filmcraft: ace
all the beauty and the bloodshed at metrograph march 25

as part of their recurring series filmcraft:ace, american cinema editors presents the all the beauty and the bloodshed at metrograph.

On March 25, ACE editors Brian A. Kates and Amy Foote join Metrograph to discuss in-depth their work on one unforgettable film: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. 

Part portrait of an artist, part impassioned exposé, Poitras’s compelling, ingeniously structured documentary deftly braids together two narrative strands, one concerning the turbulent life and confrontational work of photographer Nan Goldin; the other concerning the Sackler family, their pharmaceutical empire, and their culpability for the ongoing US opioid epidemic. These discrete narratives meet via public standoff: after experiencing addiction to prescription painkillers firsthand, Goldin campaigns to hold the Sacklers accountable as pushers and profiteers, calling out the international art institutions only too happy to benefit from the family’s tainted philanthropy. Drawing on the testimonial power of Goldin’s work and the artist’s own narration, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed recounts its subject’s confrontation with the Sacklers and her lifetime of art and activism, posing urgent questions about the responsibility of the reckless artist.   

American Cinema Editors (ACE) is dedicated not only to advancing the art and science of the film editing profession, but also to helping the public understand the role of the editor and the impact their contributions have on a motion picture. With this series, ACE pairs a great film and a moderated conversation with that film’s editor, providing a glimpse into one of cinema’s most vital but least understood artistic practices.

Co-presented with American Cinema Editors.