In a Dream Director: Jeremiah Zagar, USA, 2008, 78 minutes
Thursday May 28 | 7:00PM | Pacific Cinémathèque
For many artists, their environment is their inspiration. For Isaiah Zagar, a tormented artist, the bohemian neighbourhood of South Philadelphia is his canvas. Over four decades, Zagar has covered more than fifty thousand square feet of Philadelphia with stunning mosaic murals. Vibrant, revealing, pulsating mosaics. They are like spun webs that capture his life in vulnerable detail. At the same time, they subtly allude to the darker corners of an extraordinary imagination.
In a Dream exposes the precarious dependence of a father, husband, and artist to his physical environment. It provides a poignant reminder that the surroundings we weave are a living organism vulnerable to our actions and choices. Chronicling the artist’s work and tumultuous relationship with his wife, Julia, the film follows the Zagars as their marriage implodes. Directed by the couple’s youngest son, the film mixes old home movies, animated sequences, scenes of Isaiah working, of Julia in agony, and their eldest son Zeke grappling with his own demons. In different hands, this film could have felt like reality television, but the young filmmaker handles the intensely personal subject matter with grace and integrity.
Director’s Biography
Jeremiah Zagar was born in South Philadelphia in 1981. At 19, he shot Delhi House, a documentary about a hospital and orphanage in India. The short film premiered at the 2002 Slamdance Film Festival and aired on PBS affiliates across the USA. He has since made three more award-winning short films: The Unbelievable Truth, Baby Eat Baby and Coney Island 1945. They have screened in numerous festivals including Tribeca, SXSW and the London Film Festival. A graduate of Emerson College, Zagar lives in Brooklyn but his heart will forever remain in Philadelphia.
Planet in Focus produces Canada’s largest international environmental film & video festival. We use creative environmentally themed films/videos by Canadian and international filmmakers as a catalyst for broad public awareness, discussion and appropriate action on the ecological and social health of the planet. Planet in Focus has earned global recognition as a leader in environmental awareness education.
Our 10th anniversary festival runs October 21-25, 2009. Call for submissions closes June 26, 2009. www.planetinfocus.org
