The Nanny Diaries; Sundance Selects Think “Finding Vivian Maier” is Worth a Thousand Words

Making it double announcement type day for John Maloof and (Religulous producer) Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier – not only has Thom Powers included the docu in the good graces of the upcoming Toronto Int. Film Festival, but word now comes that Sundance Selects will be distributing the film for what will likely be a 2014 release.

Gist: This unearths the untold story of one of the greatest photographers (view a small sampling on TIFF’s site) of the 20th Century, who was a mystery to even those who knew her. A nanny in the wealthy North Shore suburbs of Chicago, Maier’s secret world is unraveled slowly through her photo collections and interviews with those who knew her — parents who hired her, children she cared for, store owners, movie theater operators, and curious neighbors who remember her. The story that emerges goes beyond clichés of the undiscovered artist to offer a portrait of a woman who left a legacy of transformative work.

Worth Noting: Her photographs remained unknown and mostly undeveloped until they were discovered by a local Chicago historian, collector and now first-time docu filmmaker, John Maloof, in 2007. Her work began to receive critical acclaim after her death.

Do We Care?: Coined by a news outlet as a Mary Poppins, by the looks of the trailer it appears that this anthropological docu of sorts provides for dual fascinating accounts: one about the person behind the photos and the fascinating subjects in front of the cameras. We’ll be covering this at TIFF.