About the film

"Picture of Light" grew out of a casual 1990 dinner-table conversation between director Peter Mettler and Swiss meteorologist Andreas Züst, who described his lifelong passion for the northen lights and his desire to see them filmed. Several years later, Züst found himself co-producing a film that would take him, Mettler and his crew to Churchill, Manitoba – which sits, as one local resident points out, at What begins as an expedition to Canada’s Arctic in search of the northern lights becomes a cinematic exploration of how light itself is perceived and represented. The inherent paradox of attempting to record the haunting, natural beauty of the aurora borealis becomes both the subject and form of Mettler’s film. The film combines glimpses of the eccentric characters who inhabit this remote corner of the planet with spectacular shots of the aurora borealis. As crew members try to cope with the extremes of the North, Mettler’s inimitable lens investigates the distance between light and dark. He renders the power of the elements almost tangible and infuses the documentary form with a sensual dimension that is nothing less than lyrical.

The film confirmed Mettler’s stature as an intuitive visual genius who opens up unique avenues of perception.

Wybrane festiwale i nagrody / Selected festivals and awards: 1994 – MFF Toronto / Toronto IFF, 1994 – MFF Locarno: Nagroda La Sarraz / Locarno IFF: LA Sarraz Award, 1994 – Hot Docs Toronto: Nagroda dla Najlepszego Filmu, Za Najlepsze Zdjęcia i Scenariusz / Hot Docs Toronto: Best Film, Best Camera, Best Script

Attend the masterclass by Peter Mettler. Warsaw, Tuesday, May 14, Kinoteka. Paritipate in “Planete+Doc. Masters” meeting. Wroclaw, Friday, May 17, Dolnoslaskie Centrum Filmowe. Visit Peter Mettler’s exhibitions in Warsaw (AMS plein air gallery and Cinema Iluzjon) and in Wroclaw in the Festival Club Niskie Łąki. See Peter Mettler’s Live Cinema Show with Fred Frith. Warsaw, Monday, May 13, Teatr Studio.