The Sedona International Film Festival and Illuminate Film Festival are teaming up to present the Northern Arizona premiere of the Oscar-shortlisted and critically-acclaimed film “Heart of a Dog” showing Dec. 11-17 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
“Heart of a Dog” was just shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the upcoming Oscars. It is one of the top 15 documentaries of the year vying for one of the five nominations and going for the coveted gold statue.
"Hello, little bonehead. I'll love you forever." So begins “Heart of a Dog”, creative pioneer Laurie Anderson's wry, wondrous and unforgettable cinematic journey through love, death and language.
Centering on Anderson's beloved rat terrier Lolabelle — who died in 2011 — “Heart of a Dog” is a personal essay that weaves together childhood memories, video diaries, philosophical musings on data collection, surveillance culture and the Buddhist conception of the afterlife, and heartfelt tributes to the artists, writers, musicians and thinkers who inspire her.
Fusing her own witty, inquisitive narration with original violin compositions, hand-drawn animation, 8mm home movies and artwork culled from exhibitions past and present, Anderson creates a hypnotic, collage-like visual language out of the raw materials of her life and art, examining how stories are constructed and told — and how we use them to make sense of our lives.
Critics and audiences are raving about “Heart of a Dog”.
“A celebration! One of the most invigorating and alive films of the year!” — RogerEbert.com
“Magical! One of the best films of 2015!” — San Francisco Chronicle
“Spellbinding! Smart, silly, sad and relentlessly honest! One of the most moving and provocative films you’ll see this year!” — New York Magazine
“Dreamy, drifty and altogether lovely! Wildly inventive! Philosophically astute and emotionally charged.” — The New York Times
The screenings of “Heart of a Dog” are co-sponsored by BMO Harris Bank and the Humane Society of Sedona. The film is co-presented with the Illuminate Film Festival.