

SO SURREAL: BEHIND THE MASKS
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
FRIDAY, JUNE 20 @ 6:00 P.M.
GGHC Auditorium: NMAI in New York
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
One Bowling Green, New York, NY 10004

ORIGINAL TITLE:
SO SURREAL: BEHIND THE MASKS
DIRECTOR(S):
Neil Diamond (Cree), Joanne Robertson
COUNTRY:
Canada
DATE COMPLETED:
2024
LENGTH OF FILM:
88 min
FILM CATEGORY:
Documentary
PRODUCER(S):
Daniel Morin
CAST:
Neil Diamond, Bill Cranmer, Juanita Johnston, Chuna McIntyre, John McIntyre, Andrea Cranmer, Lou-ann Neel, Drew Michael, Pamyua
Part caper, part road trip, part spiritual journey, So Surreal: Behind the Masks follows Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond as he travels coast-to-coast and across the Atlantic and back, gradually piecing together this groundbreaking global story of influence, reconnection and restitution.
A feature documentary that traces the storied journey of Indigenous masks from the far reaches of Turtle Island (North America) into the hands of European Surrealists, influencing the work and worldview of some of the most well-known modern artists and writers of all time including Max Ernst, André Breton, Roberto Matta and Joan Miró – all while following the dramatic quest to return a mask that was brutally stolen from the Kwakwa̱ka̱ ʼwakw people on Canada’s northwest coast over a century ago.