2008: A Musical Odyssey 2008 / Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell / USA 2008
Arthur Russell, cellist, Buddhist and head of The Kitchen, a cultural centre in New York, died of AIDS in 1992. He left behind him a collection of gentle songs combining disco, his own fragile style and new wave. Today his work is finally finding a keen audience. Featuring Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg, the film was premiered at the Berlinale in 2008.
Arthur Russell, cellist, Buddhist and head of The Kitchen, a cultural centre in New York, died of AIDS in 1992. He left behind him a collection of gentle songs combining disco, his own fragile style and new wave, but he was also influenced by club pop and avantgarde art. Yet it seemed that he was never to enjoy true success. Russell was a utopian who stifled himself with his own perfectionism. Today, sixteen years after his death, his work is finally finding a keen audience which perhaps only now understands the sense underlying his poetic sound. The film, which brings in Russell’s closest collaborators Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg, explores the compelling cultural history of New York over the last few decades, the experience of being gay and confronting AIDS, and the cathartic process of creating art and pursuing popular success. The film also features members of the young generation of musicians (songwriter Jens Lekman) and music philosopher David Toop.
71 min / Color, DIGIBETA
Director Matt Wolf
/ Screenplay Matt Wolf
/ Dir. of Photography Jody Lee Lipes
/ Music Arthur Russell
/ Editor Lance Edmands
/ Producer Ben Howe, Kyle Martin, Matt Wolf
/ Production Polari Pictures
/ Cast Philip Glass, Allen Ginsberg
/ Contact Forward Entertainment
www: www.arthurrussellmovie.com
Matt Wolf is a New York filmmaker focusing on documentaries about contemporary art and culture. He creates feature-length films, documents for the Internet, promotional and educational videos, public commercials, complex podcasts and video programmes (e.g. for the New York-based Whitney Biennial art fest and the New York Times). The film profiling the late musician Arthur Russell is his debut on the international film distribution and festival scene. It was screened in its international premiere at the Berlin IFF in 2008.
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Phone: +1 121 300 6677
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