AT BERKELEY

The grandmaster of documentary, Frederick Wiseman, continues his 40-year exploration of American institutions with his latest opus.. Now in his eighties, Wiseman began his documentary career with the long-banned Titicut Follies (SFF 1992) in 1967. Since then he's filmed in courtrooms (Domestic Violence 1 and 2, SFF 2002-3) and theatres (Crazy Horse, SFF 2012), infirmaries (Hospital, 1970) and menageries (Zoo, SFF 1993), observing the complexities of each establishment with a profound and open-minded gaze. Wiseman's 39th film documents, with his trademark fly-on-the-wall technique, the diverse world of an elite university; from the students, administrators and academics to the gardeners. The result is a comprehensive portrait of an establishment endeavouring to unify multiple hierarchies and demands, at a time when everyone from the bottom to the top is feeling the financial pinch and questioning the future of higher education.