Truth Be Told: Irving Norman and the Human Predicament (2019)
Truth Be Told: Irving Norman and the Human Predicament
(2019)
General Information
Completed On: 25 Apr, 2019
Duration: 1 hr 2 min 0 sec
Genres: Documentary
Language: English
Country: United States
Submitted By: Ray Day
Festival Rating 7.8
Social-Surrealist artist Irving Norman, (1906-1989) lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born in Lithuania, his natural artistic talent was realized early but due to the outbreak of WW1 and the revolution in Russia his abilities were put on hold for several decades. It was his year long involvement and brutal experiences he faced during the last year of the Spanish Civil War in 1938 that ultimately stimulated 50 years of creative effort where he worked tirelessly creating over 200 oil and watercolor canvases both large, with amazing detail and always with socially relevant themes.
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Original MusicMaikel Garcia Despaigne
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Film TypeDocumentary
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GenresArtist Biography
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Runtime1 hours 2 minutes 0 seconds
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Completion Date25 Apr, 2019
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Production Budget38000 USD
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Country of OriginUnited States
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Country of FilmingUnited States
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Film LanguageEnglish
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Shooting Format16:9
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Aspect Ratio16:9
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Film ColorColor
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Student ProjectNo
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First-time FilmmakerNo
Twilight Tokyo Film Festival
Japan
Tokyo
08/31/2020
Best Documentary - July, 2020
Wonderland Int. Film Festival
Australia
Sidney, NSW
08/10/2020
Best Documentary-July, 2020 & Director (Outstanding Achievement)
L'Age d'Or Int. Arthouse Film Festival
India
Kolkata
07/22/2020
Druk Int. Film Festival
Bhutan
Punakha
06/15/2020
Critic's Choice Award
Director's Biography
For over 35 years I have been recording audio and shooting 2nd. camera for documentary and commercial video and film productions in the San Francisco Bay area, as well 46 of the 50 states and in 53 countries around the world. Clients have included: National Geographic, NOVA, Discovery Channel, Smithsonian World, World of Audubon, Animal Planet, Imax, American Experience and American Masters. I received my BFA and an MFA in Cinematography in the late 70's after 4 years working as a high-speed research cinematographer in the US Navy from 1971-75.
Director's Statement
First saw Irving Norman's work in 1996 and was instantly stuck by it's size and subject matter. Labeled Social Surrealism his work is monumental in size and color as well as amazingly intricate in detail. I knew I had to help promote his work. In 2000 I created the website www.irvingnorman.com. Five years later I had a book published about his life and work through Heyday Books in Berkeley, California. Naturally, a film followed. Even after 24 years of exposure to his images I still find them compelling and find their message immensely relevant to our chaotic world today in 2020.