Chris Marker
Directing
Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve, better known as Chris Marker (France, 29 July 1921 – 29 July 2012), was a French writer, poet, activist, critic, photographer, traveler, journalist, film essayist, multimedia artist, and documentary filmmaker. He began his career as part of the French Rive Gauche group—parallel to but distinct from the Nouvelle Vague—with which he would later share certain themes and collaborators. Marker is credited with developing the subjective documentary and is considered a pioneer of collective cinema in France. His films are known for their poetic, essayistic, and often experimental qualities, blending a reflective voice with a fascination for memory, art, war, politics, culture, and nature. Over six decades of work, he observed the world with meticulous curiosity, irony, and compassion, continually experimenting with new forms of image manipulation and montage. He was also famously elusive. For many years, few people knew what Chris Marker looked like—he disliked being photographed, and no confirmed portraits were publicly available. He often amused himself by giving contradictory accounts of his life in the rare interviews he granted. As Philippe Dubois observed, “Chris Marker is, in a way, the most celebrated of the unknown filmmakers.” His official website adds: “Rather than a man without qualities, he is a man without biography.” Marker also worked under numerous pseudonyms, including Hayao Yamaneko, Jacopo Berenzini, Kosinki, Michel Krasna, Sandor Krasna, and Guillaume-en-Égypte (his feline avatar), though his best-known identity remains Chris Marker. Among his most significant works are La Jetée (1962), Sans Soleil (1983), Far from Vietnam (1967), A Grin Without a Cat (1977), A.K. (1985), Level Five (1997), and One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich (1999). He also explored interactive and digital media with the CD-ROM Immemory (1997), maintained a website titled Gorgomancy, a YouTube channel called Kosinki, and created a virtual gallery, Ouvroir, within the online world Second Life.
Ten Lives of a Cat: A Film about Chris Marker
as Kaibyō (archive footage)
Age 102 (now 91)
Chris Marker: Never Explain, Never Complain
as Self (archive footage)
Age 94 (now 91)
Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke
Writer
Age 90 (now 91)
One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich
Editor
Age 77 (now 91) One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich
Writer
Age 77 (now 91) One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich
Director
Age 77 (now 91) One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich
as Self (voice) (uncredited)
Age 77 (now 91) One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich
Director of Photography
Age 77 (now 91)
2084: Video Clip for the Trade Unions' Reflection and Pleasure
Writer
Age 63 (now 91) 2084: Video Clip for the Trade Unions' Reflection and Pleasure
Editor
Age 63 (now 91) 2084: Video Clip for the Trade Unions' Reflection and Pleasure
Director
Age 63 (now 91)
When the Century Took Shape (War and Revolution)
Director
Age 56 (now 91)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Singer
Director
Age 53 (now 91) The Loneliness of the Long Distance Singer
Editor
Age 53 (now 91)
You Speak of Chile: What Allende Said
Director
Age 52 (now 91)
You Speak of Prague: The Second Trial of Artur London
Director
Age 49 (now 91)You Speak of Paris: Maspero. Words Have Meaning
Director
Age 49 (now 91)
Report on Brazil: Carlos Marighella
Editor
Age 49 (now 91) Report on Brazil: Carlos Marighella
Director
Age 49 (now 91) Report on Brazil: Carlos Marighella
Writer
Age 49 (now 91)
The Sixth Side of the Pentagon
Director of Photography
Age 47 (now 91)
If I Had Four Dromedaries
Director of Photography
Age 45 (now 91)
The Lovely Month of May
as Self / Interviewer (voice)
Age 41 (now 91)
The End of the World Seen by the Angel Gabriel
Director of Photography
Age 25 (now 91)The End of the World Seen by the Angel Gabriel
Editor
Age 25 (now 91)The End of the World Seen by the Angel Gabriel
Writer
Age 25 (now 91)The End of the World Seen by the Angel Gabriel
Director
Age 25 (now 91)
Concours de rêve : La Clé des songes
Director
Age 28 (now 91) Concours de rêve : La Clé des songes
Writer
Age 28 (now 91) Concours de rêve : La Clé des songes
Creator
Age 28 (now 91)Gathering insights...
Also Known As
크리스 마르케, Крис Маркер, クリス・マルケル, Christian Bouche-Villeneuve, Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve, Jacopo Berenzini, Michel Krasna, Sandor Krasna, Hayao Yamaneko, Kosinki, Guillaume-en-Égypte
IMDB
nm0003408