My Father, The Genius

Thematic Family Affairs Curated by Ross McElwee

In the process of writing his will, architect Glen Small requests that his estranged daughter, Lucia Small, write his biography. Despite the fact that Lucia’s father has always been closer to her older sister and her younger sister is a writer by trade, he asks her. Instead of a book, the pair embark on a documentary film with hopes of illuminating both his career and his role as a parent. He allows her camera inside his process of working with clients, shows her blueprints and models, and even revisits buildings of his past. Despite success and recognition early on in his career, he now struggles to pay his bills. Along with friends and colleagues, Lucia interviews the women in her father’s life—her siblings, her mother, and his other ex-wives and girlfriends. Relationships have been forsaken to follow his call to brilliance. Was it worth the cost? Whimsical animation is dotted throughout this candid exchange between father and daughter.  ST

Director

Lucia Small

Producers

Lucia Small, Linda Morgenstern

Editor

Karen Schmeer

Cinematographers

Laurel Greenberg, Lucia Small

Release Year

2002

Festival Year

2012

Country

United States

Run Time

82 minutes