Robert Zemeckis has provided a brief update on Mark Hogancamp, whose battle with PTSD and building and photographing of a fictional village to help aid his recovery inspired his latest film Welcome To Marwen.
“In real life, I started making this film 8 years ago and he has moved on to a lot of new adventures. He is very much in a good spot,” Zemeckis tells Metro when asked for an update on Hogancamp.
“I want audiences to take away that this is a hopeful and life-affirming story. It speaks to the healing power of art and that art can be transformative.”
What is Mark Hogancamp doing now?
Hogancamp, who was left comatose after being attacked outside of a bar in Kingston, New York, in 2000 after admitting to wearing high heels and nylons, was yet to see Welcome To Marwen at the start of December. However Zemeckis insisted that he would get the chance to do so before it was widely released.
Welcome To Marwen uses what happened to Hogancamp and his recovery as a springboard for their narrative, fictionalizing some aspects of the story and then blending it with the real events.
Those of you that want to learn more details about Hogancamp should check out the 2010 documentary Marwencol, which goes into such more detail about the artist, his life and his work.
In 2015, Welcome To Marwencol, an at book by Hogancamp and Chris Shellen, was published, which also focused on his artistry and what led him to create these pieces. Critically acclaimed, Amazon.com named it one of their best books of that year.
Hogancamp is still photographing the doll-sized universe that is depicted in Welcome To Marwen, and according to the Daily Freeman, the latest gallery exhibition of his photographs, entitled Hogancamp’s World, opened earlier this year.
Welcome To Marwen is now in theaters.
