Julian Rosefeldt’s Manifesto, starring Cate Blanchett in 13 roles, comes to Tate Modern

Manifesto, a film by acclaimed video artist Julian Rosefeldt starring Cate Blanchett, is to be played at Starr Cinema in London’s Tate Modern on 15 November.

The screening will be broadcast live to cinemas nationwide in the UK and features an exclusive introductory film featuring a conversation with Julian Rosefeldt and Cate Blanchett, followed by a Q&A with the director, editor Bobby Good and journalist and author, Jessica Lack. Manifesto will then be screened in UK Cinemas from 24 November. The film was originally an art installation comprising of 12 screens displayed at Park Avenue Armory, Hamburger Bahnhof and Sydney’s Art Gallery NSW, before being edited into a original feature film format.

Manifesto sees Cate Blanchett in a unique lead role, performing 13 different personas from a teacher and a puppeteer, to a newsreader and homeless man in one of her most staggering performances to date. The alternate characters pay “homage to the moving tradition and literary beauty of artistic manifestos, ultimately questioning the role of the artist in society today”. Influenced by the writings of artistic movements such as the futurists, dadaists, suprematists, “and the musings of individual artists, architects, dancers and filmmakers,” the film plays upon how similar concepts regularly cropped up in different manifestos. The main idea for the film was “not to illustrate the particular manifesto texts, but rather to allow Cate to embody the manifestos,” says director, Julian Rosefeldt. “She is the manifesto. And it was clear from the beginning that she would become many different personas all at once.”

The director was first introduced to actress Cate Blanchett via a mutual friend at one of his exhibitions and “very spontaneously the idea was born to do something together,” he says. A shoot of just 11 days followed in Berlin, meaning the crew “had to produce an average outcome of twelve minutes a day, which is pretty similar to the timeframe of a very cheap tv soap opera,” Julian explains. Thankfully they managed to complete the film, due to “a generous team…but most of all we needed a very generous Cate to work under these conditions,” he says. “But certainly Cate outstripped us all with her immeasurable enthusiasm and commitment.”

Manifesto has already gathered a large amount of critical acclaim with The New York Times saying, “If the art world gave out Oscars, Cate Blanchett should win for her tour de force of starring roles in Manifesto,” and sell out screenings at the BFI and Connects Talk.