Martin Benka

Ich. Immendorff

May 2007 •German

Documentary film about the painter and sculptor Jörg Immendorff who ranks among the most important German artists. The filmmakers accompanied Immendorff over a period of two years – until his death in May 2007. The artist had been living for nine years knowing that he was terminally ill with ALS. The film shows how Immendorff continued to work with unabated energy and how he tried not to let himself be restrained by his deteriorating health.

James Ensor: Demons Teasing Me

October 2010 •English

This film explains what James Ensor (1860-1949) meant for the development of art and makes palpable where he got his inspiration from.

Una vuelta a Mallorca en camello

January 2013 •English

The real story about the camel ride around Mallorca, that journalist Miguel Vidal and painter Gustavo Peñalver did in 1964. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. This is one of them.

Picturing the Presidents

February 2009 •English

We go behind the scenes and into the minds of artists as they capture, commemorate, and, at times, condemn our presidents.

Goya Siglo XXI

December 2018 •Spanish

Thanks to his life and work, Goya remains as one of the most capable artists when capturing the human condition, and the most rigurous portrayer of the society of his time.

Wij, Roger Raveel

March 2021 •Dutch

Documentary about the belgian painter Roger Raveel (1921-2013) as part of his centennial celebration.

Whiteley

May 2017 •English

A visual journey into the life and legacy of one of Australia's most celebrated artists, Brett Whiteley.

Klimt & The Kiss

October 2023 •English

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt is one of the most recognised and reproduced paintings in the world. It is perhaps the most popular poster on student dorm walls from Beijing to Boston. Painted in Vienna around 1908, the evocative image of an unknown embracing couple has captivated viewers with its mystery, sensuality and dazzling materials ever since it was created. But just what lies behind the appeal of the painting – and just who was the artist that created it? Delving into the details of real gold, decorative designs, symbolism and simmering erotica, a close study of the painting takes us to the remarkable turn of the century Vienna when a new world was battling with the old.

Raphael: The Lord of the Arts

April 2017 •Italian

Raphael: The Lord of the Arts is a documentary about the 15th century Italian Renaissance painter Raphael Sanzio.

The Mona Lisa Myth

January 2014 •Italian

Arika A.

June 2013 •English

“Even in hell, I would still paint.” Dimitris Andrianopoulos paints relentlessly. However, he refuses to sell his artwork, he doesn’t exhibit and he signs his wife’s name. On his 79th birthday he agrees to open up the door to his painting and share his art and thoughts in a documentary film. Over a period of 12 months, the camera records the microcosm of his colors and his life. The film follows his wanderings in search of answers regarding the relationship between the artist and his work, the difficulty of parting with his works, the mystery of inspiration and the unfathomable influence of the unknown

Speaking of Abstraction: A Universal Language

January 1999 •English

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, abstraction - that most quintessentially modernist innovation - maintains a peculiarly contradictory position. Used, on one hand, by post-modernist artists as just one more quotable style amongst many, it is on the other hand still considered an elitist or hermetic language by audiences intimidated by its lack of recognizable subject matter. Yet ultimately, abstraction continues to be a viable creative path for contemporary artists of all generations, many of whom embrace it as the most inclusive and fundamentally resonant of artistic languages. Filmed at the artists' studios, the Dia Center for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Museum during their exhibition, "Abstraction in the Twentieth Century."

Bone Wind Fire

October 2011 •English

A journey into the hearts, minds and eyes of Georgia O’Keeffe, Emily Carr and Frida Kahlo - three of the 20th century’s most remarkable artists.

Detrás del espejo

July 1997 •Spanish

Oswaldo Guayasamín, one of the most renowned Latin American artists, with more than 600 portraits in his pictorial career, (among which are F. Mitterrand, Carolina de Mónaco, Juan Carlos I, Rigoberta Menchu) paints his self-portrait, while he tells us the foundations of his art.

Where the Universe Sings: The Spiritual Journey of Lawren Harris

January 2017 •English

Admirers of Harris' paintings discuss his place in the pantheon of Canadian artists.

Visite à Oscar Dominguez

January 1947 •English

This is the legendary meeting between a young filmmaker and one of the masters of surrealism: the spanish painter Óscar Domínguez, born in La Laguna, Tenerife, in 1906, died in Paris in 1957. In the "Visite," the artist -admirer of Picasso, rebellious disciple of Breton- is presented in solitude, far from the tumult of the exhibitions and parisian circles. An austere approach, almost “povera”, with no audio, nor flashy camera movements, but rarely attractive. Why Resnais could not finish his movie? Hope one of our experts help us to solve the mystery.

Le Messager

June 2016 •French

Vera Klement: Blunt Edge

September 2010 •English

As her 80th birthday is approaching, Vera Klement, an oil painter in Chicago, adamantly starts yet another new figure painting: a portrait of an artist under oppression, an homage to Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovitch.

Carl Spitzweg

January 1969 •German

TV-documentary about the German painter Carl Spitzweg

Max Selen

January 1980 •Dutch

Short documentary on the Belgian painter Max Selen.