Godard by Godard is an archival self-portrait of Jean-Luc Godard. It retraces the unique and unheard-of path, made up of sudden detours and dramatic returns, of a filmmaker who never looks back on his past, never makes the same film twice, and tirelessly pursues his research, in a truly inexhaustible diversity of inspiration. Through Godard’s words, his gaze and his work, the film tells the story of a life of cinema; that of a man who will always demand a lot of himself and his art, to the point of merging with it.
When World War II broke out, John Ford, in his forties, commissioned in the Naval Reserve, was put in charge of the Field Photographic Unit by Bill Donavan, director of the soon-to-be-OSS. During the war, Field Photo made at least 87 documentaries, many with Ford's signature attention to heroism and loss, and many from the point of view of the fighting soldier and sailor. Talking heads discuss Ford's life and personality, the ways that the war gave him fulfillment, and the ways that his war films embodied the same values and conflicts that his Hollywood films did. Among the films profiled are "Battle of Midway," "Torpedo Squadron," "Sexual Hygiene," and "December 7."
Filmmaker Lee Donaldson takes a poignant journey down memory lane with his acclaimed artist father Antony Donaldson about his art, the artwork, and the monumental task of producing a colossal mask of Alfred Hitchcock made from 18 tonnes of solid steel for Gainsborough Studios apartments in London where Hitchcock made his earlier works.
Stage actress turned film actress and director, Nicole Garcia has worked with the greatest French directors. Mysterious, singular, elegant, she has become a major figure in French cinema, but in her forties, she wanted to tell her own stories. She took a big risk when she was being offered fewer roles as an actress and became a film director.
Kogonada looks at how the motif of doors reverberates through Robert Bresson's work.
The work and unexplained death of Michael Ventris, the English architect, classicist, and philologist who deciphered the ancient Mycenaean Greek script Linear B, are portrayed.
A television documentary on the life and career of British film director David Lean. Scenes of Lean directing are intercut with personal interviews in which the director explains his methods, the beginnings of his career, and his relationships with actors and actresses.
Portrait of director Andrey Zvyagintsev against the background of the filming of his film "Loveless".
A portrait of the South Korean screenwriter, director and producer Lee Chang-Dong through his work, this documentary provides a thematic analysis of his films, most of which have been selected for and received awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
A documentary on the life and career of filmmaker Edward D. Wood Jr., with clips from his films and interviews with the cast and crews of some of his films.