and a working-class family struggling to make ends meet after the husband has been laid off.
The Exorcist
Thirteen-year-old Linda Blair is Regan, the movie star daughter who is possessed by a demon, and whose body becomes a spiritual battleground. It builds slowly, carefully, into a maelstrom of sheer unadulterated horror.
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.
An American Werewolf in London
Two American students get into a spot of bother with the wildlife in rural England. Then they introduce the virus to the big city... John Landis's goofy horror comedy is a very good night out. So long as it's not a full moon...

