Category Archives: Directors

“The best thing that can come with success is the knowledge that it is nothing to long for.” — Liv Ullmann

Posted on December 16, 2025 by sheila

It’s her birthday today. In 2018 I was assigned by the Criterion Collection to write tributes to four of Ingmar Bergman’s actresses: Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, (Liv and Bibi were paired together in one video – Bergman saw them as … Continue reading →

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“Film is, to me, just unimportant. But people are very important.” — John Cassavetes

Posted on December 9, 2025 by sheila

When I think of Cassavetes, anything that comes up is inextricable from my own life journey. He’s just so IN there with me, the choices I made, the goals I had, my values. He’s also behind my favorite marriage proposal, … Continue reading →

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“Even to this day, I watch The Wizard of Oz like I did when I was five years old. I get really involved in it.” — Lynne Ramsay

Posted on December 5, 2025 by sheila

“When I go to the cinema, I want to have a cinematic experience. Some people ignore the sound and you end up seeing something you might see on television and it doesn’t explore the form. Sound is the other picture. … Continue reading →

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“My aesthetic is that of the sniper on the roof.” — Jean-Luc Godard

Posted on December 3, 2025 by sheila

He was born on this day. Coincidentally, the year before Jean-Luc Godard died, I decided to watch his filmography in chronological order, starting with his shorts (many of which are on YouTube). I wrote about this experience in my December … Continue reading →

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“I have trouble working off things that are too preconceived, like storyboards.” — Terrence Malick

Posted on November 30, 2025 by sheila

“When people express what is most important to them, it often comes out in cliches. That doesn’t make them laughable — it’s something tender about them. As though in struggling to reach what’s most personal about them they could only … Continue reading →

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“I would rather use light to draw with instead of making thousands of drawings.” — Mary Ellen Bute

Posted on November 21, 2025 by sheila

“There were so many things I wanted to say, stream-of-consciousness things, designs and patterns while listening to music. I felt I might be able to say [them] if I had an unending canvas.” pioneering experimental animator Mary Ellen Bute If … Continue reading →

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“Being understood is not the most essential thing in life.” — Jodie Foster

Posted on November 19, 2025 by sheila

It’s her birthday today. She’s not my favorite actress in the world although I admire her journey, which – if you think about it – is quite exceptional. Consider the other child actors who dominated in the ’70s. Who has … Continue reading →

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“There’s nothing you can tell me about guilt.” — Martin Scorsese

Posted on November 17, 2025 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. It will be a huge loss when this man goes. He holds up the torch for continuity of cinema history, and his breadth and depth of knowledge – which he is so eager to share – … Continue reading →

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“It doesn’t make sense to make [my movies] for more money because I’m making noncommercial work.” — Kentucker Audley

Posted on November 13, 2025 by sheila

Kentucker Audley Director, writer, actor, editor Kentucker Audley has been working in independent film in various capacities for 20 years now. Born Andrew Michael Nenninger, he adopted the name “Kentucker” as a nod to his birthplace, Kentucky. He’s mostly associated … Continue reading →

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“All my life I have been happiest when the folks watching me said to each other, `Look at the poor dope, wilya?” — Buster Keaton

Posted on October 4, 2025 by sheila

It’s Buster Keaton’s birthday today. As a small boy with a talent for acrobatics (and a high tolerance for pain), Keaton performed with his parents in a family act (an act notorious for its wild violence) before launching off on … Continue reading →

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