The captivating new HBO feature-length documentary, MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ THE ARTIST IS PRESENT, will have its world premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition. The film, from first-time director Matthew Akers, offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes portrait of Abramović, following the artist in the momentous year leading up to her major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010.
In addition to providing unprecedented access to Abramović's preparations for the historic MoMA exhibition, MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ THE ARTIST IS PRESENT weaves archival footage of the artist's early works together with interviews and scenes with commentators and public figures, including: MoMA PS1 Director and MoMA Chief Curator at Large Klaus Biesenbach; art critic Arthur Danto; Oscar®-nominated actor James Franco; Whitney Museum of American Art curator Chrissie Iles; Sean Kelly; writer Tom McEvilley; and performance artist and Abramović''s early partner and creative collaborator Ulay.
MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ THE ARTIST IS PRESENT is an HBO Documentary Films presentation of A Show of Force production, directed by Matthew Akers. The producers are Jeff Dupre and Maro Chermayeff. Director of Photography, Matthew Akers; Co-Directed by Jeff Dupre; Edited by E. Donna Shepherd; Co-Edited by Jim Hession; Original Music by Nathan Halpern; Co-Producer Francesca von Habsburg; For Dakota Group Ltd, Executive Producers Stanley Buchthal, Maja Hoffmann and David Koh; For HBO: Senior Producer for HBO, Nancy Abraham; Executive Producer: Sheila Nevins. The MoMA exhibition The Artist is Present was conceived, titled and organized by Klaus Biesenbach.
For further information on the film and to view a trailer, please visit the film's website.
The film will be screened at the following times and locations during the Sundance Film Festival:
Friday, January 20, 9:00pm at Temple Theatre, Park City
Saturday, January 21, 9:00am at Temple Theatre, Park City
Saturday, January 21, 4:30pm at Holiday Village Cinema IV – Press Screening
Sunday, January 22, 12:00pm at Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Monday, January 23, 3:45pm at Broadway Centre Cinema 3, SLC
Wednesday, January 25, 8:30pm at Library Center Theatre, Park City
Thursday, January 26, 9:30pm at Redstone Cinema 8, Park City
For further information on the above screenings, please visit the Sundance Film Festival Website.
In addition to the Sundance Film Festival, the film will also be included in the Berlin Film Festival's Panorama section, premiering on February 11th at the historic Kino International.
For press inquiries, please contact Maureen Bray at the gallery (212.239.1181) at maureen@skny.com. For all other inquiries, please contact Cécile Panzieri at the gallery (212.239.1181) or at cecile@skny.com.