The 34th edition of the Starz Denver Film Festival is set to commence on Wednesday, November 2nd with an opening night celebration at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The entire schedule for SDFF34 is now online at http://denverfilm.org and will be available as an insert in the Westword weekly as well. We've had the opportunity to take an advance look at the schedule and will be reporting on select films here as part of our annual coverage of the festival. But since general ticket sales start today, we have to recommend the following for those who want a superior experience with an art-minded focus:
What do Sonic Youth, The Minutemen and Van Halen have in common? They all released albums with cover-art by bonafide visual artists in the 1990's perhaps leading a trend that remains trendy amongst some bands today. While Raymond Pettibone and certainly Gerhard Richter are well known worldwide, the lesser known painter William Kurelek was the surprise choice used by the worlds most pioneering heavy metal fronted by two brothers for their album "Fair Warning." The hour-long documentary "William Kurelek's The Maze" chooses to focus on other matters, however, and is a must-see for anyone interested in the greater understanding of inherent talent and the struggle for artistic expression. William Kurelek was a Canadian painter but his story is best derived from the emigration status of his family, full blooded Ukranians who came to North America as many did in order to find a better life. But life couldn't possibly have been harder for William, who like so many artists found little support from a family that didn't respect or consider art to be a true calling in life. The film is an extension of a previous shorter version by the director Robert Young with help from Kurelek's sons and others, and I suspect a very welcome one for anyone familiar with the original. The result is riveting from start to finish, and handled in a very judicious way giving deep insight not only into the artistic brain but also matters such as shock-therapy and Christianity. It's hard not to walk away with mixed feelings about all topics covered, and though this documentary leaves many questions lingering, such as the development of Kurelek's own family life, it's greater assertion that artists and people can find a way even under the harshest circumstances is served up quite well, accompanied of course by some very searing visual delights. And for those who want to know more about the VH cover, you can read about that at
http://www.vhnd.com/2011/05/02/the-story-behind-van-halens-fair-warning-album-cover-art/
William Kurelek - detail from "The Maze"
The other "must-see" as it relates to the visual arts is the documentary "Beyond Iconic," a chronicle of the photographs, life and lessons of Dennis Stock, an artist who captured some of the greatest celebrity images of our times. Of course he did much more than that, the film digging across the many angles in which one might understand a singular, thoughtful career. There is a lot to be learned here, anyone with even a remote interest in the topic of photography would be well-served by taking this in during the festival. Stock discusses his early mentoring and breakthroughs in the field, much of which related directly to timing, personality and networking, continuing through his later periods of substantially vast investigations. The film takes on the subject by interweaving images of Stock's work not only with interviews and footage of the artist, but as well with a photography class that Stock taught perhaps as a continuing education course towards the end of his life (Stock died in 2010). It's a great way to frame the subject, particularly with Stock's honest approach to matters of teaching the topic, something that everyone can learn from. Though Stock was a naysayer of most contemporary and conceptual photography, his earnestness is clear and his life relevatory enough to justify the tribute.
Can you name this famous Dennis Stock subject?
This years schedule is somewhat light on visual art-related themes, though one might get a heavy dose on the psychology of the struggling artist through South Korean films such as "Arirang" (which was highly recommended by one of the programming staff at last nights schedule release party) and "The Day He Arrives." Both films comments on the artistic struggles inherent in the film profession, the latter a tricky meditation on the underpinnings of directorial stardom which could have been titled "The Triple Lives of Director Yoo." Both are part of this year's focus on South Korean Cinema, one of the true delights of the festival every year as it ventures into largely uncharted territory from around the world.
Some of the most talked about auteur films on the international circuit will be rearing their heads this year, including David Cronenberg's latest "A Dangerous Method" and Lars von Trier's "Melancholia." Two of our most anticipated films that constitute the serious art-house urge have to be Steve McQueen's "Shame" and Bela Tarr's "The Turin Horse," both of which most likely won't reappear on the big-screen here in Denver. We'll have more reviews and reports coming again soon, so stay tuned and support the Starz Denver Film Festival!
