The Aspen Institute Arts Program and Aspen Film present NEW VIEWS Documentaries & Dialogue, a film series featuring critically acclaimed documentaries and filmmaker conversations. A recent renaissance in documentary filmmaking is having a major impact on American public discourse surrounding the arts, politics and society. The series is presented in partnership with the Institute’s Aspen Community Programs.

Tickets for NEW VIEWS are $20 per show and go on sale on June 20 through Aspen Show Tickets at the Wheeler Opera House box office and at www.aspenshowtix.com. If available, tickets will also be sold at the door starting 45 minutes before show time.            

Sunday, July 1, 8:00 p.m.

JOE PAPP IN FIVE ACTS

Joe Papp in Five Acts is the story of New York's indomitable, streetwise champion of the arts—founder of the Public Theater and free Shakespeare in the Park—who introduced interracial casting to the American stage and nurtured an entire generation of artists, along with their works, from Hair to A Chorus Line. In his eyes, great art was for everyone, not just a privileged few. “We have public libraries,” he would argue, “Why not public theaters?” He was convinced that both women and minorities, denied power elsewhere in society, could develop it on the stage. Papp's great accomplishments and his own tumultuous personal history is told by the artists he helped create—and sometimes tried to destroy—a Who’s Who of stage and screen including Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Kevin Kline, James Earl Jones, Olympia Dukakis, and Larry Kramer, among others.

Q&A and Conversation with Co-Director/Producer Tracie Holder and the Public Theater’s artistic director Oskar Eustis

Monday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.

DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL

 “A new dress doesn't get you anywhere; it's the life you're living in the dress, and the sort of life you had lived before, and what you will do in it later." Diana Vreeland lived life to the fullest in each and every couture gown she wore. And as the quick-witted editor of Harper’s Bazaar and later, Vogue, she transmitted her enthusiasms for life and fashion to the world. In the award-winning Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, the fashion icon’s legacy lives on, following Vreeland’s story from Belle Epoque Paris, where she was born in 1902, through her successful career in print, to her groundbreaking exhibitions of haute couture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Costume Institute. Interweaving lively interviews with Vreeland by George Plimpton and personal anecdotes from Anjelica Huston, Diane von Furstenberg, Manolo Blahnik and many others with captivating period footage, the film is just as original, colorful, and exuberant as Diana Vreeland herself. (U.S., 2011, 86m) Q&A with Special Guest Following

Monday, July 30, 7:30 p.m.

THE HOUSE I LIVE IN

Known for his razor sharp ability to transform political issues into compelling narratives, Eugene Jarecki’s latest documentary—winner of the coveted Sundance Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary—takes a penetrating look at America’s War on Drugs. Since its inception 40 years ago, over 45 million arrests have been made, turning the United States into the world’s largest jailer. Millions of lives have been lost or wasted; families and impoverished communities have been destroyed; but yet drugs are more available than ever before. From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, the film shares the stories of individuals at all levels involved in the problem of drugs in our society, including the filmmaker’s touching personal example of his childhood nanny’s family. Comprehensive in scope and brilliant in its thesis, The House I Live In asks questions that not many are willing to ask…or answer as it hopefully considers how to effect change. (U.S., 2012, 110m) Q&A with Special Guest Following

Monday, August 6, 7:30 p.m.

MARINA ABRAMOVIC: THE ARTIST IS PRESENT

For 40 years, Serbian-born Marina Abramović has redefined art by using her own body as the medium. Often pushing the boundaries of extreme endurance, this art world superstar creates performances that challenge, shock and move viewers. Matthew Akers’ intelligent portrait offers a compelling look into Abramović’s many selves as she prepares for the biggest show of her career, the 2010 Museum of Modern Art retrospective. Spirited, emotional, pragmatic, reflective, Abramović speaks with eloquent clarity and humor about the core tenets of her artistic practice, namely always being in the present moment. Akers’ camera also captures the hard-working artist cooking at home, reconnecting with her former art and life partner, posing for a fashion shoot, and training an ensemble of young performers. An audience award winner at the Berlin Film Festival, Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present provides articulate insight into the oft-misunderstood medium of performance while taking penetrating look into the eyes–and humanity–of an extraordinary artist. (U.S., 2012, 106m) Q&A with Special Guest Following

Monday, August 13, 7:30 p.m.

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

If you’ve never heard of Rodriguez, you’re not alone. A critically acclaimed 70’s-era Detroit-based singer-songwriter, Rodriguez seemed on his way to achieving rock star status with his distinctive voice and lyrics earning him the nickname “Sugar Man.” But when the sales of his potential breakout album bombed, this elusive artist, touted as the next Bob Dylan, drifted into obscurity in the U.S., accompanied by mysterious rumors of a tragic death. However, in South Africa under apartheid, a bootleg copy of his album spawned a huge underground following.  With his antiestablishment lyrics gaining a generation of obsessively loyal listeners, “He was bigger than Elvis.” When two fans set off on a search to unravel the mystery of “Sugar Man’s” fate, they encounter a wild chain of events full of unexpected delights. Part gripping detective story, part uplifting portrait of an original talent, this Sundance Audience Award winner is a engaging story of hope and the universal power music holds to bring people together.  (Sweden, 2012, 86m) Q&A with Special Guest Following

NEW VIEWS: Documentaries & Dialogue 2012 is made possible by generous donations from Michael and Jane Eisner and Leonard Lauder

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Past Years

2011: NEW VIEWS Documentaries & Dialogue [PDF]
2010: NEW VIEWS Documentaries & Dialogue [PDF]