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The Film Portal

Man working with a movie projector in a movie theater, 1958

A film (British English) – also called a movie (American English), motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick – is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere through the use of moving images. These images are generally accompanied by sound and, more rarely, other sensory stimulations. The word "cinema", short for cinematography, is often used to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and the art form that is the result of it. (Full article...)

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Mike Bassett: England Manager is a 2001 satirical mockumentary comedy film directed by Steve Barron and starring Ricky Tomlinson, Amanda Redman, Bradley Walsh, Dean Lennox Kelly and Geoff Bell. The film follows Mike Bassett, who is appointed England manager having only previous experience of managing in the English lower leagues, he is tasked with guiding the team to qualification for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil. Journalist Martin Bashir provides voice-over, and the film features satirical cameo appearances from prominent figures in sport and entertainment such as Pelé, Ronaldo, Gabby Logan and Atomic Kitten. Minimal use of on-field action is employed, with the focus centred on behind-the-scenes events in boardrooms and the locker room.

The film initially received mixed reviews, but since its release has gained popularity as a cult film among English football fans. The film was followed by a television series, Mike Bassett: Manager in 2005. In 2014, there were plans to bring Mike Bassett back to the big screen in a movie titled Mike Bassett: Interim Manager. However, the kickstarter project that was essential for raising funds for the film did not meet its target. (Portal:Film/Featured content)

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The following are images from various film-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Babelsberg Studio near Berlin was the first large-scale film studio in the world (founded 1912) and the forerunner to Hollywood. It still produces global blockbusters every year. (from Film industry)
Image 2Film still from Dickson Greeting (from History of film technology)
Image 3Akira Kurosawa, Japanese film director (from History of film)
Image 4
The Pathé Brothers, by Adrien Barrère.
(from Film industry)
Image 5Poster for the 1956 Egyptian film Wakeful Eyes starring Salah Zulfikar and Shadia (from History of film)
Image 6Maria Germanova in Anna Karenina (1914) (from Film industry)
Image 7Flying pelican captured by Marey around 1882. He created a method of recording several phases of movement superimposed into one photograph (from History of film technology)
Image 8A surviving two-color-component image from the first Technicolor feature film, The Gulf Between (1917) (from History of film technology)
Image 9A shot from Raja Harishchandra (1913), the first film of Bollywood. (from Film industry)
Image 10Frame from a c.1912 Chronochrome film (from History of film technology)
Image 11The Wizard of Oz (from History of film)
Image 12The Hollywood Sign (from Film industry)
Image 13Old Chinese Cinema in Qufu, Shandong (from Film industry)
Image 14The Cinématographe Lumière in projection mode (from History of film technology)
Image 15Insert shot in Old Wives for New (Cecil B. DeMille, 1918) (from History of film)
Image 16Italian neorealist movie Bicycle Thieves (1948) by Vittorio De Sica, considered part of the canon of classic cinema (from History of film)
Image 17Off Plus Camera Film Festival in Kraków, 2012, with Andrzej Seweryn, Daniel Olbrychski, and Wojciech Pszoniak on stage. (from Film industry)
Image 18GIF animation from retouched pictures of The Horse in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge (1879). (from History of film technology)
Image 19Don Juan is the first feature-length film to use the Vitaphone sound-on-disc sound system with a synchronized musical score and sound effects, though it has no spoken dialogue. (from History of film)
Image 20Animated GIF of Prof. Stampfer's Stroboscopische Scheibe No. X (Trentsensky & Vieweg 1833) (from History of film technology)
Image 21A.E. Smith filming The Bargain Fiend in the Vitagraph Studios in 1907. Arc floodlights hang overhead. (from History of film)
Image 22Edward Raymond Turner's three-color projector, 1902 (from History of film technology)
Image 23A scene from Raja Harishchandra (1913) – credited as the first full-length Indian motion picture. (from Film industry)
Image 24Salah Zulfikar and Nadia Lutfi in Saladin the Victorious (1963) (from History of film)
Image 25Czermak's 1855 Stereophoroskop (from History of film technology)
Image 26Complex vignette shot in die Austernprinzessin (The Oyster Princess) (from History of film)
Image 27A frame from the Lumière brothers staged comedy film, L'Arroseur Arrosé (1895) (from History of film)
Image 28Cinématographe Lumière at the Institut Lumière, France (from History of film technology)
Image 29Publicity still for the Egyptian film My Wife, the Director General (1966) (from Film industry)
Image 30Poster for a Biograph Studios release from 1913 (from Film industry)
Image 31Eadweard Muybridge's The Horse in Motion cabinet cards utilized the technique of chronophotography to study motion. (from History of film)
Image 32London IMAX has the largest cinema screen in Britain with a total screen size of 520 m². (from Film industry)
Image 33A still from The Story of the Kelly Gang (Australia, 1906; 80 min.) (from Film industry)
Image 34William Friese-Greene (from Film industry)
Image 35Publicity still for the Egyptian film Yahya el hub (1938) (from Film industry)
Image 36Discounted DVD home video film releases sold in the Netherlands (from Film industry)
Image 37Louis Poyet [fr]'s engraving of the mechanism of the "fusil photographique" as published in La Nature (april 1882) (from History of film technology)
Image 38Charlie Chaplin (from History of film)
Image 39Cinema admissions in 1995 (from History of film)
Image 40A production scene from the 1950 Hollywood film Julius Caesar starring Charlton Heston (from History of film)
Image 41The Jazz Singer (1927), was the first full-length film with synchronized sound. (from History of film technology)
Image 42
An electrotachyscope
American Scientific, 16/11/1889, p. 303
(from History of film technology)
Image 43Nestor studio, 1911 (from Film industry)
Image 44Max Skladanowsky (right) in 1934 with his brother Eugen and the Bioscop (from History of film technology)
Image 45The first two shots of As Seen Through a Telescope (1900), with the telescope POV simulated by the circular mask (from History of film)
Image 46Original script from the 1989 film Batman (from History of film)
Image 47Georges Méliès (left) painting a backdrop in his studio (from History of film)

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Credit: Escarlati

The praxinoscope was an animation device, the successor to the zoetrope. It was invented in France in 1877 by Charles-Émile Reynaud.

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Did you know...

... that a pornographic screenplay about Jesus led to papal and royal condemnations, a firebombing, the writer's ban from the UK, and thousands of letters per week demanding the ban of a non-existent gay Jesus film?
... that Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour caused the horror film The Exorcist: Believer to move its release date one week earlier from Friday, October 13, 2023?
... that the 1961 film Barabbas portrayed a solar eclipse by shooting during a real one?
... that the film Death in Small Doses is a dramatization of the real-life death of Nancy Lyon by arsenic poisoning?
... that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the first Indian actress to be a juror at the Cannes Film Festival?

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Washington in 2018

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his versatile work spanning over four decades of screen and stage, Washington has been regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation, with The New York Times naming him the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2020. Washington has received a number of honors, including two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award and AFI Life Achievement Award, and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

After training at the American Conservatory Theater, Washington began his career in theatre, acting in performances off-Broadway. He first came to prominence in the NBC medical drama series St. Elsewhere (1982–1988), and in the war film A Soldier's Story (1984). Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, Washington won Best Supporting Actor for playing an American Civil War soldier in Glory (1989) and Best Actor for playing a corrupt cop in Training Day (2001). A prominent leading man, he has also starred in a number of other films, including Mo' Better Blues (1990), Mississippi Masala (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Courage Under Fire (1996), Remember the Titans (2000), Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), and American Gangster (2007). He starred in The Equalizer trilogy (2014–2023) and directed and starred in the films Antwone Fisher (2002), The Great Debaters (2007), and Fences (2016). (Full article...)

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Per a review process, Featured lists are considered to be the best list articles on English Wikipedia.

Image 1
Black Swan is a 2010 independent psychological horror film directed by Darren Aronofsky. It premiered as the opening film for the 67th Venice International Film Festival. The film had a limited release in selected cities in North America on December 3 and took in a total of about $415,800 on its opening day. After Black Swan's opening weekend it grossed over $1.4 million, averaging around $80,200 per theater, the second highest per location for the opening weekend of 2010. When Black Swan finished its worldwide theatrical run, it had achieved blockbuster status with ticket revenue amounting to more than $325 million. Critics appreciated the film, with review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reporting an approval rating of 85 percent and placed it among their lists for the year's best films.

Black Swan has received honors in categories ranging mostly from recognition of the film itself, to its cinematography, direction and editing, to the cast's performance, particularly Natalie Portman's portrayal of the film's protagonist, ballerina Nina Sayers. The film was submitted for consideration for the Golden Lion at Venice's International Film Festival, but lost to Sofia Coppola's Somewhere. Mila Kunis was later given the Emerging Performer award for her portrayal of Nina's rival Lily, at the same ceremony. Darren Arnonofsky also earned a nomination from the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film. He was also named Best Director by the San Diego Film Critics Society and San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards. The Visual Effects Society and Cinema Audio Society Awards each gave the film a single nomination, while Amy Westcott won for her work on Black Swan's contemporary costumes from the Costume Designers Guild. (Full article...)
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La La Land is a 2016 American romantic musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, the film focuses on two young people struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles, while pursuing their dreams as artists. Justin Hurwitz composed the film's musical score, while Linus Sandgren was the cinematographer. David and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco were responsible for the production design and Mary Zophres designed the costumes.

La La Land premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2016, where Stone won the Volpi Cup Award for Best Actress. The film had a limited release on December 9, 2016 in Los Angeles and New York City, before expanding wider starting December 16. The film was successful at the box office, earning over $430 million against its $30 million budget. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, surveyed 425 reviews and judged 91% to be positive. The film has been nominated for 265 awards, winning 112; its direction, screenplay, music and the performances of Gosling and Stone have received the most attention from award groups. (Full article...)
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Recent winner : Mahesh Narayan for the Movie, Ariyippu

The Kerala State Film Award for Best Director is an honour presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India since 1969. It is given to a film director who has exhibited outstanding direction while working in the Malayalam film industry. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Since 1998, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, an autonomous non-profit organisation functioning under the Department of Cultural Affairs, has been exercising control over the awards. The recipients are decided by an independent jury formed by the academy. They are declared by the Minister for Cultural Affairs and are presented by the Chief Minister.

The first Kerala State Film Awards ceremony was held in 1970 with cinematographer-director A. Vincent receiving the Best Director award for his work in Nadhi (1969). Throughout the years, accounting for ties and repeat winners, the Government of Kerala has presented a total of 50 best director awards to 25 different filmmakers. The recipients receive a figurine, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹2 lakh (US$2,400). (Full article...)
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Lost in Translation is a 2003 comedy-drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola. The film focuses on the relationship between a washed-up movie star, Bob Harris (Bill Murray), and a recent college graduate in an unhappy marriage, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), over the course of one week in Tokyo. The film also features Giovanni Ribisi and Anna Faris in supporting roles. The film featured an original score by Kevin Shields and Brian Reitzell and cinematography by Lance Acord; it was edited by Sarah Flack. Lost in Translation premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 2003. Focus Features gave the film a limited release on September 12, 2003, before a wide release on October 3. It grossed a worldwide total of over $119 million on a production budget of $4 million. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 222 reviews and judged 95% of them to be positive.

Lost in Translation received awards and nominations in a variety of categories, particularly for Coppola's direction and screenwriting as well as the lead acting performances from Murray and Johansson. At the 76th Academy Awards, it won Best Original Screenplay (Coppola) and the film received three further nominations—Best Picture, Best Director (Coppola), and Best Actor (Murray). The film garnered three Golden Globe Awards from five nominations; Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and Best Screenplay. At the 57th British Academy Film Awards, Lost in Translation won three awards; Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Johansson), and Best Editing. (Full article...)
Image 5
Franco at the Austin Film Festival in 2011

James Franco is an American actor, filmmaker, and college instructor. He began acting on television, guest-starring in Pacific Blue (1997). He landed his breakthrough role in the comedy-drama television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000). After his film debut in Never Been Kissed (1999), Franco won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film and was nominated for Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award in the same categories for playing the eponymous actor in the 2001 television biopic James Dean. He went on to play Harry Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man (2002), and reprised the role in its sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). For the last of the three, he garnered a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. His only screen appearance of 2003 was in the ballet film The Company. Franco directed and starred in the comedy The Ape (2005).

After playing one of the title roles in the romantic drama Tristan & Isolde (2006), Franco starred in the Tony Bill-directed war drama Flyboys (2006). Two years later, he played against type in the action-comedy film Pineapple Express, and earned critical acclaim for portraying Scott Smith in the biographical film Milk alongside Sean Penn. For the former, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Comedy. Franco portrayed the trapped canyoneer Aron Ralston in 127 Hours (2010), a survival drama, which earned him nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe Award, all for Best Actor. Franco appeared in four films in 2011, including the poorly-received fantasy film Your Highness, and the science fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), a critical and commercial success. (Full article...)
Image 6

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez garnered many accolades for composing the song "Into the Unknown".

Frozen II is a 2019 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios as the sequel to Frozen (2013). Produced by Peter Del Vecho, it was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee from a screenplay by Lee. The directors co-wrote the story with Marc Smith, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and Robert Lopez. The film stars the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff. Set three years after the first film, Frozen II follows sisters Anna and Elsa, and their companions Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf as they travel to an enchanted forest to unravel the origin of Elsa's magical power.

Frozen II premiered in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on November 7, 2019, and was released on November 22. Produced on a budget of $150 million, it grossed $1.453 billion worldwide, finishing its theatrical run as the third-highest-grossing film of 2019, the tenth-highest-grossing film of all time, and the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 77% based on 336 reviews. (Full article...)
Image 7

Daniel Radcliffe received multiple awards and nominations for reprising his role in the film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) as the second of a two-part adaptation of the 2007 novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling, and the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, and Julie Walters. Its story concludes Harry Potter's (Radcliffe) quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's (Fiennes) Horcruxes in order to stop him once and for all.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 premiered at Trafalgar Square in London on 7 July 2011, and was released in the United Kingdom and the United States on 15 July. Produced on a budget of $250 million, it grossed $1.342 billion, finishing its theatrical run as the highest-grossing film of 2011 and the third-highest-grossing film of all time. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 332 reviews. (Full article...)
Image 8

Shah Rukh Khan (left) and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan garnered several awards and nominations for their performances in Devdas (2002).

Devdas is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language epic romantic drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit, while Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar and Vijayendra Ghatge play supporting roles. The film's story focuses on Devdas (Khan), a Bachelor of Law student who later becomes an alcoholic after his family rejects his relationship with Paro (Rai Bachchan), Devdas' childhood friend. The film was produced by Bharat Shah for his company Mega Bollywood, and its screenplay was written by Bhansali and Prakash Ranjit Kapadia, who also wrote the dialogue. The soundtrack for Devdas was composed by Ismail Darbar and Birju Maharaj, who co-wrote the lyrics with Nusrat Badr and Sameer Anjaan. Binod Pradhan and Bela Sehgal completed the cinematography and editing, respectively, while Nitin Chandrakant Desai handled the production design.

Made on a budget of ₹500 million (US$6.0 million), Devdas premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2002 and was released worldwide on 12 July that year. It received mixed reviews from critics, but emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of the year, earning ₹998.8 million (US$12 million). The film won 61 awards from 91 nominations; its direction, music, performances of the cast members, screenplay, cinematography, choreography, costumes and production design have received the most attention from award groups. (Full article...)
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Terry-Thomas in Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?, 1968

The English actor and comedian Terry-Thomas (1911–1990) performed in many mediums of light entertainment, including film, radio and theatre. His professional career spanned 50 years from 1933 until his retirement in 1983. During this time he became synonymous with playing the "silly-ass Englishman", a characterisation that he had portrayed from his time on the variety circuit.

Terry-Thomas made his film debut as an extra in the 1933 film, The Private Life of Henry VIII, which starred Charles Laughton in the title role; Terry-Thomas continued to undertake a series of small and uncredited film roles while his reputation grew on radio and television. He played his first role on radio in the 1938 BBC tea dance programme Friends to Tea, before spending the Second World War with the Royal Corps of Signals and ENSA, the Entertainments National Service Association. (Full article...)
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Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) is A24's highest-grossing film and marks their third collaboration with the directing duo Daniels (pictured).

A24 is a film distribution company based in New York City. It was launched by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges in August 2012. Its first film, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, was released on February 8, 2013. That same year, the company entered multi-year distribution deals with Amazon Prime and DirecTV Cinema. The company gained recognition with their North American release of Spring Breakers (2012). At the 2016 Academy Awards, films released the previous year by A24 received seven nominations: Amy won for Best Documentary Feature, Ex Machina won for Best Visual Effects, and Brie Larson was awarded Best Actress for her performance in Room. A24 became a production studio in 2016 as well, fully financing its first feature film, Moonlight, in a partnership with Plan B Entertainment. The film was released to acclaim and won three Academy Awards from eight nominations, including Best Picture.

As of 2023, Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird (2017) and Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade (2018) are A24's highest-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 99% approval rating for each, and Barry Jenkins' Moonlight (2016) being one of the highest-scoring films on Metacritic with a 99 out of 100. (Full article...)

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We in Hollywood say that the script is a blueprint. I think a script is more. I think the director, the actor, the cameraman, have to be servants on the script. I hate to change anything in the script on the stage. I prepare my directions on the desk. Sometimes naturally to change something in the studio, but generally I'm not changing anything.

— Fritz Lang

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Terms - Animation • Beta movement • Camera • Cult film • Digital cinema • Documentary film • Dubbing • Experimental film • Fan film • Film crew • Film criticism • Film festival • Film frame • Film genre • Film journals and magazines • Film industry • Film manifesto • Film stock • Film theory • Filmmaking • History of film • Independent film • Lost film • Movie star • Narrative film • Open content film • Persistence of vision • Photographic film • Propaganda • Recording medium • Special effect • Subtitles • Sound stage • Web film • World cinema

Lists - List of basic film topics • List of film topics • List of films • List of film festivals • List of film formats • List of film series • List of film techniques • List of highest-grossing films • List of longest films by running time • List of songs based on a film or book • Lists of film source material • List of open content films

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1961-04-13 Tale Of Century - Eichmann Tried For War Crimes
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
A Trip Down Market Street (High Res)
A Visit to the Seaside (1908)
Animated phenakistiscope disc - Running rats Fantascope by Thomas Mann Baynes 1833
Annie Oakley shooting glass balls, 1894
Chicago Theatre blend
Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
De Orient Magazine advertisement for Panggilan Darah (1941)
Edison's Greatest Marvel-The Vitascope - Restoration
Geneva mechanism 6spoke animation
Jane Russell in The Outlaw
Lagu Kenangan (1953; obverse)
Le Voyage dans la lune (black and white, 1902)
Loie Fuller (1901)
Lonesome (1928)
MultiplaneDemo
Muybridge race horse animated
Nanook of the North
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Poesaka Terpendam ad, Poestaka Timoer 66 (15 Oct 1941), p3
Poster - Island of Lost Men 01
Poster for Quo Vadis (1913 silent film) - Lygia Bound to the Wild Bull
Poster for Quo Vadis (1913 silent film)
Ratna Moetoe Manikam ad, Poestaka Timoer 66 (15 Oct 1941), p6
Regeneration (1915)
Rory Kennedy 2011
Roundhay Garden Scene (1888) 7fps
Safety Last (1923)
State Fair (1933 film poster) - Restoration
Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)
Stunt Pyrotechnics Luc Viatour
Supir Istimewa (1954; obverse)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
The Dover Boys at Pimento University 1080p
The Freshman
The General (1926)
The Great Train Robbery (1903)
The Mummy 1932 film poster
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916)
Wings (1927)
Winsor McCay (1912) How a Mosquito Operates