JAMES BENNING
director, artist

* 1942
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

FAMOUS FILMS (selection)
13 Lakes (2004)
North On Evers (1992)
Oklahoma (1979)

• BENEDIKT SCHIEFER
  on SOUND
• BEKI PROBST
  on SUCCESS
• JAMES BENNING
  on TIME
• JAN KRÜGER
  on DESIRE
• ANGELINA MACCARONE
  on EYES
• ULRIKE OTTINGER
  on PLACES
• ARTHUR COHN
  on PRODUCING
• CHARLOTTE RAMPLING
  on LOOKS
• MARIN KARMITZ
  on COLLECTING
• CHRISTINE VACHON
  on HEROES
• CHRISTOPH HOCHHÄUSLER
  on ARCHITECTURE
• WIELAND SPECK
  on FESTIVALS
• XAVIER DOLAN
  on IMAGINATION
• CAM ARCHER
  on STILLNESS
• HAPPY NEW YEAR
  CINEPHILE NEW YEAR GREETINGS
• TOM TYKWER
  on CHANCE
• Special Issue #1
  FILM and LITERATURE
• "JOE" WEERASETHAKUL
  on MEMORY
• NIKI REISER
  on COMPOSING
• SHIRIN NESHAT
  on ART and POWER
• HARRIS SAVIDES
  on BEAUTY
• PETER PRZYGODDA
  on EDITING
• JESSICA HAUSNER
  on IMAGES and MEANING
• DOMINIK GRAF
  on TELEVISION
• ANGELA SCHANELEC
  on SPACES
• ANDRES VEIEL
  on DOCUMENTARIES
• MICHAEL HANEKE
  on VIOLENCE
• AGNÈS VARDA
  on POETRY
• HARUN FAROCKI
  on MATERIAL
• DANI LEVY
  on HUMOUR
• WIM WENDERS
  on PHOTOGRAPHY
• CATHERINE BREILLAT
  on INTIMACY
• ANDREAS DRESEN
  on AUTHENTICITY
• ISABELLA ROSSELLINI
  on SEX
• CHRISTIAN PETZOLD
  on COMMUNICATION
• MIKE LEIGH
  on THEATRE
• JONATHAN CAOUETTE
  on CINEPHILIA
• MICHAEL ALTHEN
  on REMEMBERING
• BRUCE LA BRUCE
  on PERVERSION
• KEN LOACH
  on POLITICAL CINEMA

JAMES BENNING on TIME

His avantgarde documentaries are a continuous examination of the relation of space and time and thus theorizing cinema itself. James Benning is not only the director but also the camera operator and editor of his films. Most of them are built from long, unedited takes and dealing with a certain subject - for example TEN SKIES, THIRTEEN LAKES or TWENTY CIGARETTES.

JAMES BENNING über ZEIT

In seinen avantgardistischen Dokumentarfilmen beschäftigt sich der Filmemacher immer wieder mit dem Verhältnis von Zeit und Raum, sodass seine Arbeiten, die er nicht nur selbst mit der Kamera dreht sondern auch schneidet, in gewisser Weise auch eine kontinuierliche theoretische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Kino sind. Die meisten seiner Filme bestehen aus minutenlangen, statischen Kameraeinstellungen und kreisen häufig um ein Thema - beispielsweise TEN SKIES, THIRTEEN LIKES und TWENTY CIGARETTES.

Essay: James Benning`s 13 Lakes and Ten Skies and the Culture of Distraction