Well Known Stranger: Howard Finster's Workout

Well Known Stranger: Howard Finster's Workout is a film about legendary folk artist Howard Finster of Summerville, northwest Georgia. At the age of 60, after forty years as a Baptist preacher and "small motor repairman", Finster heeded the call to "paint sacred art". In a tour-de-force of self styled "talking art", Finster describes the prophetic dreams, spiritual inspirations and visionary experiences that led him to become a painter. His work was selected in 1984 to represent the United States in the prestigious Venice Biennale

Directed by Hazen Robert Walker, Well Known Stranger: Howard Finster's Workout leans on a strong ensemble — Howard Finster — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 1987.