Peter Mettler is a Swiss-Canadian film director and cinematographer known for his innovative documentaries that question the nature of image-making and mediated language. His films are characterized by an improvisational approach, combining travelogue, interview, and voice-over, and explore themes of transcendence, alternate states of awareness, and the relationship between nature and technology.
Mettler's early work includes the experimental psychodrama Scissere (1982) and the dramatic features The Top of His Head (1989) and Tectonic Plates (1992). His breakthrough film, Picture of Light (1994),was made in collaboration with artist-scientist-collector Andreas Züst and captures the aurora borealis on film.
Gambling, Gods and LSD (2002) is Mettler's most extensive work, a three-hour exploration of transcendence that takes viewers across three continents and explores various subjects and locales. The End of Time (2012) is a mediation on the meaning of temporal experience, featuring exotic locations and themes that follow up on those in Gambling, Gods and LSD.
Mettler's most intimate film to date is While the Green Grass Grows, a 7-hour documentary essay diary divided into seven parts, with chapters one and six released in 2023. The film is a loving and sincere gesture to his parents, carried out with trust and an open mind.
Mettler has collaborated with numerous Canadian and Swiss filmmakers, including Atom Egoyan, Bruce McDonald, Patricia Rozema, Jeremy Podeswa, Nick de Pencier, Jennifer Baichwal, Stéphanie Barbey, Luc Peter, Emma Davie, and others. He has also worked with a range of artists, including Jane Siberry, Michael Ondaatje, Jim O'Rourke, Fred Frith, Werner Penzel, Albert Hoffman, Peter Weber, Greg Hermanovic, Andrea Nann, Peter Liechti, Gabriel Scotti, Vincent Hanni, Costanza Francavilla, Ritchie Hawtin, and Neil Young.
Mettler's films have been the focus of multiple retrospectives and have received numerous awards, including a 2003 Genie for Best Documentary, the La Sarraz Prize, and the Grand Prix and Prix du Jeune Publique at Vision Du Réel.
