Emmy-nominated filmmaker Ian Cheney’s newest film, Observer, is an invitation to find beauty and meaning in the most unassuming places. The 94-minute documentary premieres in Fairfield on Sunday, June 1, 3 p.m. at Cinema Fairfield, in the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.
Observer follows an experiment in careful seeing. Cheney asked a dozen people who are used to paying close attention to the world—including a structural biologist, a filmmaker, a quantum physicist, a herpetologist, a bioengineer, and a poet—to travel to various locations around the world and then simply describe what they saw. His device for focusing on a specific spot is a red-painted square frame.
Cheney says the premise for the film came to him while visiting a mountain cave in Italy. “Seven years ago,” he says, “I was heading to the restroom when the microbiologist with whom I was filming pointed out some elaborate stalactites growing down from a mucky ceiling near the facilities. I liked the ensuing conversation about salt crystals and so forth, but what truly moved me was a sudden sense that the world contained an insane number of wonders, if only we could take the time to look.”
Knowing that humanity everywhere hungers for new experiences and sights, Cheney envisioned a film that allowed people to see the marvels right under their noses. “What if we gave our film’s audience the chance to feel like they’re traveling alongside observers who can help open up the world to them?” Cheney asked. “Might we all leave the theater a little more entranced by the world around us, even on a trip to the loo?”
Find out on June 1 at Cinema Fairfield, located in the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.
Tickets for Cinema Fairfield can be purchased online or at the box office before the show.