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SFA to Present Documentary 'In the Realms of the Unreal'

Sylvia Bierschenk - July 3, 2008

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Friends of the Visual Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University will host a screening of "In the Realms of the Unreal: the Mystery of Henry Darger" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 11, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House.

The innovative 82-minute documentary directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jessica Yu tells the story of a universe created by a reclusive Illinois janitor, Henry Darger, explained Christian Cutler, director of the SFA galleries.

After spending his childhood in an Illinois' asylum for feeble-minded children, Darger worked his entire adult life as a janitor, living a nearly solitary existence. When he died in 1973, his landlady discovered in the room he had rented for 40 years 300 paintings and a 15,000-page illustrated novel, "The Realms of the Unreal," which told the epic story of the virtuous Vivian Girls leading a child slave revolt against the evil Glandelinians.

After learning of and examining Darger's works, Yu was struck by Darger's creation of a fantasy world that he had kept to himself. According to her director's notes, she set out to answer, "Can one's imagination be enough to live on? Can one replace real human relationships and community with those invented in one's mind?"

Yu spent five years on the film, attempting to parallel Darger's real life with his fantasy life. The documentary includes animations of his art, impressions of people who knew Darger, and narrations by Dakota Fanning and Larry Pine. The result is a film that the San Francisco Chronicle calls "absorbing and exquisite."

"In the Realms of the Unreal" was named Best Documentary Feature at The Ojai Film Festival and received nominations for an Emmy and a Golden Trailer and recognition at the Sundance Film Festival.

The screening is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts, School of Art and SFA Friends of the Visual Arts. The film is rated PG-13, and admission is free.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches. For more information, please call (936) 468-1131.

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