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

A film, also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay, or flick—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 accompanied by sound and (less commonly) other sensory stimulations. The word "cinema" is a shortening of the word "cinematography" and is used to refer to either filmmaking, the film industry, the overall art form, or a movie theater. (Full article...)

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

Alien Autopsy may refer to:

Alien Autopsy (1995 film), a 1995 black-and-white film
Alien Autopsy (2006 film), a 2006 comedy film (Portal:Film/Featured content)

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

Image 1The Hollywood Sign (from Film industry)
Image 2Georges Méliès (left) painting a backdrop in his studio (from History of film)
Image 3Italian neorealist movie Bicycle Thieves (1948) by Vittorio De Sica, considered part of the canon of classic cinema (from History of film)
Image 4A shot from Raja Harishchandra (1913), the first film of Bollywood. (from Film industry)
Image 5A still from The Story of the Kelly Gang (Australia, 1906; 80 min.) (from Film industry)
Image 6Original script from the 1989 film Batman (from History of film)
Image 7Frame from a c.1912 Chronochrome film (from History of film technology)
Image 8Akira Kurosawa, Japanese film director (from History of film)
Image 9A production scene from the 1950 Hollywood film Julius Caesar starring Charlton Heston (from History of film)
Image 10Insert shot in Old Wives for New (Cecil B. DeMille, 1918) (from History of film)
Image 11Charlie Chaplin (from History of film)
Image 12Off Plus Camera Film Festival in Kraków, 2012, with Andrzej Seweryn, Daniel Olbrychski, and Wojciech Pszoniak on stage. (from Film industry)
Image 13Old Chinese Cinema in Qufu, Shandong (from Film industry)
Image 14GIF animation from retouched pictures of The Horse in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge (1879). (from History of film technology)
Image 15William Friese-Greene (from Film industry)
Image 16A scene from Raja Harishchandra (1913) – credited as the first full-length Indian motion picture. (from Film industry)
Image 17Poster for a Biograph Studios release from 1913 (from Film industry)
Image 18Complex vignette shot in die Austernprinzessin (The Oyster Princess) (from History of film)
Image 19Discounted DVD home video film releases sold in the Netherlands (from Film industry)
Image 20The Jazz Singer (1927), was the first full-length film with synchronized sound. (from History of film technology)
Image 21The 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 22Salah Zulfikar and Nadia Lutfi in Saladin the Victorious (1963) (from History of film)
Image 23A.E. Smith filming The Bargain Fiend in the Vitagraph Studios in 1907. Arc floodlights hang overhead. (from History of film)
Image 24The 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)
Image 25The first two shots of As Seen Through a Telescope (1900), with the telescope POV simulated by the circular mask (from History of film)
Image 26Cinema admissions in 1995 (from History of film)
Image 27Poster for the 1956 Egyptian film Wakeful Eyes starring Salah Zulfikar and Shadia (from History of film)
Image 28A frame from the Lumière brothers staged comedy film, L'Arroseur Arrosé (1895) (from History of film)
Image 29Publicity still for the Egyptian film My Wife, the Director General (1966) (from Film industry)
Image 30
An electrotachyscope
American Scientific, 16/11/1889, p. 303
(from History of film technology)
Image 31Don 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 32Animated GIF of Prof. Stampfer's Stroboscopische Scheibe No. X (Trentsensky & Vieweg 1833) (from History of film technology)
Image 33London IMAX has the largest cinema screen in Britain with a total screen size of 520 m². (from Film industry)
Image 34Max Skladanowsky (right) in 1934 with his brother Eugen and the Bioscop (from History of film technology)
Image 35Film still from Dickson Greeting (from History of film technology)
Image 36Oskar Messter (from History of film)
Image 37Nestor studio, 1911 (from Film industry)
Image 38Edward Raymond Turner's three-color projector, 1902 (from History of film technology)
Image 39A surviving two-color-component image from the first Technicolor feature film, The Gulf Between (1917) (from History of film technology)
Image 40Publicity still for the Egyptian film Yahya el hub (1938) (from Film industry)
Image 41Flying 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 42The Wizard of Oz (from History of film)
Image 43Cinématographe Lumière at the Institut Lumière, France (from History of film technology)
Image 44Czermak's 1855 Stereophoroskop (from History of film technology)
Image 45
The Pathé Brothers, by Adrien Barrère.
(from Film industry)
Image 46Louis Poyet [fr]'s engraving of the mechanism of the "fusil photographique" as published in La Nature (april 1882) (from History of film technology)
Image 47Maria Germanova in Anna Karenina (1914) (from Film industry)
Image 48The Cinématographe Lumière in projection mode (from History of film technology)

Selected image

Credit: E. J. Meeker

Interior of the kinetographic theater, also known as Edison's Black Maria, Thomas Edison's movie production studio in West Orange, New Jersey.

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Did you know...

... that a 2018 documentary film explores blockchain as a means to give stateless refugees official identities?
... that a story titled "The Adventures of Mr. Stupidhead in Russia" may have influenced the Soviet silent comedy film The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks?
... that the 1981 Japanese experimental short film Spacy is made up of 700 still photographs of a gymnasium?
... that Leonie ter Braak made her film debut in The Marriage Escape, the film of Dutch origin with the most cinema ticket sales in 2020?
... that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nightclub scene in Simón used only 30 extras instead of the originally intended 250?

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Lee in June 2024

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee has won numerous accolades for his work, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and two Peabody Awards. He has also been honored with an Honorary BAFTA Award in 2002, an Honorary César in 2003, and the Academy Honorary Award in 2015.

His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut with She's Gotta Have It (1986). He has since written and directed such films as School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), Clockers (1995), 25th Hour (2002), Inside Man (2006), Chi-Raq (2015), BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods (2020). Lee also acted in eleven of his feature films. He is also known for directing numerous documentary projects including the 4 Little Girls (1997), the HBO series When the Levees Broke (2006), the concert film American Utopia (2020), and NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½ (2021). (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
Velasquez at the Jollibee Family Values Awards in September 2015

Filipino entertainer Regine Velasquez has appeared in motion pictures and television programs. She made her screen debut with a minor role in the 1988 comedy film The Untouchable Family. She went on to appear in supporting roles in the comedies Pik Pak Boom (1988) and Elvis and James 2 (1990). Velasquez made her stage debut in 1992 with the Musical Theatre Philippines production of Romualdo Ramos and Tony Velasquez's Kenkoy Loves Rosing. Her breakthrough came when she played the title role in the film Wanted Perfect Mother (1996). The same year, she starred in the musical comedy Do Re Mi alongside Donna Cruz and Mikee Cojuangco. Among Velasquez's next releases were the fantasy comedy Honey Nasa Langit Na Ba Ako (1998) and Joyce Bernal's romantic comedy Dahil May Isang Ikaw (1999) opposite Aga Muhlach. Her first leading television role was in a 2000 episode of the IBC-13 anthology series Habang May Buhay.

Velasquez's profile continued to grow in the 2000s as she took on starring roles in two lucrative romantic comedy films. She featured as a prominent singer desperate for a normal life in Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw (2000), and she re-teamed with Bernal and Muhlach in Pangako Ikaw Lang (2001)—Velasquez's biggest commercial success to date, for which she received the Box Office Entertainment Award for Box Office Queen. In 2002, she appeared in an episode of ABS-CBN's drama series, Maalaala Mo Kaya, playing an intellectually disabled woman who develops a romantic relationship with a younger man—a role that earned her the Star Award for Best Actress. That year, she also portrayed a mundane and undesirable mail sorter in the drama Ikaw Lamang Hanggang Ngayon, which garnered her a Young Critics Circle nomination for Best Actress. In 2003, Velasquez starred with Christopher de Leon in the romantic comedy Pangarap Ko Ang Ibigin Ka and played Darna in the superhero film Captain Barbell. (Full article...)
Image 2
In July 1949

Robert Mitchum (1917–1997) was an American actor who appeared in over 110 films and television series over the course of his career. He is ranked 23rd on the American Film Institute's list of the 50 greatest American screen legends of all time. His first credited named role was as Quinn in the 1943 western Border Patrol. That same year he appeared in the films Follow the Band, Beyond the Last Frontier, Cry 'Havoc' and Gung Ho! as well as several Hopalong Cassidy films including Colt Comrades, Bar 20, False Colors, and Riders of the Deadline. In 1944, he starred in the western Nevada as Jim "Nevada" Lacy, and a year later in the film West of the Pecos as Pecos Smith. During the 1940s, he was also cast in the film noirs Undercurrent (1946), Crossfire (1947), Out of the Past (1947) and The Big Steal (1949). Mitchum was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a world-weary soldier in the 1945 film The Story of G.I. Joe, which received critical acclaim and was a commercial success.

He co-starred in films with several Golden Age actresses such as Jane Russell in His Kind of Woman (1951), Marilyn Monroe in River of No Return (1954), and Rita Hayworth in Fire Down Below (1957). He also played numerous military roles such as playing Corporal Allison, USMC in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), Brigadier General Norman Cota in The Longest Day (1962), Lieutenant Colonel Barney Adams in Man in the Middle (1963), and Admiral William F. Halsey in Midway (1976). Mitchum portrayed serial killer Reverend Harry Powell in The Night of the Hunter (1955), and convicted rapist Max Cady in the neo-noir psychological thriller Cape Fear (1962). Both roles are listed in the AFI's 50 Greatest Screen Villains. (Full article...)
Image 3
Sanjay Dutt at Mumbai Airport

Sanjay Dutt is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films as well as a few Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, and Punjabi films. He made his acting debut in 1981, opposite Tina Ambani, in his father Sunil Dutt's romantic action film Rocky (1981). Rocky was ranked at tenth highest-grossing Bollywood films of 1981. After appearing in a series of box office flops, he starred in Mahesh Bhatt's crime thriller film Naam (1986). Dutt received critical acclaim for his performance, and it became a turning point in his career.

In 1991, Dutt appeared in Lawrence D'Souza's Indian romantic drama film Saajan (1991), starring alongside Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan. For his performance, Dutt was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. He was nominated again for the same award for his performance in Khalnayak (1993). Dutt won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor—for portraying a young man who later becomes a gangster in Vaastav: The Reality (1999). He also received critical acclaim for his performance. Dutt next appeared in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's crime thriller film Mission Kashmir (2000). For his performance, Dutt was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. (Full article...)
Image 4
The 78th Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled one week later than usual to avoid a clash with the 2006 Winter Olympics. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoring films released in 2005. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Actor Jon Stewart hosted the show for the first time. Two weeks earlier in a ceremony at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California held on February 18, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Rachel McAdams.

Crash won three awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included Brokeback Mountain, King Kong, and Memoirs of a Geisha with three awards and Capote, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Constant Gardener, Hustle & Flow, March of the Penguins, The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation, A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, Six Shooter, Syriana, Tsotsi, Walk the Line, and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit with one. The telecast garnered nearly 39 million viewers in the United States. (Full article...)
Image 5
The 80th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2007. The award ceremony took place on February 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony was televised in the United States by ABC, and produced by Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Comedian Jon Stewart hosted the show for the second time, having previously presided over the 78th ceremony held in 2006. On February 9, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Jessica Alba.

No Country for Old Men won four awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included The Bourne Ultimatum with three awards, La Vie en Rose and There Will Be Blood with two, and Atonement, The Counterfeiters, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Freeheld, The Golden Compass, Juno, Michael Clayton, Le Mozart des Pickpockets, Once, Peter & the Wolf, Ratatouille, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Taxi to the Dark Side with one. The telecast garnered 31 million viewers, making it the least watched Oscar broadcast since 1974, when Nielsen began keeping records of viewership. (Full article...)
Image 6
Kelly in 1943

Gene Kelly (1912–1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director, producer and choreographer whose work in motion pictures spans from 1942 to 1996. He is probably best known today for his performances in musicals, notably An American in Paris (1951) and Singin' in the Rain (1952).

Kelly made his Hollywood film debut in For Me and My Gal (1942), co-starring with Judy Garland. Afterward, he went on to work as an actor, dancer and subsequently, choreographer, in a series of musical films. In these films, his choreography included experiments with a combination of dance and animation (Anchors Aweigh and Invitation to the Dance) and dance scenes involving special effects (including the "Alter Ego" number from Cover Girl and the split-screen dance number from It's Always Fair Weather). In addition to his work as an actor and choreographer, Kelly directed or co-directed several films, some of which did not feature him in an acting role. Kelly appeared in several non-musical dramatic and comedy films as well. (Full article...)
Image 7
John Ford with portrait and Academy Award, circa 1946

John Ford (1894–1973) was an American film director whose career spanned from 1913 to 1971. During this time he directed more than 130 films; however, nearly all of his silent films are lost. Born in Maine, Ford entered the filmmaking industry shortly after graduating from high school with the help of his older brother, Francis Ford, who had established himself as a leading man and director for Universal Studios. After working as an actor, assistant director, stuntman, and prop man – often for his brother – Universal gave Ford the opportunity to direct in 1917. Initially working in short films, he quickly moved into features, largely with Harry Carey as his star.

In 1920, Ford left Universal and began working for the Fox Film Corporation. During the next ten years he directed more than 30 films, including the westerns The Iron Horse (1924) and 3 Bad Men (1926), both starring George O'Brien, the war drama Four Sons and the Irish romantic drama Hangman's House (both 1928 and both starring Victor McLaglen). In the same year as these last two films, Ford directed his first all-talking film, the short Napoleon's Barber. The following year, he directed his first all-talking feature, The Black Watch. (Full article...)
Image 8
The 51st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1978 and took place on April 9, 1979, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, beginning at 7:00 p.m. PST / 10:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Jack Haley Jr. and directed by Marty Pasetta. Comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson hosted the show for the first time. Three days earlier, in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hosts Gregory Peck and Christopher Reeve.

The Deer Hunter won five awards at the main awards ceremony, including Best Picture. Other winners included Coming Home with three awards, Midnight Express with two, and The Buddy Holly Story, California Suite, Days of Heaven, Death on the Nile, The Flight of the Gossamer Condor, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, Heaven Can Wait, Scared Straight!, Special Delivery, Superman, Teenage Father, and Thank God It's Friday with one. The telecast was watched by 46.3 million viewers and earned a 34.6 Nielsen rating in the United States. (Full article...)
Image 9
Shyamalan, pictured in 2008 at a press conference for The Happening

Indian-American filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan began his career in 1992 with the student film Praying with Anger, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. He then wrote the screenplays for the comedy movies Wide Awake (1998; also directed) and Stuart Little (1999). In 1999, he rose to prominence for writing and directing the supernatural movie The Sixth Sense, for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He then wrote, directed, and produced the superhero movie Unbreakable, the first entry in the Eastrail 177 Trilogy followed by Split in 2016 and Glass in 2019.

After Unbreakable, Shyamalan made Signs (2002) and The Village (2004), which increased his popularity with moviegoers and further established him as a filmmaker known for his twist endings. The next decade, however, saw a series of critical misfires with Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), and After Earth (2013). In 2015, he partnered with Universal Pictures for The Visit, a commercial success that made $98.5 million on a $5 million budget. Universal then released his films Split, Glass, Old (2021), and Knock at the Cabin (2023). Shyamalan worked with Warner Bros. Pictures for his latest film, Trap (2024). (Full article...)
Image 10
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, painter, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound design. Indeed, the surreal and in many cases violent elements to his films have earned them the reputation that they "disturb, offend or mystify" their audiences.

Lynch's oeuvre encompasses work in both cinema and television. His films include The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, The Straight Story, and perhaps his most critically successful film, 2001's Mulholland Drive; whilst his television debut, Twin Peaks, earned five Emmy Award nominations for its first season. (Full article...)

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Anybody can direct. There are only eleven good writers. In all of Hollywood.

— Mel Brooks

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MultiplaneDemo
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Poster for Quo Vadis (1913 silent film)
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