Filmmaker Gianvito honored with retrospective

Visual and Media Arts Associate Professor John Gianvito was honored by Cahiers du Cinéma, an influential French film magazine, with a retrospective article that highlights his American political documentaries. The piece was written by Nicole Brenez, a prominent and respected film critic. “It felt like a rite of passage to have my work honored in Cahiers du Cinéma and humbling to have it written by Nicole Brenez,” said Gianvito.

Associate Professor John Gianvito was recently honor for his career in documentary film.

Gianvito’s work was also recently featured at the Cinéma du Réel, an international documentary film festival at the Pompidou Center in Paris. Over three evenings a different film of Gianvito’s was showcased at the festival. The three films were The Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein, Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind, and Vapor Trail (Clark).

After the screenings, Gianvito conducted a seminar at Cinéma du Réel, presenting his professional experience and artistic approach. For the workshop Gianvito used clips from his films and discussed his inspirations with members of the audience. Gianvito also surprised the audience with a sneak peek of his upcoming Far from Afghanistan.

Gianvito is a filmmaker, curator, and critic. His films include The Flower of Pain and Address Unknown. The Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein was cited as one of the top ten films of the year by critics in The Chicago Reader, The Boston Phoenix, and Film Comment magazine.