Peter Mettler
Throughout his extensive career, Peter Mettler has created films deemed impossible to make, yet readily appreciated once they exist. A restless cinematic adventurer, Mettler’s body of work is characterized by hybrid forms and a sense of wonder. Frequently visiting themes of transcendence and the relation between nature and technology, Mettler’s films combine travelogue, essay, interview, fiction and critique. They are guided by instinct yet grounded in discipline, structure, craft, and a knack for capturing stunning images and great stories. Mettler’s work holds a unique position not only for its innovation within the realm of documentary cinema, but also in new art forms where cinema and other disciplines merge. His collaborators include David Abram and Emma Davie, Atom Egoyan, Bruce McDonald, Fred Frith, Robert Lepage, Jim O’Rourke, Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky, and Jeremy Narby. Mettler’s films have been the focus of multiple retrospectives, including at BAFICI, Lincoln Centre, Jeu de Paume Paris, and Cinematheque Suisse, and have received awards from TIFF, the Academy of Canadian Cinema, Locarno Film Festival, Visions du Réel, and Hot Docs. In 2017, Picture of Light was selected by TIFF as one of Canada’s Essential 150 Canadian Films.
