Celebrated for his minimal, monumental landscape studies, James Benning turns to the intimacy of the portrait in his latest film, TWENTY CIGARETTES. Referencing Warhol’s screen tests, 1930s Hollywood glamour, and the disappearing cigarette break, the film captures 20 of Benning’s friends (including filmmaker Sharon Lockhart, cultural theorist Dick Hebdige, and book editor Janet Jenkins) satiating their smoke cravings. Each shot’s length is determined by the time it takes each subject to smoke a cigarette, and over the course of the film a dynamic range of personalities emerges out of an array of physical characteristics, distinctive settings, and personal relationships to the camera. (Amy Beste and Jessica Bardsley)
James Benning
Director, Writer
Sompot Chidgasornpongse
Self
Francesca Sloane
Self
Thom Andersen
Self
Stefan Pascher
Self
Blake Derrington
Self
Norma Turner
Self
Fabian Euresti
Self
Sharon Lockhart
Self
Dick Hebdige
Self
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Love, Antosha74%
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The Class of ‘9271%
Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return67%
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Trainwreck: The Real Project X59%
180° South72%
