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
Shadow of a Doubt
In our latest film studies series, FRAMEWORK, Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock across four monochrome masterworks. This week: smalltown US thriller Shadow of a Doubt (1943), one of the director's personal favourites.
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.
NAZA
NAZA is a codeword euphemistically used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians it expects will be killed in an airstrike. This chilling documentary exposes the policy and process of state-sanctioned mass killings.
The Best Years of Our Lives
One of the finest films to come out of WWII, The Best Years of Our Lives sympathetically conveys the difficulties returning veterans faced in readjusting to life at home. It won 7 of the top Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director and Actor.
Ray Gunn (Special Advance Screening with Brad Bird)
In an alternate future as seen from 1939, a private eye (Sam Rockwell) is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star (Scarlett Johansson). Followed by a moderated discussion with director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille).