TEHACHAPI

CINEMA COMPETITION
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM
TRUFFAUT THEATRE

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30
4:10 pm (Screening ends at 5:40 pm)

Presented in association with:
MK2 Films

Directed by: JR
Written by: JR
Produced by: JR (JRSA, Social Animals), Rosalie Varda (Ciné-Tamaris), Nathanaël Karmitz & Elisha Karmitz (MK Productions)
Cinematography: John Hunter Nolan, Tasha Van Zandt, Roberto De Angelis
Film Editing: Maxime Pozzi-Garcia, Sylvie Landra
International Sales: MK2 Films
US Distributors: MasterClass

Once again, incisive visual artist JR captures the world around him and reflects it back to us in a way that transforms lives, mirrors the humanity within us, and literally changes the way we see the world. This time, his joint subject/canvas is the Tehachapi maximum security prison in Southern California. The original idea was simply to photograph a group of inmates from the prison’s Level Four facility – housing its most violent criminals – create a monumental photo collage, and paste it on the ground of the prison courtyard, where it would remain for just a few days. Yet, in the process, so much more happens. Powerful bonds are formed, a sense of dignity is reclaimed, and an open-hearted dialogue begins… revealing the immense transformational power of art and the hope it can instill in everyone involved, from the inmates and their families, to the prison staff, to the viewers of the finished piece and this immensely moving film. It is a rare experience, and confirms the fact, loud and clear, that art is alive and well and truly does have the power to change lives and the world in a very visceral way.

Director JR started out as a graffiti artist on the streets of Paris and, at 17, began pasting his photo murals on the sides of buildings. Over the years, those projects grew to encompass the entire world, with monumental photo installations stretching from the courtyard of the Louvre, to the favelas of Brazil, to the West Bank, to Times Square. His work has been exhibited in museums around the globe and, in 2011 he received the coveted TED Prize for individuals who “wish to change the world,” which allowed him to created Inside Out, an international participatory art project. Ever political, always personal and humanist, his documentary film work generally documents his powerful photo installations. He directed his first feature in 2010 with Women Are Heroes, which premiered in Cannes. That was followed by three shorts, Les Bosquets (2015), a collaboration with the New York City Ballet; Ellis (2015), featuring Robert De Niro; and Walking New York (2015). In 2017, he codirected Faces Places with Agnes Varda, which was nominated for Best Documentary Oscar and César Awards, won the Best Documentary Independent Spirit Award and was honored with 35 additional awards worldwide.