Despite being around for more than a century, one of the major failings of cinema as an art form is that it hasn’t found a way to make an entire film where Cate Blanchett plays every single role. Thankfully, 2017 will bring that horrifying streak to a close with Manifesto, a film adaptation of the Julian Rosefeldt art installation that will feature Blanchett in a total of 13 different roles. The only downside is that we’re going to have a tough time adjusting back to the non-Cate Blanchett characters out there. It all seems like such a waste of time now.

Before it was a feature-length film, Manifesto was a highly regarded art installation featured in major cities across the world. According to the Park Avenue Armory in New York City  —  the site of Manifesto’s North American premiere  —  the original installation was 13 massive screen simultaneously broadcasting “more than 50 manifestos by artists, architects, choreographers, and filmmakers at early points in their career, woven together into dramatic soliloquies that highlight specific movements or schools of thought.” The film’s website also speaks to the energy and anger present in each manifesto, as they are often the work of younger artists.

From there, one would assume that the film version of Manifesto was simply a work of exhaustive editing, with each of Blanchett’s characters and monologues already committed to film. Manifesto will receive its festival premiere at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, meaning that those who want to immerse themselves in the political theory surrounding art and enjoy Cate Blanchett putting Eddie Murphy to shame can do so as early as next week.

Here’s the description of Manifesto, courtesy of The Match Factory:

Can historic art manifestos apply to contemporary society? An homage to the 20th century’s most impassioned artistic statements, from Futurists and Dadaists to Pop Art, Fluxus, Lars von Trier and Jim Jarmusch, this series of reenactments — all performed by Cate Blanchett — explores these declarations’ performative components and political significance.

Manifesto will premiere on Monday, January 23 at the Sundance Film Festival.

 

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