Synopsis & Film Details
An official selection at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2013 DOC NYC festival, the American independent documentary “Finding Vivian Maier” has won praise from Variety for being “compelling, haunting, and captivating.” The movie explores the mysterious true-life story of the late Vivian Maier, a nanny who for more than four decades secretly made over 100,000 photographs of life on the streets of Chicago that went unseen during her lifetime, only to be discovered decades later hidden in abandoned storage lockers. After buying her work by chance at an auction, amateur historian and the co-director of the film, John Maloof, has crusaded to place this prolific photographer in the limelight. With the discovery, Maier—who is now considered to be one of the 20th century’s greatest street photographers—posthumously shares with us her peculiar life and her riveting art, as her story is revealed through a series of never-before-seen photographs, short films, and interviews with dozens of people who thought they knew her.
Directors: John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
USA (2013) • 83 minutes • Not rated
SCREENING SPONSOR:
Fresno Arts Council
With short film: Somehow
Directors: Jacalyn White and Joell Hallowell • USA • 6 minutes
In the experimental biography “Somehow,” a girl has become trapped in her family’s home movies.
Website
With post-screening Discussion Circle
Join commercial photographer Ryan C. Jones to talk about the film. A Fresno native now based in New York, Jones started making photos full-time in 2008, photographing weddings, working on corporate assignments, and freelancing as a photojournalist. He currently curates “An Unlikely Scene,” a global street photography project that compiles images with surreal and unpredictable elements. Moderated by Filmworks board member Jefferson Beavers.