World Premiere
One of the few female monumental sculptors of her generation, feminist artist Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) is best known for her playfully vibrant, voluptuous Nana statues, which stand proudly as icons of female empowerment in multiple countries’ public spaces.
Combining photos from her own archive with new footage, director Michiko Matsumoto guides us on a joyous retrospective of Saint Phalle’s breathtaking oeuvre. Gallerists, a sociologist, friends, and family weigh in on Saint Phalle’s life and legacy, from her early avant-garde Shooting paintings to her impressive architectural structures that visitors can enter and explore, such as The Dragon, a massive playhouse in Knokke, Belgium. Saint Phalle’s masterwork, The Tarot Garden, in Tuscany, took twenty years to construct. Adorned with stunning hand-laid ceramic and mirror mosaic pieces, her dreamy outdoor sculpture garden depicts the mystical meanings of the Tarot’s 22 Major Arcana.
A portrait of a fascinating woman who rebelled against childhood trauma and the patriarchy through her inspiring works, Viva Niki is a testament to the healing power of art.
Presented by
Supported by
Media Partner
Niki de Saint Phalle
Japan
2024
In English, French, Italian and Japanese with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Michiko Matsumoto
Screenwriter
Michiko Matsumoto
Cinematography
Michiko Matsumoto
Editor
Takeshi Ikeda
Original Music
Alliance de Chat Noir (Kenji Ueda & Kyoko Koizumi)
Michiko Matsumoto 松本路子
Filmmaker, photographer, and essayist, Michiko Matsumoto was born in Shizuoka, Japan in 1950. She started working as a freelance photographer after graduating from Hosei University in 1973. Matsumoto has published fifteen books of her photographs and essays including Portraits of Women Artists, DANCERS, and Portrait of Niki de Saint Phalle. Her photography is in the collections of museums internationally. Viva Niki – The Spirit of Niki de Saint Phalle is her first feature.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Agatha's Almanac
Shot over six years on vibrant 16mm film, Agatha’s Almanac is an artful documentary portrait of filmmaker Amalie Atkin’s octogenarian aunt, who has fashioned herself an endearingly simple and self-sustaining lifestyle on her Manitoba farm.
Modern Whore
In director Nicole Bazuin's cheeky, stylized documentary, Modern Whore-memoirist Andrea Werhun (Paying for It) recounts her experiences as an escort and stripper in Toronto, debunking misconceptions about the world’s oldest profession.
The Art of Adventure
The unbelievable adventure story of how painter Robert Bateman and ecologist Bristol Foster drove a Land Rover from Africa to Australia in 1957, developing a love of nature to last a lifetime. An inspirational love letter to the adventure of life itself.
4 or 5 Things I Want You to Know About Me (An Essay)
Carl Bessai's playful Godardian riff on actors and acting gives us a portfolio of dramatic portraits and monologues focused on half a dozen female performers at different points in their journey. It's a grab-bag of a film, sparky and specific.
