Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Close to Vermeer” showing July 7-11 at the Mary D. Fisher and Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatres.
In “Close to Vermeer”, award-winning director Suzanne Raes gives us a unique insight into the realization of the largest Vermeer exhibition ever. She films Rijksmuseum curators Gregor Weber and Pieter Roelofs and conservators Abbie Vandivere and Anna Krekeler in their mission to shine a new light on Johannes Vermeer.
Although The Milkmaid and Girl with a Pearl Earring are world-famous, we know little about the painter himself. No self-portraits, no letters, no notes; a small oeuvre is all that the Dutch Master left behind.
This fascinating documentary shows everything from the quiet diplomacy required to get the Vermeers to the Netherlands and the new knowledge gained by scanning the paintings layer by layer, to the shocking world news that one work may not be by Vermeer after all. Slowly we discover how Vermeer was able to depict reality so differently from his contemporaries.
Above all, “Close to Vermeer” shows the infectious love of the curators and other protagonists for Vermeer’s art. As Weber lovingly puts it, “A good exhibition should change your view of the world. Vermeer can really do that.”
“One of the most thrilling exhibitions ever conceived. Seeing the paintings in this format drives home Vermeer’s amazingly circumscribed locations, fabrics and props — the pictures that hang behind many of his subjects would make a fascinating chapter in their own right.” — The Guardian
“Riveting…the Rijksmuseum’s Vermeer retrospective is nothing short of an historic event.” — First Showing
“Close to Vermeer” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher and Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatres July 7-11. Showtimes will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 7, 8 and 9 at 3:30 p.m.; Monday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m.; and Tuesday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.