FAFARD
Documentary, 86 minutes
Trailer
Synopsis:
Born into a small French and Metis community in rural Saskatchewan, Joe Fafard rose to become one of Canada’s most enduring and successful artists. Faced with a devastating medical diagnosis, Joe sets out to complete two seminal works; a self portrait and a two-sided portrait of Vincent van Gogh. This highly personal and immersive film by Jan Nowina-Zarzycki, depicts the artist at work in his foundry, and as he visits several of his installations across Canada, revealing details about the formative years of his life, his views on humankind and the inspiration behind many of his most famous sculptures.
Interviews:
Praise for FAFARD
FAFARD is a rare and stellar documentary a thoughtful deeply compassionate film about an important sculptor confronting his mortality after a life devoted to making art. It’s difficult to imagine any viewer not being moved and uplifted by this depiction of an artist who describes himself as a realist but who was a true prairie visionary.
Guy Vanderhaeghe, Saskatoon
A wonderful portrait and beautiful tribute to one of Canadas finest artists facing mortality in a terminal cancer diagnosis. Insightful, poignant and humorous FAFARD delivers on all fronts. Director Jan Nowina-Zarzycki crafts a masterfuly paced intimate look at Joes final years of life.
Alfie Kiernan, Regina
Jan, you brought Joe back to us in an intimate poignant and sometimes humorous documentary showing his commitment to his art to the end.
Susan Whitney, Kelowna
I had the pleasure of watching the screening of FAFARD a fine documentary film about the Metis sculptor Joe Fafard and his work by Jan Nowina-Zarzycki. The filmmaker let Joe be Joe and showed his generous, serious and playful humanity in the scene in Quebec by The Running Horses. The opening and closing shots of the film of a man on his walk down to work in morning the return home in evening beautifully evoked a sense of the cycle of a man’s life and work. Those images among others will be with me until I complete my cycle.
Michael Nelson, Toronto
Not really knowing much at all about you and the film FAFARD it was a great film, I left at the end of the evening feeling that I knew Joe if only a little thanks to your film and left wanting to know more. Seeing Joe work on his latter pieces of art was extremely interesting with the processes from start to finish and really helps one appreciate his talent.
Nick Whiting, Vancouver
An amazingly vivid and empathetic portrait of a great Canadian artist. Watching FAFARD the documentary made me wish I had known Joe Fafard the person.
Yawn Temiseva, Toronto
Jan’s film on Joe Fafard was such a gift to give us a glimpse of Joes kindness gentleness humour just at this moment when he is is still so missed. FAFARD brought Joe back to us, we saw Joe’s philosophy of life as he was living it. I loved the bits in French, the music and especially the street scene in Quebec City.
Jeannie Mah, Regina
A gentle, creative and sensitive film which beautifully captures what it was to be Joe Fafard in the twilight of his life.
Evan Quick, Regina
by permission
Aaron Walker, Moose Jaw Express
Credits:
Produced and Directed by Jan Nowina-Zarzycki
Producer Rob King
Original Music Jack Semple
Songs performed by Michel Lalonde
Vocalize by Kaitlyn Semple
Camera & Editing Jan Nowina-Zarzycki
On-line Editing James Kinistino
Special Thanks
Claire Kramer, JR Shaw, David Heffel
