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Film

film (rhymes with kiln)
Also Known As Cinema
Moving Image
Film Reel

The art and industry of the moving picture, born from chronophotography and peepshow machines in the early 1890s and made a public spectacle by projected screenings in 1895. In little over a century film grew from a fairground novelty into a worldwide narrative art, a mass industry, and the parent form of television, animation and streaming video.

Facts
Origin Year
1895 1
1895 marks the Lumiere brothers' first paid public projection in Paris, the conventional birth of cinema as a public medium; Edison's Kinetoscope showed films to individual viewers from 1893 and Louis Le Prince shot moving pictures in 1888.
Origin
Commercial cinema began with the Lumiere brothers' first paid public screening of their Cinematographe films, in Paris on 28 December 1895. 1
Place of Origin
Paris, France 1
Primary Format
Moving images, generally synchronized with sound since the 1930s, projected or played for an audience 1
Typical Distribution
Movie theaters, physical media, digital download or subscription streaming, and television broadcast syndication 1
Connections

Associated With

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Organizations
Source Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Official Site
Agnes Varda, Figures
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Akuol de Mabior, Figures
Source Akuol de Mabior (Wikipedia)
Alan Alda, Figures
Source Alan Alda (Wikipedia)
Alan Rickman, Figures
Source Alan Rickman (Wikipedia)
Alfred Hitchcock, Figures
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Alice Guy-Blache, Figures
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
British Film Institute, Organizations
Source British Film Institute Official Site
Charlie Chaplin, Figures
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Cui Zi'en, Figures
Source Cui Zi'en (Wikipedia)
Danny Glover, Figures
Source Danny Glover (Wikipedia)
Dylan Verrechia, Figures
Source Dylan Verrechia (Wikipedia)
Eadweard Muybridge, Figures

Muybridge precedes cinema; his motion studies stand between photography and film.

Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Fábio Barreto, Figures
Source Fábio Barreto (Wikipedia)
Festival de Cannes, Organizations
Source Festival de Cannes Official Site
Harold Lloyd, Figures
Source Harold Lloyd (Wikipedia)
International Federation of Film Archives, Organizations
Source International Federation of Film Archives Official Site
Jacques Perrin, Figures
Source Jacques Perrin biography (Wikipedia)
Jamie Selkirk, Figures
Source Jamie Selkirk (Wikipedia)
Joel Coen, Figures
Source Joel Coen biography (Wikipedia)
John Huston, Figures
Source John Huston biography (Wikipedia)
Jun Li (director), Figures
Source Jun Li (director) (Wikipedia)
Larry Butler, Figures
Source Lawrence W. Butler (Wikipedia)
Michael Wadleigh, Figures
Source Michael Wadleigh (Wikipedia)
Mikko Mäkelä (filmmaker), Figures
Source Mikko Mäkelä (Wikipedia)
Nicholas Meyer, Figures
Source Nicholas Meyer (Wikipedia)
Norman Taurog, Figures
Source Norman Taurog (Wikipedia)
Richard Pryor, Figures
Source Richard Pryor (Wikipedia)
Ridley Scott, Figures
Source Ridley Scott (Wikipedia)
Warner Bros., Organizations
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Yee Chih-yen, Figures
Source Yee Chih-yen (Wikipedia)

Media Entries

2001: A Space Odyssey, Landmark Works
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
20th Century Fox, Organizations
A Trip to the Moon, Landmark Works
Source A History of Narrative FilmDavid A. Cook
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Organizations
Alien, Series and Franchises
Amores Perros, Landmark Works
Source Amores Perros (Wikipedia)
Annie Hall, Landmark Works
Source Annie Hall (Wikipedia)
Auteur Theory, Concepts
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Battleship Potemkin, Landmark Works
Source A History of Narrative FilmDavid A. Cook
Bechdel test, Concepts
Bicycle Thieves, Landmark Works
Blade Runner, Landmark Works
Source Blade Runner (Wikipedia)
Born Sexy Yesterday, Concepts
Bowling for Columbine, Landmark Works
Source Bowling for Columbine (Wikipedia)
British Film Institute, Organizations
Broken Blossoms, Landmark Works
Capturing the Friedmans, Landmark Works
Casablanca, Landmark Works
Celluloid Roll Film, Technologies
Source Wikipedia
Chick flick, Concepts
CinemaScope, Technologies
Source Wikipedia
Cinematographe, Technologies
Source A History of Narrative FilmDavid A. Cook
Citizen Kane, Landmark Works
Source A History of Narrative FilmDavid A. Cook
Continuity Editing, Concepts
Source A History of Narrative FilmDavid A. Cook
Digital Cinema, Technologies
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Director's cut, Concepts
DVD, Technologies
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Landmark Works
Fan edit, Concepts
Fargo, Landmark Works
Source Fargo (Wikipedia)
Festival de Cannes, Organizations
Film adaptation, Concepts
Final girl, Concepts
First Paid Public Film Screening, Milestones
Foolish Wives, Landmark Works
Source Foolish Wives (Wikipedia)
Gimme Shelter, Landmark Works
Godzilla, Series and Franchises
Gone with the Wind, Landmark Works
Source Wikipedia
Goodfellas, Landmark Works
Source Goodfellas (Wikipedia)
Greed, Landmark Works
Grizzly Man, Landmark Works
Source Grizzly Man (Wikipedia)
Halloween, Series and Franchises
Harlan County USA, Landmark Works
Haxan, Landmark Works
Source Haxan (Wikipedia)
Hays Code Adoption, Milestones
Hoop Dreams, Landmark Works
Ikiru, Landmark Works
Source Ikiru (Wikipedia)
IMAX, Technologies
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
In the Mood for Love, Landmark Works
Indiana Jones, Series and Franchises
International Federation of Film Archives, Organizations
Jump Cut, Concepts
Kinetoscope, Technologies
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
LaserDisc, Technologies
Limited theatrical release, Concepts
Loosu ponnu, Concepts
M, Landmark Works
MacGuffin, Concepts
Mako Mori test, Concepts
Marvel Cinematic Universe, Series and Franchises
Method Acting, Concepts
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Organizations
Metropolis, Landmark Works
Source Wikipedia
Mise-en-Scene, Concepts
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Mockbuster, Concepts
Modern Times, Landmark Works
Montage, Concepts
Source A History of Narrative FilmDavid A. Cook
Motion Picture Association, Organizations
Multiple-language version, Concepts
Nanook of the North, Landmark Works
Napoleon, Landmark Works
No Country for Old Men, Landmark Works
Source No Country for Old Men (Wikipedia)
Paramount Pictures, Organizations
Pather Panchali, Landmark Works
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Persistence of Vision, Concepts
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Pirates of the Caribbean, Series and Franchises
Psychedelic film, Concepts
Psycho, Landmark Works
Source Wikipedia
Public domain film, Concepts
Pulp Fiction, Landmark Works
Raging Bull, Landmark Works
Source Raging Bull (Wikipedia)
Rashomon, Landmark Works
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Roadshow theatrical release, Concepts
Rocky, Series and Franchises
Seven Samurai, Landmark Works
Short film, Concepts
Shrek, Series and Franchises
Some Like It Hot, Landmark Works
Source Some Like It Hot (Wikipedia)
Sound on Film, Technologies
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Special Effects, Concepts
Stage-to-film adaptation, Concepts
Star Wars, Landmark Works
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Star Wars, Series and Franchises
Steadicam, Technologies
Sundance Institute, Organizations
Taxi Driver, Landmark Works
Source Taxi Driver (Wikipedia)
Technicolor, Technologies
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Terminator, Series and Franchises
The Battle of Algiers, Landmark Works
The Birth of a Nation, Landmark Works
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Landmark Works
Source Wikipedia
The Cove, Landmark Works
Source The Cove (film) (Wikipedia)
The Fast and the Furious, Series and Franchises
The Fog of War, Landmark Works
Source The Fog of War (Wikipedia)
The Gold Rush, Landmark Works
Source The Gold Rush (Wikipedia)
The Great Train Robbery, Landmark Works
Source A History of Narrative FilmDavid A. Cook
The Jazz Singer, Landmark Works
Source A History of Narrative FilmDavid A. Cook
The Matrix, Series and Franchises
The Shawshank Redemption, Landmark Works
Source The Shawshank Redemption (Wikipedia)
The Star System, Concepts
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
The Walt Disney Company, Organizations
Toy Story, Series and Franchises
Twin films, Concepts
Un Chien Andalou, Landmark Works
Unfilmability, Concepts
United Artists, Organizations
Venice Film Festival, Organizations
Versions of Blade Runner, Concepts
Vertigo, Landmark Works
Warner Bros., Organizations
Wide release, Concepts
Wild Strawberries, Landmark Works
Wings, Landmark Works
Within Our Gates, Landmark Works
Source Within Our Gates (Wikipedia)
Zootopia, Landmark Works

Open Questions

Which work counts as the first film?, Open Questions
Source A History of Narrative FilmDavid A. Cook
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundation
  • History of film, Early projection section
    The first ever commercial screening took place on December 28, 1895, it consisted of ten films and lasted roughly 20 minutes.
  • Overview, matching this entity's own origin-note
    Commercial cinema began with the Lumiere brothers' first paid public screening of their Cinematographe films, in Paris on 28 December 1895.
  • Film, lead section
    A film, 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.
  • Film distribution, lead section
    The film may be exhibited directly to the public either through a movie theater, physical media (DVD, Blu-ray), digital download/transactional video on demand (VOD) (sale or rental), subscription VOD (e.g. Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix) or television programs through broadcast syndication.
  • Media Entries: Metropolis, Infobox
  • Media Entries: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Infobox
  • Media Entries: Gone with the Wind, Infobox
  • Media Entries: Psycho, Infobox
  • Media Entries: CinemaScope, Origins section
  • Media Entries: Celluloid Roll Film, History section
View the Source
A History of Narrative Film
David A. Cook, W. W. Norton, 2016
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source
Festival de Cannes Official Site
Festival de CannesAssociated With: Festival de CannesView the Source
British Film Institute Official Site
British Film InstituteAssociated With: British Film InstituteView the Source
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Official Site
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesAssociated With: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesView the Source
International Federation of Film Archives Official Site
International Federation of Film ArchivesAssociated With: International Federation of Film ArchivesView the Source
Taxi Driver (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: Taxi Driver, Lead paragraph, opening sentence
Quote, Media Entries: Taxi Driver, Lead paragraph, opening sentence
Taxi Driver is a 1976 American neo-noir, psychological drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader.
View the Source
Goodfellas (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: Goodfellas, Lead paragraph, opening sentence
Quote, Media Entries: Goodfellas, Lead paragraph, opening sentence
Goodfellas is a 1990 American biographical gangster film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler.
View the Source
Some Like It Hot (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: Some Like It Hot, Lead paragraph, opening sentence
Quote, Media Entries: Some Like It Hot, Lead paragraph, opening sentence
Some Like It Hot is a 1959 American crime comedy film produced, co-written and directed by Billy Wilder.
View the Source
The Gold Rush (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: The Gold Rush, Lead paragraph, opening sentence
Quote, Media Entries: The Gold Rush, Lead paragraph, opening sentence
The Gold Rush is a 1925 American silent comedy film written, produced, and directed by Charlie Chaplin.
View the Source
Ikiru (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: IkiruView the Source
Amores Perros (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: Amores Perros, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Quote, Media Entries: Amores Perros, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Amores perros is a 2000 Mexican psychological drama film produced and directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, based on a story by both.
View the Source
Grizzly Man (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: Grizzly Man, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Quote, Media Entries: Grizzly Man, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Grizzly Man is a 2005 American documentary film written and directed by Werner Herzog.
View the Source
Within Our Gates (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: Within Our Gates, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Quote, Media Entries: Within Our Gates, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Within Our Gates is a 1920 American silent race drama film produced, written and directed by Oscar Micheaux.
View the Source
Foolish Wives (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: Foolish Wives, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Quote, Media Entries: Foolish Wives, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Foolish Wives is a 1922 American erotic silent drama film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures under their Super-Jewel banner and written and directed by Erich von Stroheim.
View the Source
Haxan (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: Haxan, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Quote, Media Entries: Haxan, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Häxan is a 1922 Swedish-Danish silent horror essay film written and directed by Benjamin Christensen.
View the Source
Bowling for Columbine (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMedia Entries: Bowling for Columbine, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Quote, Media Entries: Bowling for Columbine, lead sentence, Wikipedia REST summary extract
Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 documentary film written, produced, directed, and narrated by Michael Moore.
View the Source
Blade Runner (Wikipedia)
WikipediaMedia Entries: Blade Runner, lead sentence
Quote, Media Entries: Blade Runner, lead sentence
Blade Runner is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples.
View the Source
The Shawshank Redemption (Wikipedia)
WikipediaMedia Entries: The Shawshank Redemption, lead sentence
Quote, Media Entries: The Shawshank Redemption, lead sentence
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
View the Source
Annie Hall (Wikipedia)
WikipediaMedia Entries: Annie Hall, lead sentence
Quote, Media Entries: Annie Hall, lead sentence
Annie Hall is a 1977 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay written by Allen and Marshall Brickman, and produced by Allen's manager, Charles H. Joffe.
View the Source
Raging Bull (Wikipedia)
WikipediaMedia Entries: Raging Bull, lead sentence
Quote, Media Entries: Raging Bull, lead sentence
Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin, which adapts Jake LaMotta's 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story.
View the Source
Fargo (Wikipedia)
WikipediaMedia Entries: Fargo, lead sentence
Quote, Media Entries: Fargo, lead sentence
Fargo is a 1996 black comedy crime film written, directed, produced and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen.
View the Source
No Country for Old Men (Wikipedia)
WikipediaMedia Entries: No Country for Old Men, lead sentence
Quote, Media Entries: No Country for Old Men, lead sentence
No Country for Old Men is a 2007 American neo-Western crime thriller film written, directed, produced, and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel.
View the Source
The Cove (film) (Wikipedia)
WikipediaMedia Entries: The Cove, lead paragraph
Quote, Media Entries: The Cove, lead paragraph
The Cove is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Louie Psihoyos that analyzes and questions dolphin hunting practices in Japan.
View the Source
The Fog of War (Wikipedia)
WikipediaMedia Entries: The Fog of War, lead paragraph
Quote, Media Entries: The Fog of War, lead paragraph
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara is a 2003 American documentary film about the life and times of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, illustrating his observations of the nature of modern warfare.
View the Source
Alan Rickman (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Alan Rickman, Lead, roles named
Quote, Associated With: Alan Rickman, Lead, roles named
He was renowned for his stage and screen roles
View the Source
Alan Alda (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Alan Alda, Lead, career description
Quote, Associated With: Alan Alda, Lead, career description
is an American actor and filmmaker
View the Source
Danny Glover (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Danny Glover, Lead, occupation
Quote, Associated With: Danny Glover, Lead, occupation
is an American actor and producer
View the Source
Richard Pryor (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Richard Pryor, Lead, occupation
Quote, Associated With: Richard Pryor, Lead, occupation
was an American stand-up comedian and actor
View the Source
Harold Lloyd (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Harold Lloyd, Lead, occupation
Quote, Associated With: Harold Lloyd, Lead, occupation
was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films
View the Source
Jacques Perrin biography (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Jacques Perrin, infoboxView the Source
John Huston biography (Wikipedia)
Associated With: John Huston, infoboxView the Source
Joel Coen biography (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Joel Coen, infoboxView the Source
Lawrence W. Butler (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Larry Butler, lead paragraph: American special effects artistView the Source
Mikko Mäkelä (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Mikko Mäkelä (filmmaker), lead paragraph: British-based Finnish filmmakerView the Source
Akuol de Mabior (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Akuol de Mabior, lead paragraph: South Sudanese filmmakerView the Source
Dylan Verrechia (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Dylan Verrechia, lead paragraph: film directorView the Source
Ridley Scott (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Ridley Scott, Lead, first sentence
Quote, Associated With: Ridley Scott, Lead, first sentence
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English filmmaker
View the Source
Michael Wadleigh (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Michael Wadleigh, Lead, first sentence
Quote, Associated With: Michael Wadleigh, Lead, first sentence
is an American film director and cinematographer known for his documentary of the 1969 Woodstock Festival
View the Source
Nicholas Meyer (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Nicholas Meyer, Lead, first sentence
Quote, Associated With: Nicholas Meyer, Lead, first sentence
is an American screenwriter, director and author
View the Source
Norman Taurog (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Norman Taurog, Lead, first sentence
Quote, Associated With: Norman Taurog, Lead, first sentence
was an American film director and screenwriter
View the Source
Jamie Selkirk (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Jamie Selkirk, Lead, first sentence
Quote, Associated With: Jamie Selkirk, Lead, first sentence
is a New Zealand film editor and producer
View the Source
Fábio Barreto (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Fábio Barreto, Lead, first sentence
Quote, Associated With: Fábio Barreto, Lead, first sentence
was a Brazilian filmmaker, actor, screenwriter, and film producer
View the Source
Jun Li (director) (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Jun Li (director), Lead sentence, feature film debut
Quote, Associated With: Jun Li (director), Lead sentence, feature film debut
Li made his feature film debut with Tracey in 2018
View the Source
Cui Zi'en (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Cui Zi'en, Lead sentence, occupation
Quote, Associated With: Cui Zi'en, Lead sentence, occupation
is a film director, producer, film scholar, screenwriter, novelist and an outspoken LGBT activist
View the Source
Yee Chih-yen (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Yee Chih-yen, Lead sentence, occupation
Quote, Associated With: Yee Chih-yen, Lead sentence, occupation
is a Taiwanese film director, screenwriter, critic, instructor, and writer
View the Source
Open Questions (1 open question)
Which work counts as the first film?

The answer depends on a definition no historian owns. Louis Le Prince shot moving photographic sequences at Leeds in 1888, Edison's laboratory showed Kinetoscope films to individual viewers from 1893, the Skladanowsky brothers projected to a paying Berlin audience in November 1895, and the Lumiere screening of 28 December 1895 is the industry's conventional birthday. Each candidate satisfies a different definition of film: recorded motion, exhibited motion, projected motion, or a paying public audience, and the field has not settled which definition governs.

What would resolve this Nothing empirical; this is a definitional question. What would settle it is a discipline-wide convention on which criterion defines the medium, or the recovery of lost apparatus and footage, Le Prince's above all, that would strengthen one lineage's claim.
Film History, Archival ResearchDavid A. Cook, A History of Narrative Film
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