DOXA Documentary Film Festival presents Cameraperson a film by Kirsten Johnson at the Playhouse
Date/Time: May 14 2016, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Vancouver, Vancouver PlayhouseCost: $15.00
Find tickets: here
Kirsten Johnson has been the eyes and mind behind some of the most iconic documentary films ever made. Her work with Laura Poitras (Citizenfour), Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11) among many others has arguably moved documentary cinema into the public eye in an entirely new way.
At the heart of Johnson’s approach is humility, curiosity, and a certain brand of American humanism. Whether she is shooting nurse midwives in an obstetrics clinic in Nigeria or a boxing match in New York City, Johnson brings a virtuosity of technique and an easy open manner — people address her camera like they were having a conversation with a friend. But the cost of documenting human suffering and tragedy comes at a price, as scenes on both a grand scale (genocide) and a much smaller level make clear. In a sequence that captures a newborn baby’s struggle for breath, you hear Johnson’s agonized comments off-camera. Episodes drawn from Johnson’s family life, her twins, and her elderly mother who is suffering from dementia add another dimension, as her camera becomes a means of fixing time and keeping people alive in some ineffable way.
Cameraperson could function as a masterclass in documentary filmmaking, as Johnson discusses shot setups with directors like Moore or Poitras. But more importantly, Johnson reveals through her own eyes the very nature of perception, of what it means to be alive and seeing the world. DOXA is very proud to close the 2016 festival with this celebration of documentary cinema in all its beauty and fragile humanity.
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