Finding Vivian Maier
Promotional poster
Directed by
  • John Maloof
  • Charlie Siskel
Screenplay by
  • John Maloof
  • Charlie Siskel
Produced by
  • John Maloof
  • Charlie Siskel
Starring
Narrated byJohn Maloof
CinematographyJohn Maloof
Edited byAaron Wickenden
Music byJ. Ralph
Production
company
Ravine Pictures
Distributed byIFC Films
Release dates
  • September 9, 2013 (2013-09-09) (TIFF)
  • March 28, 2014 (2014-03-28) (United States)
Running time
84 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • French
Box office$2.2 million[2]

Finding Vivian Maier is a 2013 American documentary film about the photographer Vivian Maier, written, directed, and produced by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, and executive produced by Jeff Garlin.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Maier was a French-American woman who worked most of her life as a nanny and housekeeper to a multitude of Chicago families. She carried a camera everywhere she went,[9] but Maier's photographic legacy was largely unknown during her lifetime. She died in 2009.[10]

The film documents how Maloof discovered her work and, after her death, uncovered her life through interviews with people who knew her. Maloof had purchased a box of photo negatives at a 2007 Chicago auction, then scanned the images and put them on the Internet. News articles began to come out about Maier and a Kickstarter campaign for the documentary was soon underway.[11]

The film had its world premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2013.[12] It was shown in cinemas, and was released on DVD in November 2014.[13] Upon release, the film received critical acclaim,[14] and won various awards, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 87th Academy Awards.[15]

Selected cast

Reception

Critical response

Finding Vivian Maier has an approval rating of 95% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 100 reviews, and an average rating of 7.50/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Narratively gripping, visually striking, and ultimately thought-provoking, Finding Vivian Maier shines an overdue spotlight on its subject's long-hidden brilliance".[16] It also has a score of 75 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]

Accolades

References

  1. ^ "Finding Vivian Maier (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. June 25, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  2. ^ "Finding Vivian Maier (2014) - Box Office Mojo".
  3. ^ "‘Finding Vivian Maier’ Reveals Life of Mysterious Street Photographer", Variety (magazine). Accessed 7 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Candid Camera", The New Yorker. Accessed 7 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Finding Vivian Maier Is a Fascinating Tale of the Street Photographer Archived August 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", The Village Voice. Accessed 7 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Nanny Strangest: On "Finding Vivian Maier"", The Wall Street Journal. Accessed 7 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Recluse nanny turns out to be photography genius", New York Post. Accessed 7 August 2014.
  8. ^ "A Mystery Woman’s Eye on the World: A Documentary Looks at the Photographer Vivian Maier", The New York Times. Accessed 7 August 2014.
  9. ^ Stevens, Dana (January 16, 2015). "Vivian Maier's Photographs Are Stunning. But the Oscar-Nominated Movie About Her Is a Mess". Slate.com. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  10. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (July 17, 2014). "Finding Vivian Maier review – fascinating study of a brilliant undiscovered talent". Theguardian.com=. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  11. ^ "The Nanny as Sphinx, Weaving Enigmatic Magic on the Sly", The New York Times. Accessed 19 August 2015.
  12. ^ "New doc exposes photo-snapping nanny Vivian Maier". Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  13. ^ Lyne, Charlie (November 19, 2014). "Finding Vivian Maier out now on DVD". The Guardian. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  14. ^ Finding Vivian Maier, retrieved January 27, 2018
  15. ^ "2015 Oscar Nominations: Imitation Game, Meryl Streep, Still Alice & More". Out Magazine. January 15, 2015.
  16. ^ "Finding Vivian Maier". Rotten Tomatoes.
  17. ^ "Finding Vivian Maier". Metacritic.
  18. ^ a b "Announcing The 37th Portland International Film Festival’s Alaska Airlines Audience Awards Archived August 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", Northwest Film Center. Accessed 7 August 2014.
  19. ^ "TCFF10 Award Winners", Traverse City Film Festival. Accessed 7 August 2014.
  20. ^ "Exposing Vivian Maier's Secret Life and Private Passion", Miami International Film Festival. Accessed 7 August 2014.
  21. ^ "25th Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces Festival Winners Archived August 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", Palm Springs International Film Society. Accessed 7 August 2014.
  22. ^ "‘Broken Circle Breakdown,’ ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ Among Palm Springs Film Fest Winners", Variety (magazine). Accessed 7 August 2014.
  23. ^ Variety Staff (February 23, 2015). "Oscar Winners 2015: Complete List". Variety. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  24. ^ Brown, Kat (February 23, 2015). "Oscars 2015 winners list in full". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved August 29, 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  25. ^ "Oscars 2015: Winners list". BBC News. February 23, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  26. ^ "WGA Noms for "Vivian Maier," "Red Army"". realscreen.com. Realscreen. Retrieved February 17, 2019.

External links

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