Baltic Cinema: Finding Vivian Maier

A documentary about a nanny who secretly took over 100,000 photographs have seen her rank among the 20th century’s greatest photographers. Baltic Cinema: Finding Vivian Maier Thu 11 Feb | 18:30-19:55 £6 / £4.50* per person Dirs. John Maloof, Charlie Siskel / USA / 2013 / 83’ (12) Vivian Maier’s massive and quite incredible body of work would come to light when in 2007 her work was discovered at a local thrift auction house on Chicago’s Northwest Side. From there, it would eventually impact the world over and change the life of the man who championed her work and brought it to the public eye, John Maloof. Maier was an inveterate wanderer and self-taught photographer with an uncanny ability to get close to people from all walks of life. But as Maloof meets people who knew Vivian, new questions arise about her life and work. The families who employed her as a nanny have mixed memories, and hint at her dark side. Would she have even wanted this attention? ‘Compelling. Haunting. Captivating.’ —Variety ‘An exciting electric current of discovery runs through Finding Vivian Maier’ —New York Times Watch the trailer --- Doors open 18:00; Film starts 18:30. Pop-up cinema bar open from 18:00 for drinks. Please note we cannot offer refunds on this event. *Concessions: under 18s, unwaged & 65+ --- Shooting the Messenger November 2026 – March 2027 Films on Photographers, Photographers on Film. What drives photographers to frame, to capture, to record? Sometimes compulsion, sometimes necessity, always curiosity. Across five documentaries, this season looks at photography and photographers – their desires and struggles, passions and fears – to accompany Baltic’s current exhibition Tish Murtha & Kuba Ryniewicz: Close to Home. The films propose photography as a lifetime’s quest and suggest that for many photographers – whether railing against the system, documenting their communities or pushing the boundaries of the medium – the more they take photographs, the more they know themselves. Full film schedule coming soon… --- Baltic Cinema Baltic Cinema is a year-round cinema programme at Baltic, lighting up our Level 1 Cinema with the best new and archive films. Expanding on our exhibition themes and bringing otherwise rarely-screened work to the North East. Supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network. Accessibility We want our events to be inclusive and accessible. If you have any accessibility requests or questions, please email [email protected]. Ahead of your visit, you can find out about Baltic's facilities and accessibility here.