WORLD PREMIERE – CANADIAN FILM FEST
CROCODILE EYES
a film by Ingrid Veninger
An Emotionally Raw and Profoundly Personal Film
By Canada’s Queen of DIY Filmmaking
PRESS RELEASE
Filmmaker Ingrid Veninger’s latest work, CROCODILE EYES, is a deeply personal and bold docu-dogme film that unflinchingly captures the raw cycles of life, death, and family with honesty and poignant vulnerability. This four-generation family portrait, captured through Veninger’s intimate and impulsive lens, transcends traditional narrative to offer a truly cinematic experience.
Please note: CROCODILE EYES contains scenes of real death and birth.
The film opens with the innocent perspective of four-year-old Freya (Laska Sauder) Veninger’s granddaughter, whose candid observations about loneliness and desire for motherhood serve as a reminder of the pandemic era and the inherent human connection to the cycle of life.
Freya’s fresh-eyed perspective contrasts with the realities of adulthood, as Veninger’s daughter, Sara (Hallie Switzer) grapples with the intensity of motherhood, and her son, Jake (Jacob Switzer) offers a deadpan, yet ultimately emotional reaction to watching his own birth. Veninger herself seeks guidance through a palm reader, questioning her role as a filmmaker, teacher, and mother, and pondering the inherited essence of her father.
The film’s exploration of mortality takes a stark turn with the discovery of a dead mink in the middle of the road, prompting Veninger to confront the physical and emotional weight of dealing with death. This contemplation of mortality deepens as the film shifts to the heart of the story: the death of Veninger’s father, Dedo (Frank Veninger). Viewers should be aware that these scenes depict real human dying and death with unflinching honesty, capturing the emotion of a family facing loss.
The profound grief of Dedo’s wife, Baba (Helen Veninger) resonates deeply, highlighting the enduring impact of a life shared for 60 years. However, from the ashes of death, CROCODILE EYES transitions to the joyous arrival of new life. Veninger captures the birth of her grandson, Charlie, while simultaneously juxtaposing the intensity of labour with the details of daily life, emphasizing the interconnectedness of these experiences.
“I don’t think I’ve ever made anything as personal as this film,” says Ingrid Veninger. “I shot over 18-months, and every single day I wanted to stop, but the film wouldn’t let me. Many of my projects have been shaped and informed by real life circumstances, mixed with fictional elements, but this one is fully soaked in real-life, involving my real family.”
Veninger continues, “my interest lies in the mechanics and the mysteries of human intimacy, and my method draws inspiration from the pioneering spirit of so many filmmakers – John Cassavetes, Agnes Varda, The Maysles Brothers”.
CROCODILE EYES is a testament to the power of cinema to capture the messy, beautiful, and ultimately cyclical nature of life. Through its portrayal of birth and death, Veninger invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences and the enduring bonds of family.
About Ingrid Veninger: Director/Producer/Writer/Co-Camera/Co-Editor/Player
Born in Bratislava, raised in Canada, this is Ingrid’s 8th feature film as a writer/director. She is a tenured Associate Professor at York University, in the department of Cinema and Media Arts. Ingrid formed pUNK Films with a “nothing is impossible” manifesto. Her films have premiered at TIFF, Rotterdam, Slamdance, Whistler, Rome, Hot Docs, amongst others. With retrospectives of her work in Ottawa at the Canadian Film Institute, and Santiago, Chile at FEMCine, Ingrid has received the WIFTS International Visionary Award, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists EDA Award for “Best Director” and the Jay Scott Prize awarded by the Toronto Film Critics Association. A member of the Directors Guild of Canada and participant in the inaugural TIFF Studio, Berlinale Talents, and Rotterdam Producer’s Lab, Ingrid has been a mentor at the Canadian Film Centre, and Screenwriter-in-Residence at the University of Toronto.