American Masters
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore
Marlee Matlin, the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award, looks back on her remarkable life, career, and the complexities of being the “first.”
In the Realms of the Unreal
This experimental documentary portrays the work of Henry Darger, a janitor by day and “outsider artist” by night who transcended social isolation and poverty by creating his own world through art.
- Series
- POV
- Premiere Date
- August 2, 2005
- Length
- 90 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Open Call
Producer
Jessica Yu
Jessica Lingman Yu is an American film director, writer, producer, and editor. She has worked on documentaries, dramatic films, and television shows. Yu won a 1996 Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject for Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien.
Producer
Susan West
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The Film
Reclusive janitor by day, visionary artist by night, outsider artist Henry Darger moved through life virtually unnoticed. But after his death, a treasure trove was discovered in his one-room Chicago apartment: a staggering 15,000-page novel and hundreds of illustrations that continue to inspire artists around the world. With dreamlike animation, poignant narration by Dakota Fanning, and a haunting musical score, Academy Award-winner Jessica Yu fashions a bold and beautiful film. In the Realms of the Unreal immerses us in Darger’s startling universe of innocence and pain, showing how he forged magic out of the bleakest of lives.
