Film Forum

Christo and his late wife/partner Jeanne-Claude (1935-2009) created some of the most visually breathtaking art installations of the postwar era, including Running Fence in Sonoma and Marin counties (1976), Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin (1995), and The Gates in Central Park (2005). The Floating Piers—an ambitious effort to create the effect of walking on water via a 3-kilometer walkway over Lake Iseo in Northern Italy—is Christo’s first large-scale project since Jeanne-Claude’s passing (the two conceived of the idea together). Filmmaker Andrey M Paounov has rare access to Christo’s process, from inception to completion of the installation: thorny negotiations with local government, engineering challenges, crowd control, logistical nightmares and the sheer force of nature, captured through breathtaking aerial views and fly-on-the-wall cameras.

Presented with support from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Fund

USA / ITALY   2018   100 MINS.  IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES    KINO LORBER

Reviews

“Rollicking. Christo is his own force of nature. The 83-year-old Christo strikes a fascinating figure, a tireless, uncompromising artist who thinks his work is, on the one hand, totally useless, but shows childlike joy when things finally work out.”
– Mark Peranson, Cinema Scope

“Watching the eccentric luddite Christo bringing the installation to life is like watching a magician perform a drawn-out magic trick.”
– Bedatri D. Choudhury, Hyperallergic

“Long on delight. (Christo’s) disarming, pretension-free attitude runs throughout the film. We spy on an artist who races around like a mad scientist, who seems comically befuddled by technology. His passion is genuine, as is his sense of wonder.”
– Ken Jaworowski, The New York Times

“The documentary is invaluable. As the crowds literally sprint towards the piers on the opening day, the power and draw of participatory artworks is brought home with astonishing force… It’s rare that you can see the sausage getting made so explicitly, but in the film. (Christo’s) ability to capture the imagination of all strata of society is a testament to the potency and potential of contemporary art.”
– James Tarmy, Bloomberg