BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Tribeca Film Festival | SPECIAL JURY MENTION - Deauville American Film Festival | OFFICIAL SELECTION - Denver International Film Festival | “Fascinating and beautifully made.“ – The Times (UK)
World War II • Antisemitism • Actors Studio • Cinema • Censorship • Resilience • ArtDate of Completion: 2023 | Run Time: 94 minutes | Language: English & French | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript | Director & Producer: Tessa Louise-Salomé | Narrator: Willem Dafoe | Cinematographer: Boris Levy | Composer: Gael Rakotondrabe | Editor: Simon Le Berre
THE WILD ONE illuminates the journey of an unsung artist, Jack Garfein – Holocaust survivor, celebrated Broadway director, Actors Studio West co-founder, and controversial filmmaker. The film delves into how his experience in the concentration camps shaped his vision of acting as a survival mechanism and propelled his engagement with themes of violence, power, and racism in postwar America in two explosive films The Strange One (1957) and Something Wild (1961). THE WILD ONE examines the importance of Garfein's legacy as an artist who confronted censorship and reveals how art can draw on personal memory to better enlighten our present.
Film Threat | Brittany Witherspoon
"… this work [The Wild One] celebrates the controversial filmmaker with grace and style."
The Times (UK) | Ann Joseph
"Fascinating and beautifully made."
Freelance Filmmaker Magazine | Peter Rinaldi
“Tessa Louise-Salomé has made the Jack Garfein documentary he deserves. The Wild One is a visually beautiful, thoughtful, impeccably structured film that doesn’t shy away from the rough stuff. I was very impressed and moved.”
Big Picture Sound | David Kempler
"Salomé does a marvelous job presenting a bio of an exceptionally artistic man in her own artistic manner. It works beautifully as an introduction to Garfein and as a piece of art on its own."
Cinema Daily US | Chiara Spagnoli
"Tessa Louise-Salomé’s innovative cinematic exploration of acting as a form of survival, respects history while unraveling a truly unique life story."
"The Wild One makes us take our hats off to this maverick of the first order."
Filmuforia | Meredith Taylor
"Passionate and informative, The Wild One showcases the Jack Garfein for a wider audience."
Golden Globes.com | Brent Simon
“an evocative effort that is truly a film of its own.”
Maze | Aude Cuilhé
“Through this feature film, with its equally visual and narrative intelligence, Tessa Louise-Salomé provides a sharp insight into this lesser-known and sometimes enigmatic director.”
AWARDS
Special Jury Mention | Deauville American Film Festival
Best Cinematography | Tribeca Film Festival
FESTIVALS
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
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