» Bill Cowell, Founder of The Buffalo Niagara
Film Festival is proud to announce a victorious
return for #2.
Bill pledges that this will be a spectacular 2nd year with large events and big
surprises to be talked about for years to come. Enjoyment to all, and to all
an enjoyable plight. See you soon.
Art
in the Face of War (artinthefaceofwar.com)-
Thursday, March 29th, 6:15pm Riviera Theatre
Art
in the Face of War is a feature documentary
on eight World War II Veterans/Artists who
recount their service experience and their
use of art for journalism, as a tactical
tool and to preserve their own sanity. They
served in all theaters of operation and in
all branches of the U.S. military, including
the once-secret Army division known as The
Deception Corps. Their powerful imagery -some
done on the spot, some done years later from
haunting memories- will enlighten, challenge,
even amuse, showing that war is hell but
that creativity can exisit in the face of
destruction.
Director’s
Statement for “Art in the Face of War”
When I first saw the artwork portrayed in this documentary, I was amazed at the
Veterans/Artists ability to channel their energies and find a way to create art
in the most horrific of circumstances as well as the most mundane. Some pieces
were done after their time of duty, and in the case of Dough Leigh, almost 60
years later he recreated the devastatingly harsh conditions he lived and fought
in during the Battle of the Bulge, the cathartic impact of which is evident in
this film.
Cecelia Barnett (Curator of the original exhibit at the New Canaan Carriage Barn
Art Center and Executive Producer of Art in the Face of War) approached me with
the idea of documenting the artwork and the Veterans/Artists’ stories and
my first impulse to do it was a selfish one: to gain a deeper understanding of
my father-in-law’s personal experiences as U.S. Marine during WWII, something
which he almost never talks about.
But there was something else pulling me to the project, a desire to hear firsthand
their lessons and wisdom from having lived through the worst thing possible:
war. And also to learn how they found a way to survive through artistic expression.
Finally, the fact that we are now a country at war is not lost on them or me,
and our current conflict makes their words even more profund and insightful.
Shot in December 2004, a planned screening in the Fall of 2005 was cancelled
when Hurricane Katrina devastated my hometown that August. I had to put the project
on hold for several months as I flew down to help my family and friends piece
their lives back together. Seeing the destruction in New Orleans and the Gulf
Coast gave me a greater appreciation for these Veterans/Artists. The fact they
could create art as their lives were inundated by death and destruction is awe-inspiring
and gives me hope that out of the ashes, humanity will always thrive to create
something of beauty.
