Alison McAlpine

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Alison McAlpine
Alisonmcalpine2018.jpg
McAlpine at SANFIC 2018
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)film director, screenwriter
Years active2000s-present
Notable work Cielo (film)

Alison McAlpine is a Canadian filmmaker and writer living in Montreal, Quebec, best known for her films CIELO [1] and perfectly a strangeness . [2]

Contents

Career

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, she began her career as poet, playwright and theatre director.

She moved into filmmaking with her first film Second Sight, a cinematic non-fiction ghost story. Second Sight was presented at more than 35 international film festivals, winning the Special Jury Mention at Slamdance 2009. [3] The BBC commissioned her to make a version of Second Sight: Ghostman of Skye (2009), for BBC 2, Wonderland. [4]

CIELO , McAlpine’s first feature documentary, premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2017. [5] The film is about the beauty of the night sky as experienced in the Atacama Desert and was released in its final version in 2018. The film has been presented in over 400 international film festivals and cinemas, as well as winning several awards. [6] [7] Named as “One of the 10 best documentaries of 2018” by Esquire and “The best films of 2018…that you didn’t see” by The Guardian, Cielo has also been critically acclaimed by Variety, The Village Voice, The Globe and Mail, and Le Devoir. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

perfectly a strangeness, McAlpine's first short film, had its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Official Competition 2024. [13] [14] The film had its North American Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival [15] [16]

A 2021 Guggenheim Fellow and teacher, McAlpine is currently working on several new films and writings. [17]

Films

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Perfectly a Strangeness is a Canadian-Chilean experimental short documentary film, written and directed by Alison McAlpine and released in 2024. The film depicts three donkeys wandering around an astronomical observatory in the Atacama Desert, documenting both their movements around the facility and their observation of the dramatic visuals when the telescope opens and begins to illuminate the night sky.

References

  1. Kate Erbland, "‘Cielo’ Trailer: Awe-Inspiring NYFF Documentary Premiere Reaches for the Heavens — Watch". IndieWire , September 21, 2017.
  2. Rachel Ho, "Alison McAlpine Finds the Humanity in Donkeys and Telescopes". Point of View , September 5, 2024.
  3. Jones, Michael; Jones, Michael (2009-01-24). "Slamdance winners announced". Variety. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  4. Sharp, Rob (2009-11-09). "The Weekend's Television: Wonderland, Sat, BBC2
    Garrow's Law: Tales from The Old Bailey, Sun, BBC1"
    . The Independent. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  5. Erbland, Kate (2017-09-21). "'Cielo' Trailer: Awe-Inspiring NYFF Documentary Premiere Reaches for the Heavens — Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  6. "Astronomy Doc Wins AC Magazine Award at Salem Film Fest 2018". The American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  7. "Documental "Cielo" gana premio Kinema 2018". www.cultura.gob.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  8. Schager, Nick (2018-12-19). "The Best Documentaries of 2018". Esquire. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  9. "The best films of 2018 … that you didn't see". the Guardian. 2018-12-27. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  10. Schager, Nick (2018-08-09). "Film Review: 'Cielo'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  11. Hoffman, Jordan (2018-08-15). "The Eye-Popping "Cielo" Invites You to a Party in the Sky". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  12. Lavoie, André (2018-08-10). "«Cielo»: le murmure des étoiles". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  13. Howell, Peter (2024-05-16). "Cronenberg's latest and a buzzy new film about a young Trump: Canadians are in the conversation at the Cannes Film Festival". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  14. "Little earthquakes abound in the Cannes Short Film Competition". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  15. Prince, C. J. (2024-09-02). "11 Must-See Short Films at TIFF 2024" . Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  16. Pond, Steve (2024-08-09). "TIFF 2024 to Spotlight TV Shows From Alfonso Cuarón, Thomas Vinterberg and Janicza Bravo". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  17. "Alison McAlpine". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 2023-01-04.