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.
Current
An online magazine covering film culture past and present
The Uncharted Frontier: Will Rogers in John Ford’s America
In his collaborations with Ford, the beloved star—the highest-paid Hollywood actor of the early 1930s—played multidimensional characters that challenged assumptions about Native Americans.
The Funeral: At a Loss
Juzo Itami’s tragicomic directorial debut has scandalous fun with the Japanese traditions governing death.
Reality Breaks in Irma Vep
The director of We’re All Going to the World’s Fair reflects on the transformative power of a Sonic Youth needle drop in Olivier Assayas’s 1996 film.
The Eyes That Fascinate
Louis Feuillade’s influential serial Les Vampires reflected the French national subconscious at the time by depicting a madcap world of anarchy and violent spectacle.
Mr. Klein: It’s All in the Name
Joseph Losey’s sumptuous portrait of Nazi-occupied Paris sees an icy Alain Delon as an art dealer on a Kafkaesque quest for identity.
Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Closet Picks
While perusing our collection, the acclaimed actor and singer-songwriter linked some of her favorite films to memories of her family.
Memories of a Vibrant Moment in Asian American Cinema
Five pioneering filmmakers look back on the communities and institutions that helped them flourish in the 1990s, an era in Asian American moving-image culture that has since gone underappreciated.
The Criterion Channel’s May 2022 Lineup
This month’s programs include spotlights on Richard Linklater, Ida Lupino, and Jean Gabin, as well as a revelatory showcase of Asian American filmmaking in the 1990s.
Kazuo Hara’s Dedicated Lives
In his uncompromising chronicles of modern Japanese society, the celebrated filmmaker shows a deep understanding of both larger-than-life individuals and collectives of ordinary citizens.
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire): Floating Currencies
In their ambitious debut feature, brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri capture the vibrancy of contemporary Lagos while also showing the desperation with which its two protagonists seek to leave it.
’Round Midnight: Return from Exile
A longtime lover of jazz, Bertrand Tavernier honors its legacy by throwing the spotlight on real musicians—including legendary tenor sax player Dexter Gordon—improvising on-screen.
Documentary’s Newest Forms: A Conversation with Inney Prakash
The founder of the experimental documentary festival Prismatic Ground discusses his vision for rethinking the bounds of nonfiction cinema.
