Waiting for Hockney (2008)

A young working class Baltimore man spends 10 years on a single portrait, believing it is his means to fame and fortune. But he also believes that only one man can lead him there---the ... See full summary »

Director:

Julie Checkoway

Writers:

Julie Checkoway, Neal Checkoway,

Stars:

Billy Pappas, Larry Link, Cookie Pappas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Pappas	...	Himself
Larry Link	...	Himself - Architect
Cookie Pappas	...	Herself
Bill Schulte	...	Himself
Ben Schapiro	...	Himself
Jeff Grutkowski	...	Himself - Friend
Stephanie Panos Link	...	Herself
Jim Pappas	...	Himself - Billy's Father
Lawrence Weschler	...	Himself
Charlie Scheips	...	Himself
Gary Vikan	...	Himself - Museum Director (as Dr. Gary Vikan)
René Sterner	...	Himself - Billy's Administrator (as Brother Rene Sterner)
Gerneen Pappas	...	Herself
Will Pappas	...	Himself
Neil Rhodes	...	Himself

Storyline

A young working class Baltimore man spends 10 years on a single portrait, believing it is his means to fame and fortune. But he also believes that only one man can lead him there---the famous artist David Hockney. What happens when you finally meet the god of your own making?

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Plot Keywords:

working class | painter | art | painting

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Taglines:

Art. Ambition. Poppy seed cake.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Choptank, Maryland, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

iDeal Partners Film Fund, Littlest Birds Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Bro. René Sterner," who is referred to in the opening written letter, was, at the time of filming, and until 2005, the President of La Salle College High School. La Salle, founded in 1858, is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school for boys located in Wyndmoor, a community in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. The school is staffed by a lay faculty and the Christian Brothers.

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Quotes

Billy Pappas: There were no down moments in this thing... everything is hit it hard, like... my life depends on it. Let's let everything go to hell, except excellence... excellence at any cost.

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Soundtracks

"This World"
Performed by Breaking Laces
Written by Breaking Laces (Hartong/Chojnacki/Masarsky)
Lyrics by Willem Hartong
Published by You Got Laced Music, Fire Breathing Robot Music
Meeka Salise Productions
Courtesy of Fuzz

User Reviews

Truly a gem of a film…

I loved this film. At times it was hard to imagine that this feature length film is really a documentary. The characters are vivid, wild and eccentric. The film centers around Billy Pappas, a young man from a working class family who sets out to create the next new movement in the art world, spending nearly ten years of his young life making one pencil drawn portrait. With a support group that includes an eccentric mentor, a priest and the world's most loving mother, among others, Billy decides that there is only one person who can truly appreciate and validate his creation and that person is the famous artist/painter/photographer/art historian, David Hockney.

So many contemporary and important issues are addressed in this film such as "what is art?", "who can judge the value of art?" and "who can determine if an endeavor is worthwhile?".

The film tells this story beautifully using much more than the usual "talking heads" of many documentaries. The music, archival film and footage of Billy's daily life provides an engaging pace and plenty to keep the viewer actively involved as the story unfolds. I do not want to give away any of the suspense of the film, but suffice to say that I had just the right mix of anticipation and fulfillment that I needed to keep me thoroughly attentive throughout the film.

I was lucky enough to attend a screening of this film in May 2008 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Why do I say lucky? Well the film's "star", Billy Pappas, attended the screening and he along with the film's director, Julie Checkoway and her producer/brother all answered questions at the end of the screening. It was so much fun to see and hear it.