The Maze by William Kurelek Photo: The Maze Movie

William Kurelek’s The Maze is a feature length film about the life and art of renowned Canadian artist, William Kurelek. The documentary explores his struggles with attempted suicide and a self-professed spiritual crisis. It is dramatically told through his paintings and his on-camera revelations.

The creation of this film started over 40 years ago and has been passed down through generations. Filmmaker Robert Young created a thirty-minute version in 1969, though enough footage was available for a feature version. Brothers Nick and Zack Young restored and reimagined their father’s 1969 film with the help of modern technology to provide the current version of Kurelek’s story.

I first learned about the film and Kurelek’s work at the Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival last year. Before it screened at the festival, however, William Kurelek’s The Maze was part of the 25th anniversary celebration of Workman Arts in October 2012. At the festival, the film was really well received to a sold out audience. It certainly impressed me in terms of Kurelek’s work but also his personal story, and how he had been affected by mental illness as well.

Back in 1969, Kurelek described The Maze as “…a painting of the inside of my skull, which I painted when I was in England as a patient in Maudsley and Netherne psychiatric hospitals. It is a story of my life, well in the sense that people tell stories by the fireplace to entertain their guests, trying to make them accept you. In this case I wanted to be accepted, as an interesting specimen.” How poignant a statement!

William Kurelek Photo: The Maze Movie

Now, Nick and Zack Young launched their Kickstarter with the goal of raising $50,0000 to complete and release both William Kurelek’s The Maze and the bonus film Out of the Maze. They have surpassed this $50K goal, and are hoping to achieve a new goal of $55 000 by Monday Nov 25th. The fact they’ve received so much support already is an indication of how important the film, Kurelek’s story & his work are, not only as projects that focus on art but also to the ongping dialogue about mental health. If you’d like to be part of helping Nick and Zack achieve this new goal while at the same time helping create this project, you can donate until midnight/12 a.m. EST, next Monday. To do so, visit themazemovie.com where you can help these young filmmakers complete this multi-generational project.

Their hope is to make the film available worldwide in different languages including French, Ukrainian and Spanish, finish animations and master a proper surround sound mix. The bonus film Out of the Maze will include rare interviews of Kurelek’s art dealer Avrom Isaacs, Kurelek’s art assistants, close family and friends, historians, art therapists and psychologist. The film will also feature many additional paintings, as William Kurelek painted over 3,000 paintings in his lifetime.

As with any Kickstarter campaign, there are a number of exciting rewards up for grabs including William Kurelek’s The Maze on DVD, a rare limited edition archival Kurelek print of I am Proud of my Humility, and a special Director’s Edition package that unlocks some hidden relics from the original making of the film in 1969, packaged inside a reproduced vintage film canister.

The Maze is still housed in London at the Bethlem Royal Museum and Archives. This winter, the filmmakers will bring the film full circle to Maudsley hospital for its UK premiere in February 2014.
You can bee part of the final chapter and help finish this 40-year long endeavour. Take a peek at the trailer below, then visit themazemovie.com. There are certain projects that are worth our investing efforts; this is one, in my opinion.