An image from Guy Maddin’s “Rumours,” starring Cate Blanchett and Charles Dance. Credit: Courtesy of Bleecker Street Films
Rumor has it, director Guy Maddin is coming to Ohio State.
The Wexner Center for the Arts will host Maddin for a screening of his upcoming film “Rumours,” which he co-directed alongside Evan and Galen Johnson, 7 p.m. Friday, followed by a Q&A. The film — which follows a group of world leaders who gather in order to try and solve an impending global disaster — is set for theatrical release Oct. 18.
Dave Filipi, head of the Film/Video department at the center, said Maddin is a director who truly appreciates the legacy of film.
“He has a real love and appreciation for film history,” Filipi said. “[Maddin is] mostly known for making these films that have this kind of vintage aspect to them. He mashes together different genres of film in these really weird and inventive ways.”
Filipi said “Rumours” — which stars Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander and Roy Dupuis — is different from Maddin’s older works — most of which feature retro filming styles and are either filmed in black-and-white or in faded color palettes — yet it still features his signature comedic style.
“What’s different about ‘Rumours’ is it’s a contemporary film. It’s set in the present day and it’s in color. The first 40 minutes I was thinking, ‘Maybe [Maddin] wasn’t the leading voice on this film,’” Filipi said. “Then as the film went on, you realize this is [Maddin’s] sense of humor and this is the way [Maddin’s] characters behave.”
Filipi said “Rumours” showcases Maddin’s distinct ability to poke fun at his own characters.
“In a lot of his films, the setup is such an absurd situation, but the characters are totally bought into it,” Filipi said. “What could be more serious than a meeting of the G7 world leaders gathered together to discuss and solve the world’s problems? Then you realized how full of it they all are and how they don’t really have the solutions to anything. Then it becomes more absurd in making fun of their individual personal foibles.”
According to the center’s website, Maddin is a recurring visitor of the Wexner Center for the Arts and the recipient of a 2008–2009 Wexner Center Artist Residency Award.
In fact, Filipi said the willingness of filmmakers such as Madden to continually return makes the center’s work feel more important.
“There are a large handful of filmmakers that come back often and it’s important. It’s great professionally and personally when you develop these relationships with people,” Filipi said. “It makes our work seem more fulfilling.”
Melissa Starker, creative content and public relations manager at the center, agreed the center has enjoyed its long-standing relationship with Maddin.
“The Wex has a really long and wonderful relationship with Guy Maddin,” Starker said. “We have supported his work in the past, and this is a really exciting moment for him because he’s gotten so much attention for this film.”
Starker said she is specifically excited to see Maddin get so much recognition for his newest project.
“One of the things about a place like the Wex is that we will try to find artists doing meaningful and distinctive work and support them if we can throughout their career,” Starker said. “We are just so excited when the rest of the world picks up on what we saw initially.”
Tickets for the screening and Q&A, plus more information about the event in general, are available on the Wexner Center for the Arts’ website. Tickets cost $5 for college students and those under 18, $8 for senior citizens and $10 for the general public.
