In the art world, posthumous recognition of talent is not uncommon. One notable example of this in recent years is the female photographer Vivian Maier. Her story is captured in the art documentary film "Searching for Vivian Maier," which was nominated for this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and is scheduled for release in Japan this fall.

The story begins in 2007, when a young man living in Chicago, John Maloof, purchased a large number of old photographic negatives at an auction. He posted some of them on his blog, and received a flood of enthusiastic praise. This phenomenon was widely reported in media around the world, further raising her talent, and a photo book compiling her photographs became the number one seller in the United States. Exhibitions were held in New York, Paris, and London, attracting crowds.

The photographer of the photographs was Vivian Maier. At the time of the news, she was already deceased; during her lifetime, she worked as a nanny. Though she left behind over 150,000 works, not a single one was ever made public.

In addition to her exceptional photographic talent, there's another reason Vivian Maier attracted so much attention. Her anonymity—she used a pseudonym to conceal her identity during her lifetime—creates a mysterious figure that fascinates viewers: who she was, where she came from, and what thoughts she held when she took photographs. "How did she take such outstanding photographs?" "Why didn't she show her work to anyone?" Only traces of her talent remain to this day, leaving us with questions like, "How did she take such outstanding photographs?" and, "Why didn't she show her work to anyone?"


Vivian Maier may have changed the history of 20th-century photography. This film showcases her 150,000 precious portraits of New York City at the time, which she never showed to anyone. Her mysterious life is further unraveled through interviews with those involved and research by genealogists.

The film is directed by John Maloof, the man who discovered Vivian Maier's talent, and Charlie Siskel, who served as field producer on Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine ('02).

The film Searching for Vivian Maier will be released in October at Theater Image Forum and other cinemas nationwide.