Rita Leistner is an award-winning visual artist, photographer, and documentary filmmaker. She is known for her intrepid work in conflict zones and her in-depth portraits of communities in extreme conditions — such as soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, women wrestlers in the United States, and loggers in Canada — exploring themes of purpose, struggle, and belonging. Each unique world shapes her conceptual approaches and aesthetic styles, resulting in distinctive, large bodies of multi-media work that merge art and documentary. In addition to a film, Forest for the Trees is also a photo book and a collection of large-scale fine-art photographs, several of which were acquired in 2021 by the National Gallery of Canada for their permanent collection.
In this interview we chat about Rita's 10 year planting career, and what things were like back in the 80s and early 90s. We chat about her transition out of planting and how it has ultimately shaped the rest of her life and the photography work she does now. We get into how this project came about, as well as the lengthy filming process. This is a great interview for a ton of background into this film before you get to watch it next week!
LINKS
Website: forestforthetreesdocumentary.com
Buy a ticket to the Victoria Film Fest: https://www.victoriafilmfestival.com/product/forest-for-the-trees/
**alternatively you can go here and buy a virtual ticket to watch online in BC: https://www.victoriafilmfestival.com/product/forest-for-the-trees-online/
List of upcoming screenings: https://www.forestforthetreesdocumentary.com/film-screenings
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forestforthetreesdocumentary/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetreeplantersproject/
Articles: https://www.vice.com/en/article/d3d887/seriously-metal-photos-of-canadas-tree-planters
https://torontolife.com/culture/rita-leistner-tree-planters-photo-essay/
