We All Bleed Red

Martin Schoeller has photographed US presidents, Hollywood stars, and sports icons. In his private photo series, however, the star photographer focuses on those parts of US society that are not in the public eye—the homeless, former prisoners, drag queens, and Native Americans. Schoeller has been living in the US for thirty years and knows the extremes of a country that is increasingly threatened by political and social division. With a mobile photo setup, he creates an intimate space in which people tell him about their realities of life. The photographer becomes an unbiased listener – and, for the duration of the portrait, a close confidant.
Josephine Links accompanies Martin Schoeller on his personal photography projects, not only showing a world-renowned photographer at work, but also providing insights into diverse worlds that reveal the fractures in American society. In doing so, the film conveys the deeply humanistic insight that Martin Schoeller has been trying to convey with his work for decades and which is expressed in the film through the words of a Native American: “We all bleed red.”