Spotlight
Under the Influence
In this ongoing series of videos, contemporary filmmakers talk to us about the movies that have had a lasting impact on their work.
The Current
A magazine of film culture past and present, with new articles, interviews, and videos published every day
Cold War: You’re My Only Home
Two lovers cross boundaries both personal and national in this ambitious, zigzagging love story, one of the most romantic films of this century.
How Paweł Pawlikowski Reimagined His Parents’ Fiery Romance for the Big Screen
As the director explains to filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the love story at the heart of the Oscar-nominated drama Cold War has its roots in his own family history.
Betty Blue: The Look of Love
Underneath its brilliantly colored, highly stylized surfaces, this key work of 1980s French cinema is a heartrending portrait of a woman struggling to both inhabit and reject traditionally feminine roles.
A Touchstone of Contemporary Chinese Cinema Makes Its Streaming Premiere
One of the most acclaimed and ambitious feature debuts in recent memory, Hu Bo’s An Elephant Sitting Still is a testament to the power of personal filmmaking.
Ira Sachs Finds a Model of Artistic Courage in Je tu il elle
The director of Frankie and Keep the Lights On opens up about how the emotional and sexual candor of Chantal Akerman’s feature debut has inspired his own deeply personal approach to cinema.
A Daytrippers Trio Looks Back on Their Indie Miracle
Director Greg Mottola reunites with two cast members of his debut feature—Liev Schreiber and Parker Posey—to reminisce about the joys and trials they experienced on the set of this shoestring marvel.
The Ache of Desire
Whether sublimated or made explicit, that longing feeling so specific to the queer experience has always existed in the movies. A new series on the Criterion Channel dives into this richly layered but long-suppressed cinematic history.
Fever Dreamer: Suzan Pitt’s Feminist Fantasias
Taking the spotlight today on the Criterion Channel, the animated work of this legendary multimedia artist is fueled by a wildly surrealist imagination and idiosyncratic perspectives on the female psyche.
Within Earshot: A Conversation with Sorayos Prapapan
Informed by his background in sound design, the Thai director uses audio to explore the absurdities of an oppressive society in his short film Death of the Sound Man, now playing on the Criterion Channel.
The Daytrippers: Alone, Together
A scrappy comedy made on the cheap, Greg Mottola’s feature debut finds hilarity and heartbreak in the tale of one Long Island family’s Manhattan odyssey.
Hotel Noir
From the squalid to the generic, cheap hotels serve as a quintessential habitat for the lonely, transitory people in crime cinema.
Cinema in the Surveillance Zone
A new series on the Criterion Channel dives into the wages of espionage and paranoia through a mix of Hollywood thrillers and art-house dramas.
