Experimental documentarian Peter Mettler celebrated at TIFF
Last Updated: Saturday, September 9, 2006 | 6:25 PM ET
CBC Arts
The important contributions Peter Mettler has made to the documentary genre, both at home and abroad, should not be overlooked despite his low profile, says the head of the National Film Board.
Though Mettler may not be a household name, NFB chair Jacques Bensimon says he's thrilled that the Toronto International Film Festival decided to shine a light on the influential documentary maker this year.
Mettler, 49, is perhaps best known for his globe-trotting 2002 film Gambling, Gods and LSD, which visits people around the world searching for transcendence.
Ingrid Veninger, left, Peter Mettler and Alexandra Rockingham Gill pose after winning the Genie Award for best documentary for Gambling, Gods, and LSD in 2003.
(Kevin Frayer/Canadian Press)
However, in addition to his own films, Mettler is a producer, editor, sound designer and cinematographer — one of the country's most sought-after cinematic collaborators who has worked with the likes of Atom Egoyan, Robert LePage, Patricia Rozema, Jermy Podeswa, Bruce McDonald and, most recently, Jennifer Baichwal on her documentary Manufactured Landscapes.
"He's one of those quiet voices that never makes it above and beyond the fact that they're happy making their own type of filmmaking," Bensimon told CBC Arts Online, describing Mettler as an "underseller" of himself in a world full of marketing.
"He is somebody who escapes — to a certain extent — the narrow definition of the traditional documentary filmmaker," added Bensimon, who will moderate a panel between Mettler, Baichwal and photographer Edward Burtynsky on Tuesday.
"He was able to do some experimental filmmaking, combine it with straight documentary, combine it with docudrama and also touch on drama."
Retrospective to include acclaimed student films
As part of this year's edition, the film festival is screening a collection of Mettler works, including his earliest films like the 1980 short Lancalot Freely and his 1982 feature-length debut Scissere — the first student film ever selected by the festival.
Mettler's balancing "between intellect and intuition, between order and chaos, between action and perception, I think pretty much summarizes what he is about," Bensimon said.
"Always walking on that borderline and never falling for one casting of the documentary in a traditional mould."
The Peter Mettler retrospective begins Sunday with Picture of Light and will also include screenings of Eastern Avenue, Balifilm, The Top of His Head, Tectonic Plates and Gambling, Gods and LSD.
