“The documentary on the act of making documentaries.” Filmmaker Abel Ferrara perfectly sums up the crux of his new film in the opening seconds of the trailer for “Sportin’ Life.” His succinct description would only be better if he was able to somehow weave in that Willem Dafoe is featured throughout. But hey, this is an Abel Ferrara film, so you kinda expected Dafoe to appear, right?
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As seen in the trailer for “Sportin’ Life,” Ferrara’s newest film takes a look at the behind-the-scenes process of one of the best filmmakers of the modern era and his most recent muse. Of course, when Ferrara talks about how the doc is about making docs, he doesn’t literally mean that. He, of course, is talking about how the documentary is able to capture the process that he undergoes when creating his films, as well as the life he leads.
“The subject of my new documentary is the relationship I have to my work, to Willem Dafoe, and my music and art. These relationships are the starting point and I could not avoid facing what the world went through this year with the pandemic,” Ferrara said in a recent statement about the film.
“Sportin’ Life” is expected to make its debut at Venice this week. The film is actually just part of the Italian festivities that await Ferrara at the event. He’s also being awarded the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award while attending the festival. And it makes perfect sense that Venice would be the location of the film’s premiere, given that the American filmmaker is now based out of Rome.
Of course, much like many of the other films being shown during festival season, it’s unclear when we might see a formal release of “Sportin’ Life,” but if you’re a film fan interested in getting into the mind of one of the greats, you’ll definitely want to check it out when it does come to a cinema near you.
Here’s the synopsis:
Sportin’ Life is the sixth incarnation of the international art project Self, curated by Saint Laurent’s creative director, Anthony Vaccarello. This project is an artistic commentary on society while emphasizing the complexity of various individuals through the eyes of artists who evoke the Saint Laurent attitude of confidence, individuality and self-expression. The documentary is an exploration into the sources and personal history of creativity, the essential life of an artist. Raw and sharp, it has the feeling of a moment in time that is still happening. Abel Ferrara’s intimate and lush look at his own life, his world refracted through his art – music, filmmaking, his collaborators and inspirations such as Ferrara’s early works and his creative partnerships with Willem Dafoe, Joe Delia, Paul Hipp and the musicians who inspired this work.