A Closer Look at Frida Kahlo
WDCB’s Gary Zidek talks to filmmaker Ali Ray about her new documentary on Frida Kahlo.
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“Realizing how much her artwork meant to her personally, not necessarily peoples’ approval it, but what it meant to her in order to deal with some of the demons that were in her head. I think being able to put her artwork at the foreground of her story was a privilege, and I really hope that people go away knowing her story, but (also) knowing her artwork.” - director Ali Ray talking about the focus she put on Frida Kahlo’s paintings in her new documentary.
Director Ali Ray
The incredible life and career of Frida Kahlo is explored with fresh eyes in a new documentary that’s now available to watch at home. Titled FRIDA KAHLO, the film is part of the art-focused documentary series Exhibition on Screen and is currently available to view through the Music Box Theatre’s At-Home series.
Director Ali Ray avoids the pitfalls of some standard paint-by-numbers biographies, instead building the documentary around seven of Kahlo’s most intriguing paintings, including her 1939 work THE TWO FRIDAS (below).
The Two Fridas, 1939, Frida Kahlo, Museo de Arte Moderno, Photo © Bridgeman Images
The documentary attempts to expand on what most of us already know of Kahlo by engaging with experts, and shedding light on lesser known works, all in an effort to discover the real Frida Kahlo.
Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Small Monkey, 1945. Image courtesy of EXHIBITION ON SCREEN