All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

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All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Directed byLaura Poitras
Produced by
  • Laura Poitras
  • Nan Goldin
  • Yoni Golijov
  • Clare Carter
  • John Lyons
StarringNan Goldin
CinematographyNan Goldin (credited as Photography and Slideshows)
Edited byAmy Foote
Joe Bini
Brian A. Kates
Music bySoundwalk Collective
Dawn Sutter Madell
Production
companies
Distributed byNeon
Release date
  • September 3, 2022 (2022-09-03) (Venice)
Running time
113 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a 2022 documentary film which explores the career of Nan Goldin and the fall of the Sackler family. The film was directed by Laura Poitras.[2][3] Poitras said, "Nan's art and vision has inspired my work for years, and has influenced generations of filmmakers."[4] The film premiered on September 3, 2022, at the 79th Venice International Film Festival,[1] where it was awarded the Golden Lion making it the second documentary (following Sacro GRA in 2013) to win the top prize at Venice.[5] It also will screen at the 2022 New York Film Festival,[3] where it will be the festival's centerpiece film and for which Goldin designed two official posters.[6][7] The film's distributor, Neon, said that the theatrical release would coincide with a retrospective of Goldin's work at the Moderna Museet, set to open October 29, 2022.[4]

Synopsis[]

The film examines the life and career of photographer and activist Nan Goldin and her efforts to hold Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, accountable for the opioid epidemic. Goldin, a well known photographer whose work often documented the LGBT subcultures and the HIV/AIDS crisis, founded the advocacy group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) in 2017 after her own addiction to Oxycontin, where she had a near fatal overdose. P.A.I.N. specifically targets museums and other arts institutions to hold the art community accountable for its collaboration with the Sackler family and its well publicized financial support of the arts.

The film is structured in seven chapters, each of which begin with a "slide show" photographic sequence of a period of Goldin's life and then transitions to footage of her more recent protests with P.A.I.N. The slideshow of archival photographs is intentionally reminiscent of Goldin's own work creating slideshows or series of photographs, such as The Ballad of Sexual Dependency.

Cast[]

  • Nan Goldin

Production[]

Goldin and two other activists had been filming their activities with P.A.I.N. for two years, intending to make a documentary about the activist group. Goldin then approached the film's production company about turning the footage into a film, and Laura Poitras was suggested to Goldin to direct the film, based on Poitras's work on Astro Noise for the Whitney Museum. Goldin was initially skeptical because of Poitras' previous political films, saying "I thought I was not going to be interesting to her because I don’t have any state secrets."[8]

Goldin has stated that most of the film's footage and photographs come directly from her. Poitras expanded on Goldin's vision for the project, and chose to make a more well-rounded film about Goldin's life and career. These biographical elements include the suicide of Goldin's sister, Goldin's drug use and her sex work activities, which she had never previously publicized, as well as her art career and achievements. Goldin initially felt uncomfortable with allowing Poitras to control the film and the depiction of her life, but was happy with the finished film. Goldin said that Poitras was "telling my story in my voice, but it's not exactly my version as I would tell it. But she's been amazing into letting me have a lot of input into what's used and not used."[8]

Release[]

In August 2022, before its Venice premiere, Neon acquired the US distribution rights for the movie while the UK and Ireland rights were taken by Altitude Film Distribution.[4][9] In September 2022, HBO Documentary Films acquired television and streaming rights to the film.[10]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

According to the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed has a 96% approval rating based on 24 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 9.1/10.[11] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film holds a score of 88 out of 100 based on 10 reviews indicating “universal acclaim”.[12]

Accolades[]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Venice Film Festival September 10, 2022 Golden Lion Laura Poitras Won [13]
Queer Lion Nominated [14]
Smithers Foundation Award "Ambassador of Hope" Won [15]
London Film Festival October 16, 2022 Grierson Award All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Pending [16]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Biennale Cinema 2022 | All the Beauty and the Bloodshed". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Lang, Brent (August 4, 2022). "Laura Poitras' All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Tapped as New York Film Festival Centerpiece Selection". Variety.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Sutton, Benjamin (August 5, 2022). "Laura Poitras documentary on Nan Goldin's campaign against the Sacklers to show at New York Film Festival". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Kilkenny, Katie (August 18, 2022). "Neon Acquires Laura Poitras Doc All the Beauty and the Bloodshed". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  5. ^ Foreman, Alison (September 10, 2022). "'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed' wins Golden Lion at Venice: All the Winners". Deadline. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  6. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 4, 2022). "New York Film Festival Selects Laura Poitras Documentary All The Beauty And The Bloodshed As Centerpiece". Deadline. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  7. ^ "60th New York Film Festival Posters by Nan Goldin Unveiled". Film at Lincoln Center. September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Cascone, Sarah (September 14, 2022). "Nan Goldin on Handing Over the Camera to Laura Poitras for a Golden Lion-Winning Documentary About Her Life". Art World. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  9. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (August 22, 2022). "Altitude Boards International Sales, UK & Ireland Rights For Laura Poitras' Nan Goldin Doc 'All The Beauty And The Bloodshed'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  10. ^ Carey, Matthew (September 8, 2022). "HBO Documentary Films Acquires Laura Poitras Oscar Contender 'All The Beauty And The Bloodshed' Ahead Of TIFF North American Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  11. ^ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, retrieved September 10, 2022
  12. ^ "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed 2022". Metacritic. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  13. ^ "Venice Film Festival Winners: Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell Take Top Acting Prizes – Updating Live". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  14. ^ Goldstein, Gregg (September 1, 2022). "'Tár' Leads Large Pack of Venice Pics in Race for Queer Lion". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  15. ^ "COLLATERAL AWARDS OF THE 79TH VENICE FILM FESTIVAL". labiennale.org. September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  16. ^ "Full programme announced for 66th BFI London Film Festival". BFI. Retrieved September 17, 2022.

External links[]

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