A scene from Angela Ismailos' doc Great Directors
A deeply personal and intimate look at the art of cinema and the artists who create it, Great Directors features original, in-depth conversations with world-class filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Stephen Frears, Agnes Varda, Ken Loach, Liliana Cavani, Todd Haynes, Catherine Breillat, Richard Linklater and John Sayles. These interviews more than just chronicle Ismailos' encounters with ten remarkable men and women. Extensively illuminated by clips and historical archives from the subjects' works, they also reveal the distinctive personalities who created the timeless images that have long inspired Ismailos-and all of us. Intercutting among the filmmakers in a freely associative way, Ismailos explores each director's artistic evolution; the role of politics and history on their work; their feelings about the other great directors who inspired them (with Bertolucci paying homage to Pasolini, Breillat to Bergman, and Haynes to Fassbinder, etc.); and the agony and ecstasy of being an artist in a medium that is, paradoxically, also an industry.
Ismailos worked on the film for four years, shooting interviews everywhere from Rome to Paris; London to Los Angeles, Portland to Austin, Texas. "This film is truly a dream project for me as someone who grew up interpreting art and cinema," she says. "I hope the film will inspire and intrigue anyone involved in the creative process, and anyone who uses cinema as a way to escape or explore their own anxieties and emotions through the moving image."
About the film Urman adds, "I have always thought that directors are the true 'superstars' in the movie world so, to me, Angela's film has the most star-studded 'cast' of any film I've seen in years. Having worked on projects by most of these directors at various points in my career, I take Great Directors very personally, and I trust that most ardent cinephiles will feel the same."
Great Directors was released July 2nd, 2010 and stars Bernardo Bertolucci, Catherine Breillat, Liliana Cavani, Stephen Frears, Todd Haynes, Angela Ismailos, Richard Linklater, Ken Loach. The film is directed by Angela Ismailos.
Comments
To leave a comment, please sign in or use
Facebook or Twitter