Documentary Film
John Cage: Uncaged
THE ARCHIVE
Decades of rare interviews, photographs, performances, recordings, scores and conversations with John Cage and the artists around him.
THE VOICES
More than 70 artists, composers, musicians, writers and collaborators reflect on Cage, his work and the ideas that continue to resonate.
The Film
A feature documentary built through sound, image, chance and conversation, allowing Cage’s ideas to remain alive rather than simply recounting his history.
RARE ACCESS
Previously unseen footage, recordings and original material reveal Cage at work, in conversation and in performance.
A LIVING LEGACY
Cage’s ideas about sound, silence, chance and attention continue to shape artists and culture across generations.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Cage’s own voice, performances and conversations remain at the center, allowing him to be present in the film rather than simply remembered.
A FILM BORN FROM COLLABORATION
JOHN CAGE: UNCAGED grew out of Christopher Felver’s relationship with John Cage, built through years of filming, photographing, and conversation.
Felver was not simply documenting Cage from a distance. He was there with him in the studio, in performance, in conversation and at work, creating an extraordinary firsthand archive of Cage’s life, ideas and creative process.
That archive includes original interviews, photographs, performances, and rare footage made directly with Cage, alongside conversations with the artists, musicians, writers and collaborators who knew him and carried his influence forward.
The result is not a retrospective assembled from familiar material. It is a film drawn from a body of work created through direct access with Cage and his friends.
JOHN CAGE: UNCAGED is a continuation of that collaboration.
“The more time that passes, the more appreciative I am of John’s teachings. I appreciate him more every year, what he did, and his approach to silence also, very profound. And in a noisy culture like ours, it’s very unique to just have somebody not blabbing.”
– Laurie Anderson
FEATURING
More than 70 voices reflecting on John Cage, his work, and the ideas he set in motion.
Laurie Anderson
Multimedia artist, composer, musician
David Amram
Composer, conductor
Raven Chacon
Composer, musician, sound artist
Andrew Culver
Composer, musician
Joëlle Léandre
Double bassist, composer, improviser
Anne Waldman
Poet, performer, educator
Pamala Z
Composer, Performer & Media Artist
Kay Larson
Author & Art Critic
John Yau
Poet, critic
Richard Kostelanetz
Writer, artist, critic
Stephen Drury
Pianist & Conductor
DJ Spooky / Paul D. Miller
Composer, Multimedia Artist & Writer
Lee Renaldo
Musician, composer, visual artist; co-founder of Sonic Youth
David Shapiro
Poet, art historian, critic
Tania Chen
Pianist & Experimental Musician
Tony Cragg
Sculptor
Peter Frank
Art Critic, Curator & Writer
Peter Coyote
Actor
Constance Lewallen
Author, critic
Ray Kass
Art Critic, Curator & Writer
Carol Law
Artist
Mark Swed
Music critic
Charles Amirkhanian
Bill Berkson
Rita Bottoms
Sean Bronzell
Bill Brooks
Neely Bruce
Mary Bueno
John Corbett
Joe Finkel
Kyle Gann
Deborah Solomon
Andrei Codrescu
Suzanne Ciani
Laetitia Sonami
Adam Tendler
John Gibson
Don Gillespie
Basil King
Laura Kuhn
Joan La Barbara
Jon Leidecker
Tom Marioni
Sion Parkinson
Paul Sadowski
Stefano Scodanibbio
Jeffrey Means
Charles Stein
Trisha Brown
Kazuaki Tanahashi
Morton Subotnick
Ken Van der Mark
Brooke Wentz
Willie Winant
Julie Winter
Christian Wolff
Wieslaw Woszczyk
Roger Zahab
Steve Reich
Larry Miller
Stephen Marotto
Aaron Larget-Caplan
Yvonne Rainer
Douglas Dunn
ABOUT THE FILM
JOHN CAGE: UNCAGED is a film by Christopher Felver, built from his encounters, interviews, performances, and collaborations with John Cage and the artists who surrounded him.
Help us finish the film. The River Aude Artists Lab (RAAL), a nonprofit organization supporting artists and independent cultural projects, is helping bring Felver’s extraordinary archive together and the film to completion.
Donations are made through RAAL, a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.