For Release 05:00 a.m. GMT, Jan. 27th,2008
Barbara Caspar Direct Phone: +43.676.566.1452
Andrew Standen-Raz, +43.650.752.0193
VIENNA—Jan. 27th, 2008--The young Austrian Artist, Barbara Caspar. premieres her debut documentary film, “Who’s Afraid of Kathy Acker?”, at the 2008 International Film Festival, Rotterdam, 14:15 at Cinerama 2. Ms. Caspar’s feature-length documentary is the first film to be made on the life of one of America’s most outrageous writers, the punk icon Kathy Acker.
As a first time Filmmaker, and a young woman, Barbara Caspar faced many obstacles on the way to realising her vision. “Kathy Acker fought her whole life against censorship, against conventional rules, and in many ways, I feel as if I had to break the rules to get this film made too.” Ms. Caspar battled hard to present the full story of Kathy Acker’s life on screen. “Kathy Acker was even more courageously rule-breaking than it seems possible to present her within conventional constraints. In a way, Art can be an easier route than film to openly present more controversial issues.”
“Who’s Afraid of Kathy Acker?“ is the first film to explore the outrageous life and times of the banned American writer, Kathy Acker, a woman who lived her life without boundaries. Named one of America’s original “outlaw writers” by the New York Times, Acker created challenging and sexually graphic fiction rooted in the same New York underground scene, which inspired the worldwide punk movement.
“Who’s Afraid of Kathy Acker?” is directed by Barbara Caspar, produced in association with Kathrin Brinkmann of Arte/ZDF, Cameo Film und-Fernsehproduktion (Cologne) and Fischer Film Gesmbh (Austria), and co-written with the English filmmaker Andrew Standen-Raz. The Film covers every aspect of Acker's life, from her wild early years in New York City to her untimely death of breast cancer in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1997. The film is a multilayered, sophisticated mix of animations, graphic text and filmed reenactments of scenes from Acker's bestseller "Blood & Guts in High School", which sold out within a week of its release in 1984.
“Who’s Afraid of Kathy Acker?” was shot in NYC, LA, San Francisco, London, Vienna, Graz, San Diego, Mexico, and features a host of interviews with leading figures of the time connected with Kathy, including William Burroughs, Kathleen Hanna & Bikini Kill, Dennis Cooper, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Barney Rosset, & Ira Silverberg. Andrew Standen-Raz adds “I know many people are very inspired and influenced by Kathy Acker’s example and her work. Not just young women, but anyone who has to fight a little bit to be recognised or heard. I hope our film will help even more people to learn about this really extraordinary woman.”
| FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: | IFFR PRESS SCREENING: | |
| www.ackerfilm.com | CINERAMA 2 at 14:15, Jan 28, 2008 | |
| ### | (Additional Screenings Jan 30, 31 & Feb 2) |
Dr. Robert Siegerstrasse 16 8010 Graz Austria +43.676.566.1452 Email: Barbara@fragilefeatures.com Website: www.ackerfilm.com