Big Important Film News
Artist documentary makes U.S. premiere in Fort Worth
Fans of art and documentary films won't want to miss the screening of HeavyweightPaint, an award-winning documentary film making its U.S. premiere on April 26 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
HeavyweightPaint is a feature-length documentary, filmed over the span of five years, about four Brooklyn-based figurative painters who are at different points in their careers, but share the struggle to survive the challenges of the art world.
Artists Jerome Lagarrigue, Joseph Adolphe, Tim Okamura, and Taha Clayton each face their unique obstacles, but their friendship provides the moral support to spur them onward. Their efforts intersect when they attempt to put on a collaborative show with the goal to land them in the spotlight of the highly competitive New York art scene.
The artists combined efforts with filmmaker Jeff Martini to raise funds, including a Kickstarter campaign, for both the show and the documentary.
Spurred on by their professional connections, personal friendships, and desire to break through the “barriers” of working as painters in Brooklyn, the documentary follows the quartet of artists as they raise funds for a collaborative show that has the potential to finally land them in the spotlight.
With the tagline “art is a fight,” boxing becomes more than a metaphor for each artist — it becomes the inspiration. Emphasized through intimately captured moments, the artists’ works shine a light on tribulations such as racism, financial struggles, and misunderstood work.
The screening is hosted by Fort Works Art, an organization that exists somewhere between a gallery, a cultural center, and a museum, and serves to support the arts, give back to the community, and inspire youth.
Fort Works Art owner Lauren Childs says in a release that it's an honor to be able to bring the U.S. premiere to Fort Worth. "Our city is proving to be a national force in the support for contemporary art in the United States, and we are beyond thrilled at the energy that this film is about to contribute to our community and beyond," she says.
The screening will take place at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth from 7-9:30 pm, and will be followed by an afterparty at Fort Works Art, at 2100 Montgomery St., at 10 pm. Director Jeff Martini will be in attendance along with artists Jerome Lagarrigue and Tim Okamura.
"The Last Five Years" film starred Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan.Courtesy photo