The 32nd edition of the New York Jewish Film Festival unveils its stunning CENTERPIECE today, with the achingly beautiful animated documentary work, CHARLOTTE SALOMON: LIFE AND THE MAIDEN followed by a Q&A with the buzzy Luxenbourgish-German actor who voices Charlotte, Vicky Krieps; and the film's co-directors Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin.
Making its world premiere, this new documentary details the "extraordinary life and work of artist Charlotte Salomon, who, though she was killed in Auschwitz at age 26, completed a mind-boggling amount of art before her deportation, including some 1,300 paintings." To behold this film -- you'll be witnessing and experiencing art overwhelm at its finest! Awakening senses, the film feels as if you're walking through an exhibition, with color, sound and emotion wrapping you up into its insides, as you enter the soul of, Charlotte, the young wunderkind with a deeply dysfunctional family legacy. Vicky Krieps (CORSAGE, MORE THAN EVER) -- perhaps most recognized for her role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Academy-Award winning film, PHANTOM THREAD -- brings a visceral, romantic, malaised and urgent feel while speaking through Charlotte Salomon's work.
"Narrated as though from Charlotte's own voice and featuring a cascade of her images, the film delves into her youth in Berlin, her escape to the south of France after the rise of the Nazis, her love affair with a music teacher, and the creative explosion that resulted in her brilliant body of multimedia work—ahead-of-their-time creations mixing gouache, text, and music." In addition to Krieps, the film features the voices of revered filmworld notables: Mathieu Amalric, and Hanna Schygulla.
In collaboration with the Jewish Museum and the Film at Lincoln Center, NYJFF23 takes place at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater. Get your prized tickets before they run out! You won't regret it!
By Lisa Collins