Observer
With his latest film, Ian Cheney (The Art of Oblivion, DocLands 2023) invites us to find beauty and meaning in the most unassuming places. With this fascinating documentary, the filmmaker embarks on a bold experiment that brings together a geologist, an artist, a bioengineer, a poet, a quantum physicist, a blind sound engineer, and a hunter to share their observations in far-flung locations around the world. Oftentimes, Cheney doesn’t reveal to them their eventual destination as they travel; he simply asks them to describe what they encounter when they get there. What unfolds through eight chapters is a thought-provoking journey into the simple but transformative act of seeing. It is inspiring work that poses the questions: What happens when we find new ways to sense and perceive everything around us? And what more can we learn about the world when we really look and listen? —Kelly Clement
Director/s
Ian Cheney
Ian Cheney is a documentary filmmaker. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale and an MFA in filmmaking from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. His 12 feature-length films prior to Observer (2025) include King Corn (2007), The City Dark (2010), The Search for General Tso (2014), The Most Unknown (2018), Picture a Scientist (2020), The Arc of Oblivion (2023), and Shelf Life (2024).
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