SO SURREAL BEHIND THE MASKS Movie Trailer HD - Plot synopsis: So Surreal: Behind the Masks unveils the fascinating connection between the work of famed Surrealist artists and Yupʼik and Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw ceremonial masks, and the quest to bring some of the masks back home.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00An indigenous mask at a high-end art fair that was owned by a surrealist artist sent
00:08me on an unexpected journey.
00:11Masks are always considered complex.
00:14There's layers of stories in the pieces.
00:18In Yup'ik territory in Alaska.
00:20Our people have been using them for thousands of years.
00:24In Kwakwaka'wakw territory on Canada's northwest coast.
00:28Masks are significant to families because they tell of their origin story.
00:33Masks were collected.
00:34Museum collectors went to every corner of North America.
00:37Let's collect all these samples of this dying race before they all disappear.
00:42But some had been stolen.
00:44Canada and the church is trying to stop our ceremonies.
00:50If our people agreed to give up all of the masks, more of our people wouldn't be sent
00:54to jail.
00:56And then from there we had lost track.
00:58It's a good thing they documented their theft.
01:06And some of them ended up in the hands of surrealists.
01:09Oh my God, I can buy something for 20 bucks, 30 bucks, 40 bucks.
01:13Was like a trove of treasures.
01:16Those objects were opening doors of the unconscious.
01:22Tremendous impact on the work.
01:26I've come to Paris to reconnect to these masks.
01:29Access is everything.
01:32This is the first time I'm seeing it in person.
01:34They're trying to get all these masks back.
01:36They're looking for one in particular.
01:37It's a big one.
01:39It's huge.
01:40I received an email with a photograph of the mask.
01:42I did write two more letters, but there's been no response.
01:46I really feel like I'm following in the footsteps of these masks.
01:51It's common sense.
01:55Wow.
01:56Trying to remain hopeful.
01:57Hi, my name is Neil Diamond.
01:59I need help finding someone.
02:04They are powerful, powerful pieces.