Although she passed away more than 60 years ago, Frida Kahlo’s star has never dimmed. In fact, fascination surrounding her has only deepened, resulting in a major retrospective in 2018 at London’s V&A of the artist’s life, as told through her belongings, and now, a documentary titled Frida Kahlo, which will be released on Monday 20 October.
Directed by Ali Ray, Frida Kahlo has been created in collaboration with those who knew her, as well as experts who have studied and curated her work. Filmed extensively at the famous Blue House in Mexico City – now a museum dedicated to her work, but originally where Kahlo was born and where she passed away – the documentary connects the artist to the woman she was.
Ray said: “Having access to (Kahlo’s) personal letters was a key part of making the film, and in my own understanding of her work. It enabled me to see how the fragility and insecurities revealed in her letters were processed through the act of painting. Her meticulously painted canvases were how she interpreted the world, her politics, passions and emotions, transforming them into images of strength, defiance and understanding.”
In an exclusive clip from the film, Gannit Ankori, Professor of Art History Brandeis University, speaks about a moment in August of 1932 when Kahlo became an artist, a month after suffering a miscarriage which almost killed her while living in Detroit with fellow artist Diego Rivera – watch below.
Frida Kahlo will be released in cinemas on 20 October 2020 in over 150 cinemas across the UK including
Curzon, Empire, Everyman, Odeon, Picturehouse, Vue, and independent cinemas