Film: The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins
Where: Alliance Cumberland Toronto (Hot Docs Film Festival)
When: Monday 21st April 2008, 9-45pm
Director/Producer:Pietra Brettkelly
Rating: (5/5 Kiwis)

For other show times see Hot Docs Website.

When we talk about Africa and in particular the current civil war(s) that rage on the continent, we inevitably build a framework around our thinking based largely on years of the western media monochromic view of the region. In “The Art Star and the Sudan Twins” Performance Artist Vanessa Beecroft travels to the Sudan initially to build her own political statement but is quickly consumed with adopting two “orphan” twins and take them back to the comfort of her Long Island existence.

Vanessa encapsulates this western framework in her determination not only to adopt these two children but to expose a visual violence to the plight of Africa in her performance art. It takes a strong personality like Vanessa to expose the inherent weaknesses and contradictions has to how we think about and look at Africa. We tend to think of Africa as a monolith rather than a series of rich stories of which many are familiar to our own families. And this is exactly where the western ideas and the reality of Sudan clashes. We as westerners think that we can save Africa if only they would let us save them, exactly what Vanessa challenges in her Madonna-est (the real one not the singer) photo (see above).

Kiwi filmmaker Pietra Brettkelly weaves us in and out of Vanessa’s life like a New York taxi cab as Vanessa simultaneously (coordinates) photographs the people of the Sudan whilst maneuvering through the political and legal machinations for adopting the twins. The story line literally has one on the edge of their seat waiting for the next set of lights to change.

The cinematography ( Director of Photography, Jake Bryant) is stunning and does justice to the colorful and bright subject that is Africa. Afterwards Peitra told us that it was shot in HDV, however one could have sworn the movie it was shot on film. The direction and editing was jumpy at times. There was a particular scene in the Californian desert that did not explain itself but then again we didn’t come to see a Discovery Channel documentary.

We live in a world where the mainstream media attempts to simplify what are complex stories in order to meet their 22 minutes. We are bombarded with very simple narratives presented in American Idol type fashion. However those of us who are drawn to long form documentaries want to revel in detail and complexity of the on the ground reality and for us The Art Star delivered in spades. If you liked “The Lost Boys of Sudan” you will appreciate “The Art Star”. It provides us plenty of scope to challenge our own field of view.

Kia ora Koto Peitra