This is a huge momentum boost for Laura Poitras. Her opioid epidemic doc “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” has been selected as the centrepiece film of the 60th New York Film Festival.
The official announcement is said to come later this afternoon … the entire NYFF main slate will appear next week. Some names to expect include Serra, Gray, Skolimowski, Reichardt, Castaing/Paravel, and Hansen-Love.
Poitras’ film is said to tackle the American opioid epidemic via the eyes of “photographer Nan Goldin’s battle against the notorious big-pharma Sackler family.” The film is Poitras’ first feature since 2016’s “Risk.”
The New York Film Festival describes Poitras’ film as “a thrilling, empowering film. The work that is exhilarating combines personal tragedy, political awareness and artistic expression.”
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” will be in competition at Venice, a rarity for a non-fiction film.