Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar by Lorenzo Vigas and Laurie Anderson’s Heart of A Dog added to LFF programme

From Afar (2015) and Heart of a Dog (2015)

The 59th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® is pleased to confirm the programme additions of From Afar (Desde Allá) the shattering feature debut from Venezuelan writer-director Lorenzo Vigas, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and of multidisciplinary artist Laurie Anderson’s deeply personal, lyrical and compelling film Heart of a Dog.

From Afar (Desde Allá) will screen in the Festival’s Dare strand on Sunday 11 October at 18.30 and Saturday 17 October at 15.15 at BFI Southbank.

Wealthy middle-aged Armando (Alfredo Castro) lures young men to his home with money. He doesn’t want to touch, only watch from a strict distance. He also follows an elderly businessman with whom he seems to have had a traumatic relationship. Armando’s first encounter with street thug Elder (Luis Silva) is violent, but this doesn’t discourage the lonely man’s fascination with the tough handsome teenager. Financial interest keeps Elder visiting him regularly and an unexpected intimacy emerges. But Armando’s haunted past looms large, and Elder commits the ultimate act of affection on Armando’s behalf. Set in Caracas’ chaotic lower class communities, Vigas’ turbulent story reveals the complex bond between two men worlds apart.

Written and directed by Lorenzo Vigas, produced by Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams), Michel Franco (Chronic – LFF 2015) and Gabriel Ripstein (600 Miles). With Alfredo Castro, Luis Silva, Jericó Montilla. International Sales: Celluloid Dreams.

Heart of a Dog will screen in the Festival’s Love strand on Wednesday 14 October at BFI Southbank at 21:00 with Laurie Anderson in attendance for Q&A.

Anderson will also participate in LFF Connects, the Festival’s new series of thought-provoking and high-impact talks intended to stimulate new collaborations and ideas by exploring how film engages with other creative industries. LFF Connects: Performance/Music with Laurie Anderson will take place at BFI Southbank on Thursday 15 October at 12:45.

Heart of a Dog is Laurie Anderson’s cinematic journey through love, death and language. Centering on Anderson’s beloved rat terrier Lolabelle, who died in 2011, Heart of a Dog is a personal essay that weaves together childhood memories, video diaries, philosophical musings on data collection, surveillance culture and the Buddhist conception of the afterlife, and heartfelt tributes to the artists, writers, musicians and thinkers who inspire her.

Fusing her own witty, inquisitive narration with original violin compositions, hand-drawn animation, 8mm home movies and artwork culled from exhibitions past and present, Anderson creates a hypnotic, collage-like visual language out of the raw materials of her life and art, examining how stories are constructed and told – and how we use them to make sense of our lives.

Written and directed by Laurie Anderson and produced by Dan Janvey and Laurie Anderson, Heart of a Dog is a Canal Street Communications Production in association with ARTE France – La Lucarne, HBO Documentary Films and Field Office Films. International Sales: Celluloid Dreams.

LFF Connects: Performance/Music — Thursday 15 October at 12:45. Laurie Anderson is one of America’s most renowned – and daring – creative pioneers, best known for her multimedia presentations and innovative use of technology. As writer, director, visual artist and vocalist she has created ground-breaking works that span the worlds of art, theatre and experimental music. Heart of the Dog is her first feature since the 1986 concert movie Home of the Brave. With it, she bursts open the conventions of the documentary format and the essay film, distilling her key signatures and themes, among them the use of multimedia elements, a fascination with language, and an engagement with technology. She joins LFF Connects to talk about her creative approach to filmmaking and how it intersects with art, performance and music.

The 59th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express runs from Wednesday 7 October to Sunday 18 October. Full programme information at bfi.org.uk/lff.