Documentary screening So Surreal: Behind the Masks

Join us for the screening of the documentary film So Surreal: Behind the Masks, presented in collaboration with the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA). The film received a special mention at the Festival International du Film sur l’Art 2025.

So Surreal: Behind the Masks

So Surreal: Behind the Masks is a documentary film that tells the little-known story of the profound influence of Yup’ik (Alaska) and Kwakwakawakw (Northwest Coast) masks on some of the greatest artists of modern times: the surrealists. Part expedition, part spiritual quest, So Surreal: Behind the Masks follows Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond (Reel Injun, Red Fever) as he travels across North America, from west to east, and across the Atlantic Ocean, piecing together this globally-significant story that reveals the hidden and little-known Indigenous influences on Modern art. Along the way, Neil learns the tumultuous history of a Kwakwakawakw mask stolen during the Potlach ban 100 years ago and sets out on a quest for its return.

Neil Diamond | Canada | 2024 | 88 min | English | Subtitles: French

Information

• Screening in English with French subtitles, presented Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 6 p.m. from 8 p.m.
  Space is limited, Reservation required
• Duration : 2 h
• Location : J. Armand Bombardier Theatre at the McCord Stewart Museum

Admissions

• General admission: $5
• Museum members, students, and members of Indigenous communities: free