The Dolls Of Lisbon

2012 • 71 minutes

About this movie

The Dolls of Lisbon project, and subsequent film, was based on the Zapatista movement. The Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico used art, music, and poetry to attract the eyes of the world and the dolls have been an important part in spreading the word about an otherwise unknown rebellion. The Antagonist Movement, Inc., a consortium of artists, writers and musicians based in New York's East Village, handmade 100 blank canvas dolls and shipped them around the world for other artists to fashion as they saw fit. The various dolls were then displayed at an annual art fair in Lisbon, Portugal in June 2010. Underlying the premise of the Dolls of Lisbon project is a larger story, the story almost every artist knows well, the struggle to create art while surviving in a monetarily based world. Through interviews and live art interventions, the viewer experiences the frustration of artists to maintain their creative inspiration and passion while keeping a roof over their head and food on their plate. In a world of art commercialization and monetary greed, these artists literally bleed their art to do what they love. The film employs stop-motion animation and a vital alternative soundtrack. It was the official selection of the Royal Flush Festival, G40 Art Summit, DC independent film festival and the Hong Kong Underground Film Festival. The film features the artwork of rock n roll royalties such as Fabrizio Moroni of the Strokes, Arturo Vega from the Ramones and Ted Riederer of Never Records fame.

Ratings and reviews

This movie is really well-crafted, explores such a fascinating community, I’m glad that I got the chance to see it.