7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art is pleased to co-present A Crime Against Art at the 15th Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

INNIS TOWN HALL – 2 Sussex Ave
Friday April 18, 2008 9:45 pm

ROYAL CINEMA – 608 College St
Sunday April 20, 2008 1:15 pm

C-SPAN meets the art scene in A Crime Against Art.

This film is based on a “trial” staged at an art fair in Madrid in February 2007 which in turn was inspired by the mock trials organized by André Breton in the 1920s and ’30s. All raise a number of polemical issues in the world of contemporary art: collusion with the new bourgeoisie, instrumentalization of art and its institutions, the future possibility of artistic agency and other pertinent topics.

Filmmaker Hila Peleg’s trial begins with the assumption that a crime has been committed, yet its nature and evidence are allusive and no victims have come forward. The testimonies and cross-examinations become an attempt by the Judge to unravel the nature of the mysterious “crime against art.” Set as a television courtroom drama and filmed by four camera crews, the six-chapter serial presents a condensed version of the trial.

Directed by Hila Peleg, Germany, 100 min

Ticket info:
Daytime Screenings Tickets (before 6 pm) are $10, evening screenings (between 6 pm-11 pm) are $12 and Late Night Screenings (after 11PM) are $5. Order advance tickets and pass sales at the DOCUMENTARY Box Office (87 Avenue Road, 2 Blocks North of Bloor, upper level of Hazelton Lanes), online at www.hotdocs.ca, or by phone at 416-637-5150. On the day of the screening, all daytime screenings are FREE for students and seniors with valid ID, courtesy of the Toronto Star.