Filmmaker Dan Covert offers a rare glimpse into the life and work of enigmatic artist and CalArts alum Geoff McFetridge (Art MFA 95) with his debut documentary feature Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life, screening as part of the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) running Thursday, Sept. 21 through Sunday Oct. 1 in Calgary, Canada.
Clocking in at a runtime of 85 minutes, Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life is a profile of the prolific Calgary native who fashioned a career uniquely of his own design. Through his Championship Studio, he has produced easily recognizable work for high-profile companies, yet has remained largely behind the scenes. More about the film from CIFF:
Shot over the course of several years, Dan Covert’s feature documentary delves deeply into how McFetridge developed a career that remains entirely his own even as he straddles the divide between corporate work and personal expression. At one point, McFetridge states: “The downfall of design is that you’re anonymous.” DRAWING A LIFE does away with that anonymity, bringing to the forefront an artist of extraordinary vision and compassion.
According to the Calgary Herald, Covert previously made two short films (filmed in 2015 and 2019) with McFetridge as the subject, but this latest feature was filmed over the course of four years. Watch the trailer above.
Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life will screen twice at CIFF: on Thursday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 24. Covert and McFetridge will be in attendance at the Thursday screening.
Related: Find more of McFetridge’s work in the visual essay of Issue 10 of The Pool.
