Barry Avrich — Director (8)
Stratford Festival: King John (2015) [Movie] IMDb
King John
director: Barry Avrich actor: Sean Arbuckle / 汤姆·麦卡穆斯
other title: 约翰王 / King John
When the King of France demands that John relinquish his crown in favor of his nephew, the young Prince Arthur, war is the inevitable result. Excommunication, attempted atrocity, rebellion, and assassination all contribute to political turmoil and personal grief for a mother who has lost her son.
Prosecuting Evil (2018) [Movie] Douban
Prosecuting Evil
director: Barry Avrich actor: Fatou Bensouda / Wesley Clark
other title: 状告邪恶 / Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz
Barry Avrich returns to the Festival with a fascinating portrait of Ben Ferencz, the last surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor, who continues to wage his lifelong crusade in the fight for law and peace.
Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World (2017) [Movie] Douban TMDB IMDb
Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World
director: Barry Avrich actor: 朱利安·施纳贝尔 / 玛丽娜·阿布拉莫维奇
other title: 模糊地带:艺术圈内 / 블러드 라인스: 인사이드 디 아트 월드
As one art scene insider proclaims, the contemporary art world can be summed up as “rich people trying to prove how rich they are,” but is that all there is to this billion dollar industry? Well-researched and expertly constructed, Barry Avrich’s eye-opening documentary peels back the layers of the art world economy- from production to circulation, and delineates every integral player in the game of art-making, including curators, gallerists, collectors, donors, auction houses, and … artists. In the process, he unpacks the complex and surprising ecosystem that supports the art world superstars and million-dollar deals that make front-page news. Featuring extraordinary access to industry players and candid statements from prominent artists like Damien Hirst, Julian Schnabel, Taryn Simon, and Marina Abramovic, Blurred Lines collides the two narratives of the art world as both above and beholden to market forces.
David Foster: Off the Record (2019) [Movie] Douban
David Foster: Off the Record
director: Barry Avrich actor: 昆西·琼斯 / 保罗·安卡
other title: 大卫·福斯特:金曲之路
A revealing and personal profile of Grammy Award–winning composer and producer David Foster, with interviews from the artists who know the music legend best, including Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, and Michael Bublé.
One of the most successful record producers and songwriters of the past half century, David Foster has worked on countless chart-topping albums by performers like Andrea Bocelli, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Lopez, Chicago, Whitney Houston, and, of course, Céline Dion. And this is only a small fraction of the artists he has recorded with. (He also discovered Michael Bublé, by the way.)
Born in Victoria — he refers to his childhood as "almost perfect" — Foster made his way to the pinnacle of the music industry, but not without paying his dues, as Barry Avrich's David Foster: Off the Record demonstrates.
A workaholic who pursued his goals sometimes at significant personal cost (all of his children describe him as an affectionate but absent father), Foster emerges as a driven man for whom control is everything. As he tells Avrich at the beginning, "You think this is your film, but you're going to have to deal with me." That said, Foster's need for control comes from his clear view of what he wants on his productions, and this sometimes requires tough decisions. (He basically stripped Chicago of the horns that defined them while trying to get them back on top.) Buoyed by incredible access to the subject and his collaborators, Off the Record presents an ample case for Foster as one of the most influential creators in pop-music history — as proven by the string of major artists who show up to pay tribute (including Dion, who can't stop singing his praises).