Vivos (film)

Last updated
Vivos
Vivos-movie-poster-md.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Ai Weiwei
Produced byAi Weiwei
Cinematography
Edited by Niels Pagh Andersen
Music by Jens Bjørnkjær
Production
company
Release date
  • January 24, 2020 (2020-01-24)(Sundance)
Running time
112 minutes
Countries
  • Germany
  • Mexico
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish

Vivos is a German-Mexican documentary film that premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020. [1] It was directed by Ai Weiwei. It is about the mass-kidnapping of students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College in 2014. Using meditative photography and intimate interviews, artist and filmmaker Ai Wei Wei tells the stories of the Ayotzinapa victims. Focusing on the families directly affected by the deaths and disappearances, Ai Weiwei gives expression to an unsolved humanitarian crisis. The film is in English and Spanish with English subtitles and runs for 112 minutes. It is produced by AWW Germany GmbH and Cinephil is handling worldwide sales.

Contents

Production

In an interview, Ai Weiwei stated his focus was not to create investigative journalism, or to figure out what happened in Iguala. He aimed to answer the question: When a family member doesn't return, what kind of trauma does the Mexican society and culture undergo? How does this hurt social justice and the nation? [2] In an interview with NPR, Ai Weiwei described how this film came from a desire to understand more about Mexican culture and politics. [3]

Reception

Variety writes about how the film build from the sorrow into a focus on activism itself. [4] [5] [3] Cassell described the most rewarding takeaway as how some of the parents become part of a growing movement for justice rather than information already covered by media. [6] One of Ai Weiwei's 2 other films produced in 2020 (Cockroach) was listed as one of ARTnews's top 10 art documentaries of 2020. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisson Gallery</span>

Lisson Gallery is a contemporary art gallery with locations in London and New York, founded by Nicholas Logsdail in 1967. The gallery represents over 50 artists such as Art & Language, Ryan Gander, Carmen Herrera, Richard Long, John Latham, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mangold, Jonathan Monk, Julian Opie, Richard Wentworth, Anish Kapoor, Richard Deacon and Ai Weiwei.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benedict Wong</span> English actor (born 1971)

Benedict Wong is an English actor. He began his career on stage before starring in the film Dirty Pretty Things (2003), which earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination, and the BBC sitcom 15 Storeys High (2002–2004). This was followed by roles in the films On a Clear Day (2005), Sunshine, Grow Your Own, and Moon (2009), and the CBBC series Spirit Warriors (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Weiler</span> American film director

Lance Weiler is an American filmmaker and writer from Pennsylvania, and the Director of the Digital Storytelling Lab at Columbia University School of the Arts. He first was known for The Last Broadcast (1997), a found footage horror film which he co-wrote, co-produced, co-directed, and co-starred in with Stefan Avalos. The Last Broadcast made cinematic history on October 23, 1998 as the first all-digital release of motion picture to be stored and forwarded via geosynchronous satellite. Initially working as an assistant cameraman and camera operator on large commercial shoots, in Pennsylvania and later New York City, Weiler is known for increasing work in experimental combinations of film, AI, gaming, and related media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ai Weiwei</span> Chinese conceptual artist and dissident

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the Chinese Government's stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of "tofu-dreg schools" in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In April 2011, Ai Weiwei was arrested at Beijing Capital International Airport for "economic crimes," and detained for 81 days without charge. Ai Weiwei emerged as a vital instigator in Chinese cultural development, an architect of Chinese modernism, and one of the nation's most vocal political commentators.

<i>Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry</i> 2012 American film

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is a 2012 documentary film about Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, directed by American filmmaker Alison Klayman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Blum</span> American film producer

Jason Ferus Blum is an American producer. He is founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, which has produced the horror franchises Paranormal Activity (2007–2021), Insidious (2010–2023), The Purge (2013–2021), and Halloween (2018-2022). Blum has also produced Sinister (2012), Oculus (2013), Whiplash (2014), The Gallows (2015), The Gift (2015), Hush (2016), Split (2016), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Get Out (2017), Happy Death Day (2017), Upgrade (2018), Us (2019), The Invisible Man (2020), Freaky (2020), The Black Phone (2021), M3GAN (2022) and Five Nights at Freddy's (2023), Night Swim (2024), Imaginary (2024), Afraid (2024) and Speak No Evil (2024).

Semillas is an all women Mexican art, justice, and healing collective based in New York City. Surging in 2014 in response to the forced disappearance of 43 Ayotzinapa students, the group raises awareness about Mexico's turmoil through media kits, documentary showings and cultural events. Semillas often holds political and cultural events that raise awareness for Mexico's current human rights crisis throughout Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, with links to social movements and supporting indigenous resistance. The collective is known for developing narrative based documentaries, infographics, and dance films that often serve as protests against the Mexican government's gross violation of human rights. The collective also is committed to proving trauma healing for communities marked by conflict linked trauma.

<i>Human Flow</i> 2017 film

Human Flow is a 2017 German documentary film co-produced and directed by Ai Weiwei about the current global refugee crisis. In the film the viewer is taken to over 20 countries to understand both the scale and the personal impact of this massive human migration. It was shot using various technologies, including drones, cameras and iPhones. Human Flow was screened in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Klayman</span> American filmmaker and journalist (born 1984)

Alison Klayman is an American filmmaker and journalist best known for her award-winning 2012 documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Jafa</span> American artist and cinematographer

Arthur Jafa is an American video artist and cinematographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Abbas</span> Egyptian film director, screenwriter, and producer

Sam Abbas is an Egyptian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is noted for his artfully composed, poetic, and incident-light tableaus film style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Cohen (filmmaker)</span> American film producer

Andrew "Andy" Cohen is a three-time Emmy nominated independent filmmaker and journalist whose film To Kill a Tiger was nominated for a 2024 Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.

<i>Coronation</i> (2020 film) 2020 documentary film directed by Ai Weiwei

Coronation is a 2020 documentary film directed by Chinese activist Ai Weiwei. The film documents happenings in the city of Wuhan, China during the global COVID-19 pandemic, and how the country's government and citizens have responded to and been impacted by the outbreak. Ai directed the film remotely from Europe, with dozens of volunteers and paid crews covertly gathering footage inside hospitals, homes, and quarantine zones across China.

<i>Be Water</i> 2020 American documentary film

Be Water is a documentary film that premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is directed by Bao Nguyen. It is about Bruce Lee, a famous martial artist. It uses significant amounts of archival footage, and focuses on Lee's two years in Hong Kong spent filming four feature films. Reviewers think it is a compelling film. It is part of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series and the film tackles racism in America. In a GQ interview, Nguyen talks about how this film represents protest and fits the zeitgeist, with many more Asian-American films being released as contemporaries. As of February 19, 2021, it is on Netflix. It won the Gold List Award in 2021.

<i>Coded Bias</i> 2020 American documentary film

Coded Bias is an American documentary film directed by Shalini Kantayya that premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The film includes contributions from researchers Joy Buolamwini, Deborah Raji, Meredith Broussard, Cathy O’Neil, Zeynep Tufekci, Safiya Noble, Timnit Gebru, Virginia Eubanks, and Silkie Carlo, and others.

Into the Deep is a Danish documentary film that premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020. It was directed by Emma Sullivan and filmed in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was planned to be released on Netflix, but the release was postponed indefinitely when some participants stated that they had not given their consent to participate in the film. Before a subsequent release, Netflix, Plus Pictures and Sullivan agreed to re-edit the film to remove those participants who did not wish to appear. It was released globally on September 30, 2022.

<i>Aggie</i> (film) 2020 American film

Aggie is a 2020 American documentary film, directed and produced by Catherine Gund. The film follows the story of art collector Agnes Gund, exploring the nexus of art, race, and justice.

Influence is a 2020 Canadian/South African documentary film written and directed by Diana Neille and Richard Poplak. The film follows Lord Tim Bell and his associates, known for their controversial geopolitical spin-doctoring.

Hawaiʻi Contemporary is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting contemporary art and ideas in Hawaiʻi.

<i>Frida</i> (2024 film) 2024 documentary film

Frida is a 2024 documentary film directed by Carla Gutierrez about the life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. As Gutierrez's directorial debut, it was first shown at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it won the U.S. Documentary Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award.

References

  1. "vivos". www.sundance.org. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  2. "Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei on Exploring Mexican Trauma in Sundance Doc 'Vivos' | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  3. 1 2 "Ai Weiwei Takes On 43 Missing Mexicans In 'Vivos' Documentary". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  4. "Ai Weiwei Investigates Mexican Student Disappearance in 'Vivos' Trailer (Exclusive) | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  5. Lodge, Guy (2020-01-25). "'Vivos': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  6. Cassell, Dessane Lopez (2020-02-07). "At Sundance, Tracing the Potential of Visual Art as an Agent of Change". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  7. Greenberger, Maximilíano Durón,Alex (2020-12-29). "The 10 Best Art Documentaries of 2020". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)