Screen Siren Pictures Inc.

Art. Drugs. Madness.

Gifted artist, tormented soul, egomaniacal bad-boy hyped up on crystal-meth. This is the snapshot, circa summer 2001, as this raw and uncensored documentary begins tracking the dramatic career of Canadian-born painter Attila Richard Lukacs. A bold visionary whose life-size homoerotic renderings of skinheads fetch tens of thousands of dollars, Lukacs fails in his attempt to crack New York City and the world’s toughest art scene. He spirals into depression and drug addiction, alienates friends and art associates, and pushes away his saintly parents. But the wired West Coast artist manages to make it to the other side, retreating from his disastrous NYC exploits to find detox, redemption, and creative renaissance in Maui.

A gritty and compulsive examination of the extremes of artistic temperament, the story is set against the backdrop of Lukacs’ meteoric rise into the international art world. His paintings — once the toast of Berlin and Toronto — shift and change in tone and execution, revealing an artist of uncanny ability and endurance.

“Drawing out the Demons may be the most honest and substantial documentary ever made about a world-class artist”   — Atlantic Film Festival 2004

Photo Gallery

Festivals & Awards

2005 Awards & Nominations

• 2008 Awards and Nominations
• 2008 Wins “Best Feature Documentary (International)” at the Talking Stick Film Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico
• 2008 Wins Golden Sheaf Award for “Best Aboriginal Production” at Yorkton Short Film Festival & Video Festival
• 2008 Wins Bronze Remi Award at Worldfest Houston 2008 for TV Special: Documentary
• 2008 Nominated in the Documentary or Series category for Leo Awards, “Best Screenwriting”, and “Best Sound Editing”

Festivals

2006 Screenings

• 32nd Northwest Film & Video Festival – Portland, Oregon

2005 Screenings

• 50th Cork International Film Festival – Cork, Ireland
• Nickel Independent Film and Video Festival – St. John’s, NF
• Leo Awards Film Festival, Pacific Cinematheque – Vancouver, BC
• International Festival of Films on Art – Montreal, QC
• Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival – Victoria, BC
• Vancouver Premiere, Pacific Cinematheque – Vancouver, BC
• Kootenay Film Festival – Civic Theatre, Nelson, BC
• London Canadian Film Festival – London, ON
• Aids Vancouver Island – Victoria, BC
• Canadian Art Foundation – Toronto, ON

2004 Screenings

• 24th Atlantic Film Festival – Halifax, NS
• Calgary International Film Festival – Calgary, AB
• Premieres at Hot Docs at the Royal Cinema – Toronto, ON

Media Items

Download the Drawing out the Demons press kit. (PDF, 220 kb)

Financing

Produced with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry, Telefilm Canada: Equity Investment Program, CTF: License Fee Program; Rogers Cable Network Fund; the province of British Columbia: Film Incentive BC; the Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit; and Rogers Telefund.

Produced and developed in Association with BRAVO! Canada, a division of CHUM limited.

Produced in Association with TVOntario. Developed with the participation of British Columbia Film and in Association with Telefilm Canada and CTV.

Sales Info

Screen Siren Pictures Inc
Suite 300, 291 East 2nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 1B8
Phone: (604) 687-7591 | Fax: (604) 687-4937
info@screensiren.ca

Educational Sales

Moving Images
Suite 606, 402 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6B 1T6
Phone: (604) 684-3014 | Fax: (604) 687-7165
mailbox@movingimages.ca

International Sales

TVF International
375 City Road, London, UK, EC1V 1NB
Phone: + 44 (0) 20 7837 3000 | Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7278 8833

Produced by Screen Siren Pictures Inc. with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry, Telefilm Canada: Equity Investment Program, CTF: License Fee Program; Rogers Cable Network Fund; the province of British Columbia: Film Incentive BC; the Canadian Film and Video Tax Credit; and Rogers Telefund. Produced and developed in association with BRAVO! Canada, a division of CHUM limited. Produced in association with TVOntario. Developed with the participation of British Columbia Film and in association with Telefilm Canada and CTV.