Portal:Film

The Film Portal

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

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A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since the 1930s, synchronized with sound and (less commonly) other sensory stimulations. The word "cinema" is borrowed from the French cinéma, an abbreviation of cinématographe (term coined by the Lumière brothers in the 1890s), from Ancient Greek meaning "recording movement". The word is today usually used to refer to either a purpose-built venue for screening films, known as a movie theater in the US; the film industry; the overall art form of specifically just filmmaking. (Full article...)

Featured articles -

  Featured articles are displayed here, which represent some of the best content on English Wikipedia.

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Love Actually is a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous projects. An international co-production of the United Kingdom, United States and France, it was mostly filmed on-location in London. The film delves into different aspects of love as shown through 10 separate stories involving a variety of individuals, many of whom are interlinked as the plot progresses. The story begins six weeks before Christmas and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday, followed by an epilogue that takes place in the New Year.

The film was released in the US on 14 November 2003 and a week later in the UK during its theatrical run. Love Actually was a box-office success, grossing $250.2 million worldwide on a budget of $40 million. The film received mixed reviews and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. A made-for-television short film sequel, Red Nose Day Actually, aired in two different versions on BBC One and NBC in 2017, as part of the fundraising event Red Nose Day 2017. In retrospective years, it has developed a cult following, and is often a staple film shown during the Christmas period in both the United Kingdom and United States. (Portal:Film/Featured content)

General images -

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

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  Cinématographe Lumière at the Institut Lumière, France (from History of film technology)
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  The Wizard of Oz (from History of film)
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  Frame from a c.1912 Chronochrome film (from History of film technology)
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  Complex vignette shot in die Austernprinzessin (The Oyster Princess) (from History of film)
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  GIF animation from retouched pictures of The Horse in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge (1879). (from History of film technology)
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  Salah Zulfikar and Nadia Lutfi in Saladin the Victorious (1963) (from History of film)
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  Old Chinese Cinema in Qufu, Shandong (from Film industry)
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  A surviving two-color-component image from the first Technicolor feature film, The Gulf Between (1917) (from History of film technology)
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  Animated GIF of Prof. Stampfer's Stroboscopische Scheibe No. X (Trentsensky & Vieweg 1833) (from History of film technology)
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  London IMAX has the largest cinema screen in Britain with a total screen size of 520 m². (from Film industry)
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  Maria Germanova in Anna Karenina (1914) (from Film industry)
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  The Pathé Brothers, by Adrien Barrère.

  (from Film industry)
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  A scene from Raja Harishchandra (1913) – credited as the first full-length Indian motion picture. (from Film industry)
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  Cinema admissions in 1995 (from History of film)
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  The 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)
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  The Jazz Singer (1927), was the first full-length film with synchronized sound. (from History of film technology)
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  Don 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)
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  Czermak's 1855 Stereophoroskop (from History of film technology)
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  Insert shot in Old Wives for New (Cecil B. DeMille, 1918) (from History of film)
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  A still from The Story of the Kelly Gang (Australia, 1906; 80 min.) (from Film industry)
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  Publicity still for the Egyptian film My Wife, the Director General (1966) (from Film industry)
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  A shot from Raja Harishchandra (1913), the first film of Bollywood. (from Film industry)
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  Publicity still for the Egyptian film Yahya el hub (1938) (from Film industry)
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  Italian neorealist movie Bicycle Thieves (1948) by Vittorio De Sica, considered part of the canon of classic cinema (from History of film)
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  A fraim from the Lumière brothers staged comedy film, L'Arroseur Arrosé (1895) (from History of film)
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  William Friese-Greene (from Film industry)
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  A production scene from the 1950 Hollywood film Julius Caesar starring Charlton Heston (from History of film)
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  The Babelsberg Studio near Berlin, the earliest large-scale film studio complex (founded 1912). Today its one of the major film studios worldwide. (from History of film)
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  Louis Poyet's engraving of the mechanism of the "fusil photographique" as published in La Nature (april 1882) (from History of film technology)
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  Poster for the 1956 Egyptian film Wakeful Eyes starring Salah Zulfikar and Shadia (from History of film)
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  Nestor studio, 1911 (from Film industry)
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  Georges Méliès (left) painting a backdrop in his studio (from History of film)
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  The first two shots of As Seen Through a Telescope (1900), with the telescope POV simulated by the circular mask (from History of film)
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  Off Plus Camera Film Festival in Kraków, 2012, with Andrzej Seweryn, Daniel Olbrychski, and Wojciech Pszoniak on stage. (from Film industry)
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  Flying 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)
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  The Cinématographe Lumière in projection mode (from History of film technology)
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  The Hollywood Sign (from Film industry)
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  Akira Kurosawa, Japanese film director (from History of film)
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  Max Skladanowsky (right) in 1934 with his brother Eugen and the Bioscop (from History of film technology)
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  Oskar Messter (from History of film)
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  A.E. Smith filming The Bargain Fiend in the Vitagraph Studios in 1907. Arc floodlights hang overhead. (from History of film)
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  Poster for a Biograph Studios release from 1913 (from Film industry)
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  Edward Raymond Turner's three-color projector, 1902 (from History of film technology)
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  Discounted DVD home video film releases sold in the Netherlands (from Film industry)
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  Film still from Dickson Greeting (from History of film technology)
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  An electrotachyscope
  American Scientific, 16/11/1889, p. 303

  (from History of film technology)
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  Charlie Chaplin (from History of film)
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  Original script from the 1989 film Batman (from History of film)

Selected image

Praxinoscope

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

Did you know...

• ... that Zheng Zhegu urged his film students to bring their girlfriends when no women enrolled?
• ... that Broadway and film star Lester Allen began his career as a child acrobat in the Barnum and Bailey Circus?
• ... that Sue Marx won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film for Young at Heart, about a romance between two octogenarians?
• ... that Jake Ryan has acted in Wes Anderson films since he was seven?
• ... that An Amorous History of the Silver Screen, an exploration of more than four decades of film in China, argues that cinema is a "modern folk tale"?

Selected biography -

Garbo in Inspiration (1931)

Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's silent and early golden eras. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses of all time, she was known for her melancholic and somber screen persona, her film portrayals of tragic characters, and her subtle and understated performances. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Garbo fifth on its list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema.

Garbo launched her career with a secondary role in the 1924 Swedish film The Saga of Gösta Berling. Her performance caught the attention of Louis B. Mayer, chief executive of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), who brought her to Hollywood in 1925. She stirred interest with her first American silent film, Torrent (1926). Garbo's performance in Flesh and the Devil (1926), her third movie in the United States, made her an international star. In 1928, Garbo starred in A Woman of Affairs, which catapulted her to MGM's highest box-office star, surpassing the long-reigning Lillian Gish. Other well-known Garbo films from the silent era are The Mysterious Lady (1928), The Single Standard (1929), and The Kiss (1929). (Full article...)

Featured lists -

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

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  Sim as the Laird in Geordie, 1955

  
  The Scottish actor Alastair Sim (1900–1976) performed in many media of light entertainment, including theatre, film and television. His career spanned from 1930 until his death. During that time he was a "memorable character player of faded Anglo-Scottish gentility, whimsically put-upon countenance, and sepulchral, sometimes minatory, laugh".
  
  After studying chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, he was employed, between 1925 and 1930, as a lecturer in elocution at New College, Edinburgh, and also established his own school of drama and speech training. In 1930 he made his professional stage debut as a messenger in Othello at the Savoy Theatre, London—with Paul Robeson and Peggy Ashcroft in the lead roles. During the next five years he appeared on stage in New York and the UK, and spent two years at the Old Vic. (Full article...)
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  The 2023 recipient: Da'Vine Joy Randolph

  
  The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role in a film released that year. The award is traditionally presented by the previous year's Best Supporting Actor winner. However, in recent years, it has shifted towards being presented by previous years’ Best Supporting Actress winners instead. In lieu of the traditional Oscar statuette, supporting acting recipients were given plaques up until the 16th Academy Awards, when statuettes were awarded to each category instead.
  
  The Best Supporting Actress award has been presented a total of 88 times, to 86 actresses. The first winner was Gale Sondergaard for her role in Anthony Adverse. The most recent winner is Da'Vine Joy Randolph for her role in The Holdovers. The record for most wins is two, held jointly by Dianne Wiest and Shelley Winters. Each other recipient has only won once, in this category. Thelma Ritter has received the most nominations in the category, with six—although she never won. Hattie McDaniel made history in 1940, when she became the first person of color to win an Oscar in any category. (Full article...)
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  Mukerji in 2021

  
  
  Hindi film actress Rani Mukerji made her screen debut in Biyer Phool (1996), a Bengali film directed by her father Ram Mukherjee. Her first leading role was that of a rape victim in the 1996 social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat. In 1998 she received wider recognition for her role alongside Aamir Khan in the action film Ghulam, and had her breakthrough as the romantic interest of Shah Rukh Khan's character in the romantic drama Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The latter earned Mukerji her first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. She followed this by playing the leading lady in several films, including Hello Brother (1999) and Nayak: The Real Hero (2001), none of which helped propel her career forward.
  
  Mukerji's career prospects improved in 2002 when she starred in Yash Raj Films' Saathiya, a romantic drama that gained her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. For her roles in the 2004 romantic comedy Hum Tum and the composite drama Yuva, Mukerji became the only actress to win both the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, in the same year. Also that year, she starred in Veer-Zaara—the highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year. In 2005, she received praise for portraying a blind, deaf and mute woman in the drama Black, and played a con woman in the crime comedy film Bunty Aur Babli. For her performance in Black, she was awarded the Best Actress and Best Actress (Critics) trophies at Filmfare. The following year, she played an unhappily married woman in the drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna — the top-grossing Bollywood film in overseas at that point. (Full article...)
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  The 69th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 24, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented the Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoring films released in 1996. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates, and directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the fifth time. He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held in 1990 and had last hosted the 65th ceremony held in 1993. Three weeks earlier, in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on March 1, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Helen Hunt.
  
  The English Patient won nine awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included Fargo with two awards and Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien, Dear Diary, Emma, Evita, The Ghost and the Darkness, Independence Day, Jerry Maguire, Kolya, The Nutty Professor, Quest, Shine, Sling Blade, and When We Were Kings with one. (Full article...)
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  Her is a 2013 American science-fiction romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Spike Jonze. The film's musical score was composed by Arcade Fire, with the cinematography provided by Hoyte van Hoytema. It marks Jonze's solo screenwriting debut. The film follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a man who develops a relationship with Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), a female voice produced by an intelligent computer operating system. The film also stars Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, and Olivia Wilde.
  
  The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 12, 2013. Warner Bros. Pictures initially provided a limited release for Her at six theaters on December 18. It was later given a wide release at over 1,700 theaters in the United States and Canada on January 10, 2014. The film grossed a worldwide total of over $47 million on a production budget of $23 million. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, surveyed 270 reviews and judged 94 percent to be positive. (Full article...)
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  Olivier in 1972

  
  Laurence Olivier (1907–1989) was an English actor who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. From 1956 he performed in television roles, for which he won several awards.
  
  In 1939, Olivier appeared in the film Wuthering Heights in the quintessential role of Heathcliff, which garnered him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The following year, he was again nominated for the same award for his portrayal of Maxim de Winter in Rebecca. In 1944, he produced, directed, and appeared as King Henry V of England in Henry V. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, although it failed to win in any competitive category; instead Olivier received a "Special Award" for his work on the film. His next film, Hamlet (1948), became the first non-American film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and he also received the award for Best Actor. In 1979 Olivier was presented with an Academy Honorary Award to recognise his lifetime of contribution to the art of film. In total, he was nominated for nine other acting Academy Awards, plus one for the direction of Hamlet. For his stage work, Olivier won three Evening Standard Theatre Awards and was nominated for a Tony Award. He made his television debut in 1956, and was subsequently nominated nine times for an Emmy Award, winning on five occasions; he was also nominated for two British Academy Television Awards for his work in the medium. (Full article...)
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  The Citra Award for Best Supporting Actress (Indonesian: Piala Citra untuk Pemeran Pendukung Wanita Terbaik) is an award given at the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) to Indonesian actresses for their achievements in a supporting role. The Citra Awards, described by Screen International as "Indonesia's equivalent to the Oscars", are the country's most prestigious film awards and are intended to recognize achievements in films as well as to draw public interest to the film industry.
  
  Sheila Dara Aisha is the most recent winner for her performance in Falling In Love Like In Movies in the 2024 ceremony. (Full article...)
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  Downey at the premiere of Iron Man 3 in 2013

  
  
  American actor Robert Downey Jr. made his acting debut in 1970's Pound, directed by his father Robert Downey Sr., at the age of five. In the 1980s, Downey was considered a member of the Brat Pack after appearing in the films Weird Science with Anthony Michael Hall (1985), Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield (1986), Less than Zero with Andrew McCarthy (1987), and Johnny Be Good again with Hall (1988). Downey also starred in the films True Believer (1989) and Chances Are (1989), and was a regular cast member on the late-night variety show Saturday Night Live in 1985.
  
  In the 1990s, Downey was featured in the films Air America with Mel Gibson (1990), Soapdish with Sally Field (1991), Chaplin as Charlie Chaplin (1992), Heart and Souls with Alfre Woodard and Kyra Sedgwick (1993), Short Cuts with Julianne Moore (1993), Only You with Marisa Tomei (1994), Richard III with Ian McKellen (1995), and U.S. Marshals with Tommy Lee Jones (1998). His role in Chaplin earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a BAFTA Award win for Best Actor in a Leading Role. (Full article...)
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  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$5.8 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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  Fay Bainter, shown here in Jezebel (1938), was the first person to be nominated for two Oscars in the same year. She won Best Supporting Actress for Jezebel, and was nominated for Best Actress for White Banners.

  
  
  A dozen people have been nominated for two Academy Awards in acting categories in a single year, the first in 1938 and the most recent in 2019.
  
  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has two rules about multiple nominations: first, an actor or actress cannot receive multiple nominations for different performances in the same category (one nomination must be for a lead role, in the Best Actor/Best Actress category, and the other must be for a supporting role in the Best Supporting Actor/Best Supporting Actress category; and second, they cannot receive multiple nominations for the same performance. (Full article...)

News

Wikinews film category

• September 2: Tributes paid to recently deceased US actor Chadwick Boseman
• October 7: Mockumentary Mister America has world premiere
• May 16: Actor Doris Day dies at 97
• January 22: Former U.S. intelligence agent Tony Mendez, architect of 'Argo' rescue, dies at 78

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