Documentaries

DISFARMER: A PORTRAIT OF AMERICA

Martin Lavut
Kanada 2010
52 min
V'11

Disfarmer: A Portrait of America is the decidedly stranger-than-fiction tale of Mike Disfarmer (1884–1959), born Michael Meyer in the small town of Heber Springs, Arkansas. It was in this back-of-beyond spot that the taciturn, reclusive Disfarmer set up a small photographic studio, providing cheap “snaps” of the residents over the course of several decades – stark, striking images of ordinary Americans grinding their way through the Depression and the Second World War. Years after Disfarmer’s death, his photographs were discovered by the art world, thus setting in motion a treasure hunt among the folk of Heber Springs, many of whom were startled to find that their yellowing images of long-deceased relatives might well be worth thousands of dollars. Told with economy, wit and elegance, Disfarmer: A Portrait of America touches on a surprisingly wide range of interconnected issues within its brisk running time, and stands as a fitting tribute to one of America’s genuinely great “outsider” artists. (Bradford Film Festival)

Credits
  • Martin Lavut
  • Rudi Kovanic
  • Glenn Hodgins
  • Rob Ruzic
  • Bill Frisell
Public Pictures

Public Pictures

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