‘A Savage Art’ Premieres at DC/DOX, Score by Geneviève Gros-Louis

Over the weekend, the 2025 DC/DOX Film Festival took place in Washington, DC, and on Saturday, June 14, the feature documentary A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant, scored by Geneviève Gros-Louis (she/her), had its world premiere at the festival. The film is directed by Bill Banowsky and follows the life and impact of famed political cartoonist Pat Oliphant as told through interviews with Pat, his family, friends, and colleagues.

About the film:

Patrick Oliphant was a giant slayer, bravely taking on presidents, popes and the American corporate class with his mighty pen. An Australian transplant, Oliphant became America’s most renowned and feared political cartoonist for five decades. With his biting wit and masterful drawing skills, Oliphant attacked individual and institutional corruption, collusion, greed, hypocrisy and arrogance, no matter the size or status of his targets.

A SAVAGE ART tells the story of Oliphant’s life and celebrated career through interviews with Pat, his family, friends, and colleagues, alongside a rich trove of archival footage and hundreds of his cartoons. The film also traces the history of political cartoons, highlighting how influential and impactful cartoonists have been throughout the ages—and how, in today’s climate of political partisanship and corporate media control, voices like Oliphant’s are more essential than ever in holding power to account. (Source: DC/DOX)

The film has been picked up for distribution by Magnolia Pictures and will release in theaters September 5, 2025. Watch the trailer below.