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TRIBECALFILMFESTIVAL–WORLDPREMIERE
MAURIZIOCATTELAN:BERIGHTBACK
WRITTEN,PRODUCEDANDDIRECTEDBYMAURAAXELROD
RunningTime:90Minutes
AcquisitionsTitle–UTA
PublicityContact:ChristinaZisaCineticMediaPhone:[email protected]
PublicityContact:RyanWernerCineticMediaPhone:[email protected]
USSalesContactYaleChasinUnitedTalentAgencyBeverlyHills,CA90210Phone:[email protected]
InternationalSalesContactBecSmithUTABeverlyHills,CA90210Phone:[email protected]
SYNOPSISInthedocumentaryfeatureMAURIZIOCATTELAN:BERIGHTBACK,filmmakerMauraAxelrodfascinatinglyexcavatesMaurizioCattelan'sdisruptiveandindeliblecareerasthepre-eminentart-worldpranksterofourtime,interviewingcurators,collectors,art-worldluminaries,andex-girlfriendsonwhatmakesthismostcompellingofconceptualvisionariestick.Likethebestmysteries,viewersemergefromthisdizzyingjourneyknowingeverythingandnothingaboutamanwho,fromhisprofessionalinception,usheredusintoadazzlinghallofmirrorsthatenchantsandperplexestothisday.MaurizioCattelanshookupthecontemporaryartworldbeginninginthelate1980swithaseriesofaction-basedinstallationsincludinghisfirstsoloshowinMilan,TornoSubito(BeRightBack),inwhichhepadlockedanemptygallery-barringentrancetocriticsandspectators-andsimplyhungasignonthedoorthatread"TornoSubito"or"BeRightBack."Overhistwenty-yearcareer,Mauriziocontinuedtoprovokeandinspire,culminatinginanallencompassinginstallationandhisretirementin2011.HisstunningfinalexhibitionattheGuggenheimMuseuminNewYorkCityfeaturedallofhisworkstodatesuspended-executionstyle,assharpercriticsdescribedit-fromtheceilingoftheworld-famousmuseum'srotunda,encapsulatingabriefbutmeteoriccareerthatCattelanhimselfterminatedattheheightofhissuccess.
ACONVERSATIONWITHDIRECTORMAURAAXELROD:WhydidyouchoosetofocusonMaurizioCattelanasadocumentarysubject?Eversincewemet,I’vealwaysthoughthatMaurizio’sstorywouldworkasadocumentary.Hisworkisagoodwayofintroducingpeopletotheideaofconceptualart,andthatmakesitagoodsubject.It’seasytotakeinatfirstglance,andifyoutakethetimetolookfurther,deepermeaningsemerge.Maurizio’sworkandcareerarealsoaperfecttestcaseforexaminingtheartmarket,andthewayit’schangedandreallyexplodedinthepastdecade.ThenyouaddinthestoryofthetrajectoryofhiscareerHewasapoorkidwithnoeducationfromasmalltowninItaly,andhebecameanartsuperstaratthemostelitelevel—ataveryyoungage.Howdidyouapproachhimaboutthisproject?WhenhetoldmeabouttheshowhewasplanningashiscareerretrospectiveattheGuggenheim,Iknewwehadtofindawaytocapturethat.Theideaofitwasincrediblydramaticandveryvisual,withallofhisworkssuspendedintherotundaoftheGuggenheim.Theconstructionofhisshowisreallywhythisfilmcametogetherinthewaythatitdid.Whatwerehisthoughtsatthispointinhiscareer—theGuggenheimshowwasessentiallyhisretirement...He'sgenerallyveryopaque.Ineverknowwhathe'sthinking.Whenwefirststartedtalkingabouttheproject,Ihadnoideahewasintendingtoretire.Butheretiredfrommakingartthemomentwestartedworkingonthemovie.OfcourseanythingcouldchangewithMaurizio,andprobablywill.Towhatextentdidheparticipateinthefilm?Whenwedecidedtodotheproject,hemadeintroductionstoallofhisfriendsandcollaboratorsandmadesuretheywereavailabletous,andencouragedthemtoparticipate.HewasverygenerousaboutmakingsureIhadaccesstohisinnercircle.Buthewasreluctantaboutbeingfilmed,soitwasapushandpullsituation.Hewouldinviteustothingsandletusfollowhimaround,butthenrunawayfromthecamera.SoIstartedlookingforasolutionearlyon,becausewecouldn'thaveamovieaboutapersonwhoisn'treallyinit.There'salimittolisteningtopeoplechitchatoncameraabouttheirexperienceswithhim.ThefirstsolutionwastocreateanimationthatwouldbringMaurizio’scharactertolife.
Mysteryliesattheheartofyourstory—weknowalotaboutMaurizioCattelanandyetweknownothingatall.Howdidyousustainthismysteryoverthecourseofthefilm?SomethingMauriziosaysis,“truthisafunctionofefficiency."Locating“truth”isreallyimpossible.That’swhatthismovieisaboutinmanyways—there’snowaytotrulyknowanotherpersonwhenyouhavetorelyontheirpresentationofthemselves.Thisfilmdealswiththatinanupfrontway,byacknowledgingthatidentityisaslipperything.Anothersidetothatcoinistheideathatthereisnowayadocumentariancanavoidinsertingherownopinionsandbiases.Wetrytobeobjective—andthat’sanimportantstartingplace—butit’snotachievableinaliteralway.Icomefromajournalismbackground,sofiguringoutwhatthefactsare,andtellingatruestoryhasalwaysbeenthehighestorderofbusinessforme.AtacertainpointIrealizedthatMauriziohadcreatedasituationinwhichmymostcherishedbeliefsaboutdocumentaryweregoingtogetturnedontheirhead.Eventuallyyouhavetoacknowledgethatwe'realljustgoingalongwithMaurizioinaway—that'sthepoweroftheartist.Andyoufindthatyou'releftwithmorequestionsthanwhenyoubegan,you'releftsearchingforthetruth.Thiswasahugestruggleformeatfirst,butIeventuallyfinallythreweverythingoutthewindowandembracedtheambiguity.There'samerrypranksterelementtoMaurizio'slifeandwork—canyouelaborateonthis?OneofthesubjectsinourmovietalksaboutthewayMauriziocreatessituationsinwhichpeoplearecomplicitintheirownabuse.Inthiswayhe’slikeacourtjester,turningthetablesonanyonewhofeelslikethey'reinapositionofpower—twistingtheirpowerbackaroundagainstthem.It’soneofthemostfunthingsabouthiswork;thenervehehastodothesethings.Andthenifyoudon'tlikeit,itmakesyoulooklikeajerk.Ialwayslovedhisabilitytomakefunofpowerfulpeopleandthengetthosesamepeopletolaughatthemselves.Doyouthinkhe'stryingtoholdupamirrortosomeofthemoreridiculousorshallowaspectsofthecontemporaryartworld?Whatisheaimingforinhispursuits?Yes,that’sexactlyit—he'sholdingupamirrortosomeoftheabsurditiesthatgoalongwithbeingpowerful,orsuccessful.Nothingissacredinhislifeandwork,andIwasinterestedinexploringouthowhegetsawaywithallthisstuff.Partofitisthatpowerfulpeoplesometimesdoliketobechallenged,liketobetakendownanotch,orfeellikethey'reinonthejoke.Andifthey'rebeingmadefunof,thentheyarepartofthework,partofthestatement.Hepokesfunateveryone,andhedoesitonapersonallevel.
Howdidyoustructurethemovie?Isetouttomakearecordofhisworkandpersonality—somethingthatcouldstandonitsownasadocument.Butaswedevelopedtheideas,Icametoseeitmoreasastorywithinastory.Everythinginthemovieabouthisworkiscompletelytrue,butitdoesgoontoveerfromthe“truth”incertainways.Whodesignedtheanimatedsequences?KatyDavisistheanimator—shedidthepopularYouTubevideo"Empathyvs.Sympathy"withDr.BrenéBrown.Ilovedthedetailsinthatvideo,inparticulartheexpressivenatureofthecharacters,whichareanimals.WeworkedwithKatytocreatethesevignettesthatwouldanimatethethingsinMaurizio'sworkthatwerenotphysicalworksofart.KatyandIdevelopedaversionofMauriziothatlookedlikePinocchio—hisnoseissupposedtogrowasthestoryprogresses.Maurizio'sworkiscomplexandlayered—oneviewerseesonethingwhileanotherviewerseessomethingelseentirely.Whatareyourthoughtsonthemulti-facetedmeaningsinherentinhiswork?Oneofthethings(Guggenheimcurator)KatherineBrinsonsaysinthemovieisthathisworkhastwotemporalities,ortwotimelines.Youcometoitandit'salmostlikeaone-liner—youseeitasajoke.Youlaughandit'seasilyunderstood.Then,ifyoukeepthinkingaboutit,therearedeeperlayersofmeaningunderneaththework.Itcanturnhorrifying,tragicorsadupondeeperconsideration.It'sinterestingthatheusesDisneycharacterssofrequently—yougoseemodernanimatedmovieslikeToyStory,whichisdesignedtobeeasilyunderstoodbykids.Buttherearealsoracyjokesforadultsthatflyovertheheadsofyoungeraudiences.YoucanlaughatMaurizio'sworkbutyoucanalsobeinstantlyoffended—it'scomplicated.Asafilmmaker,IhadtothinkaboutdifferentaudienceswhileIwasmakingthisfilm.Iknewthatpeoplefromthecontemporaryartworldwouldbewatching,butIalsowantedtomakeitastorythatwouldbeinterestingtoawideraudience—topeoplenotfamiliarwithcontemporaryartorMaurizio’swork.WhatwereyourthoughtsonMaurizioandhisworkafteryoucompletedthemovie?He'strulyagenius,aweirdoutlier.Thisisaguywhocamefromnothing,andbecameoneofthemostimportantartistsofourtimeinaveryshortamountoftime—20yearsorso.
The Pinocchio analogy is a strong through-line in your film and in Maurizio's own life and work. Can you talk about the sadness and heaviness that is present in much of Maurizio's work? ItwasreallyimportanttomethatpeoplerealizethatMaurizio'sworkcanbefunnyononelevelbutalsoquiteseriousandevenpainfulonanother,andoureditorLymanSmithworkedhardtounderscorethispoint.SomeofMaurizio'screationsspeaktothemosttragicandhorrifyingthingsinlife.Feelingalone,ordesperate,orscared—that’sallpartofthehumancondition.It'ssomethingwe'veallfeltatonetimeoranother.We'reallterrifiedofdying,oroflosinglove,oroffailing,andMaurizio’sworkdealswiththosebigsubjects.Ifartcanmakeyoufeellessaloneinyourhumanstrugglingormoreconnectedtothebeautyinlifeandtoyourfellowhumans,thenit’sdoneitsjob.Hisgeniusisthathetakesonthesebigthemesinasingularway—byfirstmakingpeoplelaugh.ItriedhardtomakesurethatpeoplewhocametothemovieunfamiliarwithMaurizio'sworkcouldunderstandthisdichotomy.Talkabouttheuniquemusicinthemovie...Cassius,theFrenchelectronicgroup,gaveusanumberofbrilliantoriginaltracks—theyhaveanewalbumcomingout,andMaurizioandPierpaoloFerrarijustcreatedavideowiththefirstsinglefromthatalbum.JohnJenningsBoydistheamazingcomposerwhowroteandrecordedtheclassicalscore.YourmoviebuildsuptoMaurizio'sbrilliantretrospectiveALLattheGuggenheimMuseum,anencapsulationofhiscareer.Whatwasitliketocapturethisincrediblemoment?ItalianFilmmaker YuriAncaranishotthatincrediblefootage.HewasattheGuggenheimshootingeverydayfor30daysastheshowwasgoingup.TheyclosedthemuseumtohangMaurizio'sworks,itwastheculminationofthreeyearsofgettingalltheworksfromcollectionsaroundtheworldtoNewYork—andthenfiguringouttheincrediblycomplexengineeringproblemofgettingallthearttohangfromtheceilingwithoutdestroyingthebuilding.Itwasanundeniablyamazingshow—bothacelebrationofhisworkandasortofabjectexposé,hangingitinthewayhedid.Whywasthisshowsopopularwiththegeneralpublic?ItwasthesecondmostattendedshowinthehistoryoftheGuggenheimMuseum.Itwassodramaticandunusualthatpeoplefelttheyhadtogetalookatit.Maurizioisverygoodatcreatingbeautifullyreproduciblesingularimages;hecreatesspectaclesthatareeasilycapturedinaphotograph.ALLwasaperfectspectaclethatpeoplewantedtogoseebecausethere'sneverbeenanythinglikeit,andthereneverwillbeagain—itwasatemporaryinstallation.
OneofthebestquotesdescribingMauriziointhemovieis“Hehasnotdedicatedhimselftoart,hehasdedicatedhislifetosuccessinart,whichisdifferent."Canyouelaborateonthis?ThepersonresponsibleforthatquoteistheMilanesegalleristMassimoDeCarloandit'swhatIconsidertobeoneofthemainpointsofthemovie.HeissayingwhatweareallthinkingandwhatpeoplecriticizeMaurizioforingeneral,whichisthefactthatheseemslikeaplayerintentonmanipulatingusall.Thewayhebecamesuccessfulisjustaselaborateandincredibleastheartitself.Oncewewatchthemovieandwerealizethatweasanaudiencearebeingtakenforarideinthesameway—that’swhenIhopeitreallygetsinteresting.
MAURAAXELRODBIOMauraAxelrodhasbeenproducingnewsanddocumentariesforover15years.ShebeganatABCNewsinNewYorkasawriterandproducer.ShelivedandworkedasproducerforAPTelevisionNewsintheMiddleEast,reportingonthewarsinIraqandAfghanistan.AfterfiveyearsbasedintheCaribbeanregion,reportingfromGuantanamoandHaiti,MauraisnowbasedinNewYorkandColorado.Shehasgivenupconflictreporting,andiscurrentlyfocusingonthenolessfascinatingandcontentiousworldofcontemporaryart.
MAURIZIOCATTELANBIOMAURIZIOCATTELANwasbornonSeptember21,1960inPadua,Italy.Hebeganhiscareerinthe1980swithaseriesofsculpturesandactions,includingduct-tapingaMilanesegalleristtoawall,thatmadehimnotoriousincontemporaryartcircles.Afteraperiodofusingtaxidermyinhiswork,hebeganmakinglife-sizedwaxeffigiesoffamouspeople,includinghismostrecognizedsculpture,LaNonaOra(1999),depictingPopeJohnPaulIIbeingcrushedbyameteor.Duringthisperiod,Cattelanbeganusingastand-intorepresenthimselfatmediaandpublicappearances.Hisworksfrequentlypokefunatsystems,structuresandfamouscharactersandpersonalities,fromPinocchiotothesupermodelStephanieSeymour.Darkhumorisarecurringundercurrentinhiswork.Otherworks,likeHIM(2001),astatueofaprayingschoolboywiththefaceofAdolfHitlerthatwasplacedonthesiteoftheWarsawghetto,resultedininternationalcontroversy.In2011,CattelansuspendedallofhismajorworkstodatefromtherotundaoftheSolomonR.GuggenheimMuseuminNewYorkCityforthecareerretrospectiveAll.
FILMCREDITSDirectedandProducedbyMauraAxelrodPresentedbyBowandArrowEntertainmentTwoGreatDogsFilmsExecutiveProducersSvetlanaUspenskayaAlexeyKuzmichevMattPerniciaroMichaelShermanDavidandDanielleGanekShelleyandAndrewDunbarProducedbyLucianReadLymanSmithEditorLymanSmithDirectorofPhotographyLucianReadAdditionalPhotographyYuriAncaraniCo-ProducersKayceeFlinnMichaelHebronProducersAndrewFierbergKathleenGriffinAdamLindemannKarolMartesko-FensterAndrewRaiderWoodAssociateProducersDanielWrightJaneKeller
EditorsKathrynRobsonJaneKellerOriginalMusicbyCassiusOriginalScorebyJohnJenningsBoyd
