Pierre Pinoncelli, The Artist Who Cut Off His Finger

A film by Virgile Novarina

Available in DVD

Available in VOD

Year of production: 2021

Duration: 52 and 85 min.

Original Version

French subtitles

The film received the Best Feature Film Award at the OtherMovie Lugano Film Festival in Switzerland, the Best Documentary Feature Award at the Art Film Awards 2024 (Macedonia) and the Grand Prize at MIFAC 2022 (International Film Market on Contemporary Artists).

The film was selected at the SMR13 International Independent Film Festival 2023, at Fifigrot 2022 and at L’Etrange Festival 2022.

Since his two hammer attacks on Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain urinal in 1993 and 2006, artist Pierre Pinoncelli has been known the world over for this iconoclastic and subversive act. This resounding artistic attack obscured the rest of his career in the eyes of the public. Stopping painting in 1966 to devote himself to happenings, Pinoncelli has never ceased to denounce the contradictions of our society. Pinoncelli is the man who sprayed André Malraux with red paint in 1969, who robbed a bank to protest against apartheid in 1975, who publicly mutilated himself in Colombia to free Ingrid Bétancourt and denounce the violence of the FARCS in 2002. Portrait of an extraordinary artist by Virgile Novarina.

With Sarane Alexandrian, Frédéric Altmann, Ben, Ingrid Betancourt, Robert Bouquet, André Clerget, Wilson Diaz, Jean Ferrero, Roger Gailleurd, Claude Gilli, Michel Guinle, Odette Lepage, Made, Catherine Millet, Didier Ottinger, Emmanuel Pierrat, Catherine Pineau, Patrice Quéréel, Gustavo Racines, Odette Rottier, Claudia Patricia Sarria, Michel Ragon, Jacques André Rouillot, Alexandre de la Salle, Daniel von Weinberger, Michel Zélazo, Gérard Zlotykamien.

With the participation of the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée.

This film has received support from the Normandy Region in partnership with the CNC and in association with Normandie Images.

© a.p.r.e.s production / Vosges TV