FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PHILLIPS De PURY & COMPANY and SEE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY AND SEE CHANGE ANNOUNCE AN EXCLUSIVE SCREENING OF THE OSCAR® NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY WASTE LAND DIRECTED BY LUCY WALKER AND FEATURING RENOWNED ARTIST VIK MUNIZ SCREENING DATE: FEBRUARY 10, 2011, 7.30 PM LOCATION: Phillips de Pury & Company, Howick Place, London, SW1P 1BB FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE London – Phillips de Pury & Company together with See Change, founded by Kathryn Greig, are thrilled to host an exclusive screening of the critically acclaimed, Oscar® nominated documentary WASTE LAND, directed by Lucy Walker, co-directed by João Jardim and Karen Harley, and produced by Angus Aynsley, (Almega Projects) and Hank Levine (O2 Filmes). Filmed over nearly three years, WASTE LAND follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of "catadores" -- self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz's initial objective was to "paint" the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. Director Lucy Walker (DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, BLINDSIGHT and COUNTDOWN TO ZERO) and co-directors João Jardim and Karen Harley have great access to the entire process and, in the end, offer stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit. “Vik Muniz and Lucy Walker have made a powerful and very human movie that fills you with hope and positivity!” Simon de Pury, Chairman, Phillips de Pury & Company. “I knew that a collaboration between Vik and catadores would be potentially very dramatic. Vik had previously done some brilliant social projects with street kids in Sao Paolo and had a wonderful ongoing project in Rio which employed kids from the favelas, and I was totally inspired by him. I am Vik’s biggest fan. And this idea of the “human factor,” about scales in portraiture, and distances in getting to know people, is what the movie is about for me.” Lucy Walker. AWARDS Nominee – Academy Awards® Best Documentary Feature 2011 Nominee – British Independent Film Awards Best Documentary 2010 Best of Festival – Wild & Scenic Festival 2011 Golden Tomato Award, Best reviewed Documentary – Rotten Tomatoes 2010 PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY HOWICK PLACE LONDON S W 1 P 1 B B P HILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY Pare Lorentz Award - IDA Awards 2010 Best Documentary – IDA Awards 2010 Silver Audience Award – Stockholm Film Festival 2010 Special Jury Prize Best Feature – Amazonas Film Festival 2010 Itamaraty Award for Best Documentary – São Paulo International Film Festival 2010 Roger’s People’s Choice Award – Vancouver International Film Festival 2010 Crystal Heart Award – Heartland Film Festival 2010 Jury Award – Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival 2010 People's Choice Award Best Documentary Film– Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival 2010 Audience Award Best Feature Film – EcoFocus Film Festival 2010 Human Spirit Award – EcoFocus Film Festival 2010 Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award – Durban International Film Festival 2010 Audience Choice Best Film – Durban International Film Festival 2010 Best Documentary – Durban International Film Festival 2010 Jury Award, Best Film – Paulinia Film Festival 2010 Audience Award, Best Film – Paulinia Film Festival 2010 Audience Award, World Cinema Best Documentary – Maui International Film Festival 2010 HBO Audience Award, Best Documentary Feature – Provincetown International Film Festival 2010 Best Documentary Golden Space Needle Audience Award – Seattle International Film Festival 2010 Target Filmmaker Award, Best Documentary – Dallas International Film Festival 2010 Audience Award, Best Film - Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2010 Audience Award, Best Documentary – IDFA 2010 Amnesty International Human Rights Film Award - Berlin Film Festival 2010 Panorama Audience Award, Best Film – Berlin Film Festival 2010 Audience Award, Best World Cinema Documentary - Sundance Film Festival 2010 "The entire WASTE LAND film team is immensely pleased that Phillips de Pury and See Change have decided to organise this amazing screening of the movie in London. Phillips has been such a wonderful and enthusiastic supporter of WASTE LAND since the earliest stages of the project when we really had no idea what direction this remarkable story would eventually take. It is such a pleasure to screen the completed film in their London premises that provided such key scenes from the film back in June 2008. We are also honoured to be an early participant in the See Change's film series that is already doing such wonderful work in combining and harnessing philanthropy and film. I would like to personally thank both of these organisations for helping to make this evening such a success." Angus Ainsley, Almega Projects Ltd. Brazilian artist Vik Muniz is a multidisciplinary artist whose work encompasses installation, painting and photography. Muniz’s images are composed in two stages; first an image is created out of garbage, toys, colour swatches such as 'blood' (red dye), diamonds, chocolate and once finished the final image is then photographed. Most recently and featured in the film the works have been created out of garbage collected on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Muniz’s work engages the viewer on two levels: from far away his pieces are portraiture and reproductions of famous artworks but on closer examination it becomes clear that his work is an examination of medium and it’s relation to the composed image. As an internationally recognized artist, Muniz is one of the best selling Brazilian artist’s currently working today. At Phillips de Pury & Company his work sells in London and New York in a variety of Contemporary, Photography and Theme sales. “The moment when one thing turns into another is the most beautiful moment. A combination of sounds turns into music. And that applies to everything.” Vik Muniz. A portrait by Vik Muniz will be auctioned on the night after the screening to benefit See Change and ACAMJG in Rio de Janeiro. NOTES TO EDITORS: WASTE LAND will be released in the UK on February 25th 2011 Images are available on www.picselect.com and on the official website: www.wastelandmovie.com P HILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY See Change Founded by Kathryn Greig See Change, Uniting the Arts and Giving aims to harness the power of imagery and the spoken word to encourage debate and inspire charitable giving. Our mission is not to raise funds for our own charitable initiative but for foundations whose missions are already established and in need of help. We have been exploring what it is that moves people towards particular causes and consequently to find a device or platform that would help a broad range of initiatives in a new and different way. Our conclusion is that the power of storytelling is what inspires people the most and as a result we are establishing a foundation that seeks to change the way we approach fund-raising while maintaining the inspiration for the cause and enthusiasm of the people we ask for help. It will take on a broad range of causes embracing humanitarian, environmental, educational and cultural aims. See Change will host regular ticketed events, each dedicated to a different charity. The common link of each event will be artistic (documentaries, art exhibitions, readings, feature films, book launches, theatre productions...) to provide a catalyst for debate and discussions. As well as fund-raising for a specific charity, we will be supporting individual artists (writers, producers, directors, poets, actors)… and building bridges between the press, artists and the charity. Unlike a conventional fund-raising event we hope that the motive for donating will change with a deeper level of understanding of the issues provided by the artist and the discussion. An example of this synergy occurred to the founders of this new charity after viewing the BBC drama, Five Sisters. It is the story of the murder of five prostitutes in Ipswich in 2006. Iceni, a drug rehabilitation charity and centre, where the young prostitutes were being treated was mentioned throughout the drama and captured the interest of the media. As a result, Iceni received significant donations from television viewers. A discussion following the screening of a programme like Five Sisters could be a debate on issues concerning the welfare, exploitation or even legalization of prostitution with a panel of experts and individuals providing personal accounts and insights. The aim of See Change is to utilize compelling narrative to provoke discussion and encourage charitable donations, which will make a difference. See Change Uniting the Arts and Giving aims to harness the power of imagery and the spoken word to encourage debate and inspire charitable-giving. Through a range of events including film screening, dramatic performances, readings and art exhibitions we will use compelling narrative to change perceptions, inform communities and mobilize support for a variety causes. www.seechangewitharts.com. PHILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY As the only international auction house to concentrate exclusively on contemporary culture, Phillips de Pury & Company has established a commanding position in the sale of Contemporary Art, Photographs, Design, Editions and Jewelry. Through the passionate dedication of our teams of specialists, Phillips de Pury & Company has garnered an unparalleled wealth of knowledge of emerging market trends. For more information, please visit: phillipsdepury.com. – END – Contacts: London Giulia Costantini Head of Communications [email protected] + 44 20 7318 4010 Fiona McGovern Communications Assistant [email protected] + 44 20 7318 4010 P HILLIPS de PURY & COMPANY New York Anne Huntington Communications Manager [email protected] +1 212 940 1210 See Change Contact: Kathryn Greig [email protected] + 44 20 221 5758 07976713963 .