His graphic novel Maus, which recounts his father's experiences during the Shoah, made him world famous. Together with his companions, Spiegelman looks back on his life's work, marked by a creativity born of resistance, self-doubt, and a close encounter with failure. An intimate portrait of an extraordinarily charismatic man who transformed the comic genre into both an art form and a means of processing trauma.
How do you find words for the unspoken? How do you find images for the unimaginable? Art Spiegelman found both. Growing up in New York as the son of two Shoah survivors, he—like so many of the so-called second generation—was confronted with his parents' silence. He learned little about their past and their experiences during the Shoah. Only slowly did he discover the truth and process his father's experiences in Maus, a graphic novel in which cats embody Nazis and mice Jews. A global success that revolutionised comics; not only because of its exploration of a serious topic, but also because of its self-reflective nature and personal approach. As such, the film speaks not only about this work but about the life behind it, the inspiration of all his work. It tells of his difficult relationship with his father, his mother's suicide, his ongoing fight against fascism, the underground comics scene in San Francisco, and his great love for his wife, Françoise Mouly. Colleagues, friends, and companions reminisce, leafing through Spiegelman's biography with humour and contemplation, recall episodes from his life, and retrace its contours—at times obscured by shade, at others rich in colour. A documentary dedicated to a chapter of comic history and arguably one of its greatest virtuosos.
Text: Merlin Webers
Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the directors Molly Bernstein and Philip Dolin.
Credits
original title Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse
international title Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse
german title Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse
JFBB section Documentary Film Competition
country/countries US
year 2024
duration 100
Molly Bernstein
BIO MOLLY BERNSTEIN, PRODUCER/DIRECTOR is the director and producer of Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, a documentary that premiered at the New York Film Festival and received a wide theatrical release. The film was named one of Entertainment Weekly’s top 10 films of 2013 and aired on the PBS series American Masters. She also directed An Art That Nature Makes: The Work of Rosamond Purcell, which played in over 20 theaters nationwide and was released on DVD by Kino Lorber. Bernstein has had an extensive career as an editor with credits including the 2009 Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About, also featured on the American Masters series. She has recently produced and directed many short films with Particle Productions on various subjects such as contemporary artists and art collectors around the world for the James Cohan Gallery, VIP Art Fair and Christie’s. Most recently, she produced and directed The Show’s The Thing: The Legendary Promoters of Rock, a feature documentary about the creation of the live rock show in the late 60’s and 70’s. This film premiered at DOC NYC and was shown at the Boulder, Cleveland and Doclands International Film Festivals, Doc’n Roll Film Festival in London and Asbury Park Music & Film Festival. The Show’s The Thing aired on Sky Arts in the UK. Bernstein has had an extensive career as an editor with credits including Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb (Sony Pictures Classics), and the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About (American Masters). She has produced and directed many short films with Particle Productions on various subjects such as contemporary international artists and art collectors, and environmental issues and climate activists. She is on the film faculty of University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Philip Dolin
BIO PHILIP DOLIN, PRODUCER/DIRECTOR has produced and directed over 100 films about art, architecture, dance, the
environment and many other subjects. His clients have included universities, non-profit organizations, art galleries,
museums and a variety of businesses. He started out producing hip-hop videos in the early ‘90s for rap artists Salt-N Pepa, MC Lyte, Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor and many others. He was recently the executive producer and cinematographer of An Art That Nature Makes: The Work of Rosamond Purcell. He was also a producer of Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, which was named one of the top ten films of 2013 by Entertainment Weekly. He recently directed and produced the feature documentary The Show’s The Thing: The Legendary Promoters of Rock, which The Hollywood Reporter called “essential viewing for anyone interested in music industry history.”
