Laura Poitras’ ‘All the Beauty and the Bloodshed’ Tapped as New York Film Festival Centerpiece Selection

Brent Lang
·3 min read
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Laura Poitras’s “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” has been tapped as the Centerpiece selection for the 60th New York Film Festival. The documentary about the opioid epidemic will screen at Alice Tully Hall on Oct. 7.

“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” looks at two interconnected stories, recounting both the life and career of artist Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty Goldin personally took on in her fight to hold accountable those responsible for the spread of opioids and the addiction that has followed in their wake.

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Following her own personal struggle with opioids, Goldin worked as an activist at art institutions around the world that had accepted millions from the Sacklers and as an advocate seeking to remove the stigma from addiction. The film is illustrated with a trove of photographs by Goldin, who also narrates her own story.

In addition, the festival announced that Goldin will design its poster, which will be revealed at a later date.

“I am thrilled to be part of the New York Film Festival with Nan,” said director Poitras. “Her art and activism are deeply rooted in this city. It is an honor to return to the festival, and to do this with Nan is so meaningful.”

“As soon as we watched Laura Poitras’s piercing new film, we knew that Nan Goldin was the right artist to design the official poster for the 60th anniversary of the New York Film Festival,” said Eugene Hernandez, executive director of the New York Film Festival. “Nan’s unflinching bravery in life and in work have made her one of the most arresting visual artists of our time. In designing this year’s poster, she joins a renowned roster of artists who have contributed their work to the festival, beginning in 1963 with Larry Rivers and running up through last year’s poster artist, Kara Walker.”

“One fearless and empathetic gaze meets another in this remarkable portrait of Nan Goldin by Laura Poitras,” said Dennis Lim, artistic director, New York Film Festival. “We are delighted to welcome Poitras back to the festival with All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, an absorbing account of Goldin’s work and activism that shows us how much they both matter.”

Participant is producing the film, which is still looking for distribution.

Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the New York Film Festival takes place from Sept. 30 through Oct. 16, 2022. The festival has already announced that Noah Baumbach’s “White Noise” will be its opening night screening and that it will host the world premiere of Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till.”

“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” was also unveiled as part of the lineup of this year’s Venice Film Festival. Poitras is an Oscar-winning filmmaker, whose work includes “Citizenfour” and “My Country, My Country.”

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