PSIFF: Dreams

Dreams offers a revealing look at the imbalances that often exist in relationships. Sometimes those dynamics work, and sometimes they don’t, depending on the nature and scale of the disparity.

Photo courtesy of The Palm Springs International Film Festival – 2026.

In this film, the imbalance is extreme: a wealthy philanthropist becomes involved with a much younger ballet dancer who is also an undocumented immigrant. The power gap is enormous, and the story explores what happens when one person holds far more control than the other. It raises uncomfortable questions about fairness, agency, and the blurry line between generosity and possession.

The movie stars Jessica Chastain (who won an Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye) and Isaac Hernández, the acclaimed Mexican ballet dancer. After performing with the San Francisco Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, and English National Ballet, Hernández became a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre in 2025. He is superb in his first acting role, and Chastain, as always, delivers a nuanced, magnetic performance.

What stayed with me most was the reminder that even the most beautiful connections can fracture when one person holds all the power. Dreams captures that tension with a quiet intensity that’s hard to shake, leaving you thinking about the relationships we choose, the ones we fall into, and the ones we outgrow, and how power shapes them all.

Dreams is expected to be released into theatres nationwide in a few weeks from now.

Film Synopsis (taken from the website): after their prize-winning collaboration, Memory (PSIFF 2024), director Michel Franco and actress Jessica Chastain reunite for this intimate love story/chilly drama that goes to places that a love story shouldn’t—and that plays as a powerful metaphor for the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. Chastain plays Jennifer, a wealthy American philanthropist who funds the Mexican ballet school where prodigy Fernando (Isaac Hernández) trains. She also takes him as her lover and keeps him in her home in Mexico. But when Fernando crosses the border illegally and arrives unannounced at Jennifer’s luxury San Francisco mansion, the relationship imbalances show in an ominous light.

Director/Writer/Producer Michel Franco was here in person for Q&A after the screening for his very thought-provoking feature.

https://www.psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2026/film-finder

Film Reviews

PSIFF: Kim Novak’s Vertigo

Do you ever wonder what became of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars? Are they still alive? What are they doing now? Even if they were before your time, their stories still echo through film history.

Courtesy of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

I grew up watching old movies with my dad, so I’ve always had a soft spot for the stars of earlier eras. Today, it feels like younger generations don’t have the same connection to these films, which makes discovering a great documentary about them even more special.

I love documentaries about interesting, multi‑faceted people. Some are actors, some are not.

I saw Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, about the famous actress and brilliant inventor who co‑patented a “Secret Communication System” during WWII that used frequency hopping – the basis for modern Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. Her scientific contributions weren’t recognized until later in life. I think it’s because of her that I was able to navigate my way from Vancouver to Palm Springs in my vehicle – so I thank her for that.

Another amazing documentary is My Mom Jayne, about Jayne Mansfield – directed by her daughter, actress Mariska Hargitay, who was only 3 years old and survived in the backseat of the car that took her mother’s life. Who knew that Mansfield was a highly intelligent and musically gifted polyglot, fluent in five languages (English, German, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian), a classical pianist and violinist, who performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, and a self-proclaimed genius with a reported IQ of 160+? When she was in Hollywood, the studio was more interested in her physical measurements than her IQ.

Which brings me to the U.S. premiere of a documentary I just saw at the Palm Springs International Film Festival called Kim Novak’s Vertigo.

Like Lamarr and Mansfield, Kim Novak was far more complex than the studio system allowed her to be. Unlike them, she’s very much alive.

For those not familiar with the name, Novak was a major Hollywood star in the 1950s, and for a few years she was Columbia Pictures’ top box‑office draw. She was Columbia’s answer to Marilyn Monroe, and the studio groomed her as their glamorous blonde star. She headlined major films like Picnic (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and Pal Joey (1957).

She became iconic for Hitchcock’s *Vertigo (1958), which is now considered one of the greatest films ever made. In fact, her dual role is still studied in film schools.

She stepped away from Hollywood in the mid‑1960s, saying she wanted to protect her sense of self and avoid the pressures that had consumed other stars of her era.

This poignant film, directed by Alexandre O. Philippe (who was in attendance and whose childhood memory includes the same wallpaper seen in Vertigo), shows Novak looking back on her life as an actress, poet, and painter in an intimate portrait. Novak left at the top of her game. She bought a beautiful home, sight unseen – perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. She now lives a secluded life surrounded by many animals. She’s 92. She’s an extraordinary painter (link below).

She recently received The Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice International Film Festival.

In the end, what moved me most was seeing a woman who chose peace over fame, art over applause, and authenticity over expectation. Her story lingers quietly, like a final frame that stays with you long after the credits roll.

It made me wonder how many other stars from Hollywood’s golden age have stories we’ve never heard.

If you’ve seen any great documentaries about classic film icons, I’d love to hear your recommendations.

*Vertigo – Here’s the official synopsis:

As the mysterious Madeline (and her doppelgänger Judy) in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Kim Novak delivered one of the most mesmerizing and enigmatic performances in Hollywood history – cementing her legacy as one of her generation’s most independent and iconic talents. Shortly thereafter, she left it all behind to pursue a quieter, more purposeful life in the Pacific Northwest. It’s here that filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe finds her: at home, ready to share the swirling, singular memories of her life as an actress, poet, painter, and person. This intimate portrait of artistic resilience and personal reflection is a stream-of-consciousness stunner.

Director Alexandre O. Philippe was in attendance for a Q&A after the screening.

https://www.psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2026/film-finder

https://www.kimnovakartist.com/

Film Reviews

PSIFF: TOW

Rose Byrne is one of those rare performers who seems to have no weak spots, and the more you look at her career, the clearer that becomes.

Courtesy of Palm Springs International Film Festival – 2026.

She can move between drama and comedy with ease, as witnessed in movies such as “Bridesmaids” and “If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You.”

I just saw “Tow” at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. “Tow” is based on the very real story of Amanda Ogle, an unhoused Seattle woman living in her aging Toyota Camry. The movie premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, and stars Byrne as the main character.

The story is based on Ogle’s real 2017 ordeal, when her car, containing all of her belongings, was stolen, recovered, and then towed. She spent over a year fighting the system to get it back. The car was not just her transportation, it was her home.

Byrne did a powerful performance in portraying Ogle’s battle against bureaucracy. She not only starred in it, she also produced the film, showing how personally invested she was in getting the story out there. The film was shot in just 19 days on a very small budget, which Byrne said added to its raw, realistic feel.

This movie really makes you think about how unfair the system can be. It was unnerving to watch the struggle to get the car back. Bureaucracy doesn’t bend for people who fall outside its assumptions of things like a home address, job, savings and ability to take time off to go to court.

Ogle had to deal with a maze of agencies that don’t talk to each other. They included the police, the towing company, municipal courts, city departments and storage facilities. She had to live in a woman’s shelter while doing so. At least there was that.

When the car was eventually recovered by police, instead of being returned to her, it was impounded. And because she was unhoused and had no stable address or resources, she couldn’t easily navigate the system to get it back. The towing company presented her with a bill of $21,634 for storage and fees over time, which of course, she could not pay. The system creates the problem, then makes it nearly impossible to fix.

This wasn’t a case of someone ignoring a ticket – it was a person trapped in a system that treated her car as property but ignored the fact that it was also her shelter.

Rose Byrne has said she was drawn to the project because Amanda’s story exposes how ordinary people can be crushed by systems that are supposedly neutral. And let’s also say that her appearance does not fit the typical stereotype, challenging our assumptions about “what homelessness looks like.”

The emotional undercurrent is the quiet realization that someone’s entire life can be uprooted because of a dramatic mistake. With a “there but for the grace of God go I” kind of feeling.

Homelessness has reached levels in the U.S. that are hard to ignore, and one of the most striking, and often invisible parts of the crisis is the rise in people living in their cars.

The festival is on until January 12^th, 2026. For films and available tickets:

https://www.psfilmfest.org/film-festival-2026/film-finder

Film Reviews

VIFF: Nouvelle Vague

ALL YOU NEED TO MAKE A MOVIE IS A GIRL AND A GUN – Jean-Luc Godard. Paris, 1959.

There are some things I will never understand. This movie may be one of them. But some things I cannot fully make sense of will still stand stand out as being innovative, artistic and surreal. This movie was the opening film at VIFF…about a film…that’s a bit vague (for lack of a better word). Visually it is stunning, filmed in all black and white. It’s also a true story and the original film Breathless went on to win several awards.

Nouvelle Vague stands for French New Wave, which was an influential film movement in France from the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s that rejected traditional filmmaking conventions through experimental techniques like jump cuts, location shooting, and handheld cameras. A direct response against the formulaic and studio-controlled films of the time, which focused on strong, easy-to-follow narratives. This type of filmmaking is a “go with whatever flow” method and has a kind of film noir imaging – creating a more immediate and spontaneous feel.

The low-budget, documentary-style approach of this film speaks to me, because now I don’t feel so bad about my trial and error, guerrilla-style, unprofessional YouTube (~~not telling you about it right now~~) channel where I am director, etc.

Directed by Richard Linklater (included in Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world), it is fresh and compelling. It follows the true story of Swiss intellectual Jean-Luc Godard as he makes a movie starring American starlet Jean Seberg (who speaks French with an American accent) and boxer Jean Paul Belmondo.

The primary pioneers of the French New Wave were film critics and future directors François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Éric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol, and Jacques Rivette.

He’ll write it as they make it. A bout de souffle… Breathless… will change everything (from the VIFF guide).

Don’t think about getting any clarity in this one and forget about continuity – it is what it is! Love it or hate it – it will leave you feeling a little breathless. See original trailer below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAuqDI4EAl4

Film Reviews

VIFF: Sentimental Value

Right on the heels of the Toronto International Film Festival is The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) which is in full swing right now. What I love about going to these film fests is that you have an opportunity to see movies that you may otherwise never get to see.

My first film was one I missed seeing at TIFF and that won the Grand Prix at Cannes 2025 – the second most prestigious prize. Sentimental Value is cinema (self) – referencing cinema.

Photo Courtesy of VIFF. Nora (Renate Reinsve) + her sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas).

Some movies don’t just tell a story; they ask you to feel it from the inside out.

Such as the hauntingly beautiful opening scenes where you hear the voice of one of the main characters as a little girl wondering if the house she grew up in had feelings. It got me in the way she wondered whether the house felt better empty or full, or if it could feel pain. It made the story feel deep, like her house wasn’t just a setting but part of the emotion. I was more moved by the emotional significance the house held for her than the emotional significance the people had for her.

And that’s where the movie lost its charm for me. I think there’s a distinction between movies made primarily for audiences and those crafted with filmmakers or actors in mind. The style and emotional resonance of this one made me think that actors would love it and regular filmgoers would not. I’m neither an actor ~~anymore,~~ or a regular filmgoer – so I left feeling mixed about this movie in general, a movie where the main players are creative emotional wrecks.

Yes, the acting was great. But, the main reason you go to the movies is for the story, right? If you’re okay with the main characters all coming from a dysfunctional place then you’ll probably really like it. If you’re looking for feel-good clarity and entertainment, then this is not the film for you.

A film where parents fight, the father (played by the amazing Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård) packs up and leaves, only to come back years later with a movie script he’s written (oh yeah, he’s a once-revered film director by the name of Gustav who hasn’t made a movie for a number of years) in which he offers his stage actress daughter Nora (Renate Reinsve) who, now has a series of her own, the main part, which she turns down because she’s still hurt over him leaving. He drinks way too much. The part is then offered to a well-known American actress (played by Elle Fanning) who becomes his new muse. She’s adorable and questions his choice of her in the lead and ends up feeling uncomfortable in the part. Did I mention the mother (Gustav’s wife) who worked as a therapist, committed suicide?

Directed by Joachim Trier. The VIFF overview says “Trier mines both humour and heartbreak from these damaged souls’ attempts to mend their frayed family ties.” I didn’t see much humour in it.

Bottom line is this movie is more chaotic than my take on it. But it has a somewhat happier ending, which is nice.

The Festival is on until October 12th. For Tickets:

https://viff.org/

Film Reviews

TIFF: THE LAST SHOWGIRL

Debbie & Elizabeth at the Movies

Here’s another one we wanted to see starring Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis and Dave Bautista in the World Premiere of THE LAST SHOWGIRL. Directed by Gia Coppola.

You got us at Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee. Sorry Dave! We knew that Anderson would do the movie justice and that Curtis would add some spunk; and we were right. A bold prediction is that Jamie Lee Curtis gets a Best Supporting Actress nomination (again) at the Oscars. You heard it here first. Curtis also claimed in an interview on the Red Carpet that the independant movie was shot in only 18 days – almost unheard of in the film business! A testament to the professionalism of the team.

As much as we love the movie title that depicts some showbiz sparkle, the film is much more than its title. In fact, it has girth and sadness. This story is more from behind the lights, than in front of them.

Out with the old; In with the new – a pattern arising in some films at TIFF and, the world in general.

As Vegas continues to change, the old seasoned performers must adapt to their new environs and change along with the times. Easy to say; difficult to do. Such is the case with Anderson’s character Shelley, when she learns that her bread and butter, a long-running traditional Vegas floor show must come to a close after 30 years .

Of course; who better to play this role than Pam Anderson? She plays it to an emotional Tee. However; Elizabeth thought that Anderson played the role a bit more ditzy than she needed to.

The stage manager Eddie (Bautista) is the bearer of bad news that the show will close permanently with only two weeks notice. All the dancers are devastated but none more than Shelley.

This is a real life dilemma that could be realized with not only this job, but any job. When you are 50 instead of 20, and your sole job skill has been dancing for 30 years; you’ve got to figure out a new life. You can become an emotional wreck.

Her brazen best friend Annette (Curtis) is a cocktail waitress who we believe secretly lost her dream of becoming something more. Something much bigger. One scene shows us that possibility. She’s incredible, as usual.

We really enjoyed this movie. It wasn’t spectacular but it was heartfelt and sometimes that’s enough. You really feel for Shelley’s situation of starting a new life.

And like the movie, cocktails seem to help, at least temporarily. There are so many choices of nice places to go for one (or more) in Toronto.

Only a few more days to go. For Tickets:

https://tiff.net/

Film Reviews

Whistler Film Festival

On the heels of the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) comes the Whistler Film Festival (WFF). Not that anyone needs an excuse to go to Whistler; but while you’re waiting for ski season to start (soon enough) film buffs might want to take in this unique little (but getting bigger) festival. Also; while there, make sure to check out the Audain Art Museum (housing the private art collection of Michael Audain) which is amazing in itself.

Art, Music, Movies, Documentaries….it’s all here!

Whistler Film Festival (WFF) has announced the full lineup for its 22nd edition taking place in-person from November 30, to December 4 2022 in Whistler, BC, and online from December 5 to January 2, 2023.

Selected from over 2,000 submissions, the lineup includes 86 bold and inspiring films curated into nine program strands. There are 41 features and 45 shorts from 19 different countries, including award-season contenders, new breakthrough Canadian features, heart-stopping extreme adventure films, and previously unseen projects from around the globe.

”With a particular emphasis on Canadian content creators and distinct and emerging voices, Whistler Film Festival continues to fill a valuable niche within the film festival ecosystem,” says Paul Gratton, WFF’s Director of Programming. “WFF has evolved into a premium showcase for exciting new motion pictures not previously shown at other film festivals. With our strongest lineup ever of Canadian gems, coveted international festival titles, and an inspiring selection of award-hopefuls, our 22nd edition hums with the energy and creativity that result when new voices mix with established filmmakers in one of the most awe-inspiring settings for a film festival.”

WFF is pleased to present an exciting line-up of documentaries, with a strong focus on sports and music.

A little sneak preview:

Acclaimed actor and director Jason Priestley returns to WFF for the World Premiere of OFFSIDE: THE HAROLD BALLARD STORY. Big money, big headlines, and a long list of enemies – Harold Ballard made them all during the two decades he owned the crown jewel of Canadian sports – The Toronto Maple Leafs – down the road to ruin. This not-to-be-missed feature-length documentary explores one of the most controversial figures in Canadian sports history. Directed by Priestley, this world premiere marks the star’s return to the festival for the first time since the release of his critically-acclaimed film Cas and Dylan – the opening night selection at WFF in 2013.

Music has a large presence in the WFF doc mix this year. A special screening of BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE: CARRY IT ON, with a live-streamed and in-theatre Zoom conversation with the iconic singer, songwriter, and activist, takes place on December 2. The documentary is directed by Madison Thomas, an alum of the Whistler Film Festival Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowship (2017).

WFF will screen the too-crazy-to-be-believed behind-the-scenes concert doc REVIVAL ‘69: THE CONCERT THAT ROCKED THE WORLD. Coined “the second most important event in rock & roll history,” the Toronto Rock & Roll Revival was a one-day event held at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium.

It features John Lennon in his first post-Beatles appearance, as well as Yoko Ono, Klaus Voorman, Eric Clapton, Alice Cooper (and the infamous chicken incident that put him on the map), Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and The Doors, plus a couple of hundred bikers used to provide Lennon with a motorized escort from Pearson Airport to Varsity Stadium to make the concert in time. A must-see for any rock historian.

Music fans will love BOY CITY, a funny throwback to the era of boy bands and those who loved them, directed by Sean Cisterna and featuring Jonas Chernick. Chernick is also the co-lead in the comedy THE END OF SEX directed by Sean Garrity, a sort of spiritual successor to MY AWKWARD SEXUAL ADVENTURE which won the Audience Award at WFF in 2012.

This all sounds amazing!

For tickets + info:

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THINKAboutit

The power of Film

It’s that time of year again. The time where movie theaters start to fill up as Fall approaches. And of course; the film festivals start up. Toronto International Film Festival (better known as TIFF) is on now until the 18^th followed by the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF for short) which begins on September 29^th.

Film is a powerful tool for so many reasons. There’s times I don’t want to think and only want to laugh, however; the three highlighted here help to get a message across with a not so gentle reminder of what good and bad we humans are capable of. This is the true power of film. Comedy and Tragedy, like life itself. Previews of what’s to come…

If you liked My Octopus Teacher…

Blueback

A story about an intimate mother–daughter relationship, forged by the women’s keen desire to protect the inhabitants of the pristine blue oceans on the Australian coast where they live.

With images of beautiful blue vistas demanding to be seen on the big screen, Robert Connolly (Balibo, TIFF ’09; Paper Planes, TIFF ’14) returns to the Festival with a story about a young woman’s connection to the ocean and an inherited mission of environmental advocacy.

A teenager named Abby and her mom maintains a bond with a groper fish (In Australia, “groper” is used instead of “grouper” ) affectionately named Blueback, who becomes a reminder of all the wonders the ocean has to offer and a path to healing a rift between Abby and her mother.

Sidenote from Girl who would be King: as a former scuba diver where at 19, my very first dive was in the Bahamas with a team from National Geographic no less, I personally came into contact with Grouper fish among sea turtles and many other remarkable sea creatures. I visited Cayman Islands too where turtle stew is considered the national dish. This trailer pulled on my heartstrings.

Grouper and snapper are still the mainstays in the Bahamas, however, with the former being the “Rolls Royce of fish” according to Ben Simmons, owner and operator of Harbour Island’s Ocean View Club.

Bones of Crows

An epic account of the life of Cree matriarch Aline Spears that spans generations, Marie Clements’ Bones of Crows is a powerful indictment of the abuse of Indigenous peoples as well as a stirring story of resilience and resistance.

752 Is Not A Number

On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 went down as it was leaving Iranian air space. All 176 people on board were killed, many of them Iranian Canadians. For weeks Iranian authorities vociferously denied responsibility, but foreign governments and agencies were certain the plane was shot down by Iranian military, a fact Iran’s government eventually admitted. There were no answers as to why the plane was fired on or even why it was allowed to take off, since hostilities had broken out in the region in preceding days.

This tragedy is the subject of the documentary. The focus is one man’s dogged fight for the truth. Hamed Esmaeilion, a dentist in Newmarket, Ontario, lost his wife and his young daughter in the incident. Determined not to let the Iranian government exploit their memories, Hamed took a harrowing journey to Iran to claim the remains, then embarked on a quest for justice for all the victims in this atrocity.

Happy Film Going (and some not so happy film going) but we all learn something and become more mindful in the process.

Have a great weekend (a long weekend in most provinces in Canada due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II). RIP our longest reigning monarch.

Film Reviews

VIFF: This week in closing…

Today marks the last day of the Vancouver International Film Festival with a short review on the last film I watched.

It’s also the day of the first vice-presidential debate of 2020 and the day I start baking again.

Right now I have a banana walnut loaf in the oven and I’ve finished baking the most delicious lavender pepper cheese scones. I’ll share that recipe with you soon because I know you’ll love it, and when you find out how easy they are to make it’s sure to become a staple. But right now…

From the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF): Contemporary World Cinema

Hammamet – Italian (French thrown in on occasion) with English subtitles.

The question is “what the hell was going on in Italy during a time many in government were perceived as being indistinguishable from the Mafia?”

Italy revisited – last night I watched a movie about an Italian historical leader that I did not know anything about and at first was reluctant to watch. Bettino Craxi was the leader of the Italian Socialist Party (1976-1993) and Prime Minister of Italy from 1983 till 1987.

I now understand why this semi-biographical drama was a box office hit at home in Italy. The drama directed by festival favourite Gianni Amelio’s (La Tenerezza, Open Doors, Stolen Children) traces Craxi’s final months with his family at his oasis villa in Hammamet, Tunisia, where he fled to avoid prison for crimes of bribery and corruption.

Hmmm….bribery and corruption. While not as prominent a thing in Canadian, influence peddling via campaign contributions from corporate sources definitely remains a thing in US politics.

But let’s get back to the Mediterranean, shall we? The scenery is lovely as you can imagine (Tunisia, Italy), however, I give this one three *** out of five stars…if only because I unfortunately did not find it exciting or as interesting as I had hoped. Others (especially those of Italian heritage) may appreciate it more.

You still have a little more time to order tickets at:

https://viff.org/

On another note: I updated my “about” page after a few people pointed out that there was nothing about me on that page. Now there is.

Film Reviews

My Rembrandt – VIFF

MY REMBRANDT and MARCEL DUCHAMP: the Art of the Possible – part of Vancouver International Film Festival’s (VIFF) Music/Art/Design series.

MY REMBRANDT

This documentary lets us in on how the materially privileged, despite possible pretenses to the contrary, lust over rare “objets d’art.” Does their material desire to possess rare works of art amount to little more than the fleeting privilege of being able to flaunt their worldly status and/or smarts to others, or is it for national glorification? Perhaps both.

It successfully parts the privacy curtain and offers us a peek behind it into the lives of Europeans with old wealth, an American with new wealth and big state-sponsored art gallery curators in Holland and France and elsewhere.

The idea is simply that the documentary isn’t just an art film about Rembrandt paintings aimed at the art crowd. It’s a documentary that not only offers insight into the ruthlessness that can play out in the high stakes international art world when it comes to finding and buying masterpieces; it also offers insight into Europe’s first selfies, in that only the wealthy could afford to commission artists to render their portraits for posterity.

From the VIFF Catalogue:

One of the “old masters,” Rembrandt van Rijn is considered one of the greatest painters of all time, and in the elite world of art collectors, his work is – almost – priceless. Oeke Hoogendijk’s captivating and elegant doc is both an enchanting glimpse behind the curtain of this privileged universe, and also a deep dive into an art mystery that rocked Rembrandt fans across the globe.

From a Scottish duke’s personal affection for a coveted portrait, to an American couple who have tried to get their hands on as many of the artist’s paintings as possible, Hoogendijk reveals what “my” Rembrandt means to each – nostalgia, heritage, beauty, obsession and, for many, the satisfaction of exclusive ownership. My Rembrandt also details the heated legal battles that proprietorship can entail. The film follows the youngest Jan Six (whose forefather Rembrandt painted), an art dealer convinced that he has found two previously undiscovered Rembrandts – a bold claim that, like everything in the art world, doesn’t come without a price.

Marcel Duchamp: The Art of the Possible

What makes a work of art “art”? Good question. Should it not be in the eye of the beholder?

Marcel Duchamp, who was regarded as “the godfather of modern conceptual art”, challenges this question. You might say he pushed the limitations of the definition of art by focusing on the observer of the art.

Born in the late 1800s in a small town in Normandy, Duchamp would go on to almost single-handedly revolutionize the art world with his fascination with the “fourth dimension” and developments in science, technology and mathematics. His unusual works were initially shunned and misunderstood by the mainstream, but later incorporated into pioneering movements like Cubism and abstract expressionism.

From the VIFF Catalogue:

The Art of the Possible is a mesmerising account of Duchamp’s life and work, showing how his radical rejection of 19th century ideals paved the way for innovation in dance, literature, music and the visual arts. An impressive array of experts and researchers bring Duchamp’s legacy to the fore, as archival footage reveals a charismatic – at times cheeky – visionary who was light years ahead of his time.

Marina Abramovic and Jeff Koons are among the artists and experts celebrating his life and work.

Presented by The Audain Foundation

Of these two documentaries, I much preferred “My Rembrandt”

Until October 7th you can order tickets to stream online with VIFF Connect:

https://viff.org/