Finding Vivian Maier | |
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Directed by |
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Screenplay by |
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Produced by |
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Starring |
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Narrated by | John Maloof |
Cinematography | John Maloof |
Edited by | Aaron Wickenden |
Music by | J. Ralph |
Production company | Ravine Pictures |
Distributed by | IFC Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 84 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Languages |
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Box office | $2.2 million [2] |
Finding Vivian Maier is a 2013 American documentary film about the photographer Vivian Maier, written, directed, and produced by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, and executive produced by Jeff Garlin. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Maier was a French-American woman who worked most of her life as a nanny and housekeeper to a multitude of Chicago families. She carried a camera everywhere she went, [8] but Maier's photographic legacy was largely unknown during her lifetime. She died in 2009. [9]
The film documents how Maloof discovered her work and, after her death, uncovered her life through interviews with people who knew her. Maloof had purchased a box of photo negatives at a 2007 Chicago auction, then scanned the images and put them on the Internet. News articles began to come out about Maier and a Kickstarter campaign for the documentary was soon underway. [10]
The film had its world premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2013. [11] It was shown in cinemas, and was released on DVD in November 2014. [12] Upon release, the film received critical acclaim, [13] and won various awards, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 87th Academy Awards. [14]
Finding Vivian Maier has an approval rating of 95% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 100 reviews, and an average rating of 7.50/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Narratively gripping, visually striking, and ultimately thought-provoking, Finding Vivian Maier shines an overdue spotlight on its subject's long-hidden brilliance". [15] It also has a score of 75 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [16]
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