James Benning Movies

Named after the Shoshonean word for "Earth", this is the third and final part of Benning's "California Trilogy" and his approach to the Californian...

an excerpt of a conversation between James and I during the Fall of 2019 - Santa Clarita, CA

Through diary entries and archival footage, the life of an industrial waste-dumper unfolds from youthful ambition to ecological disaster.

Benning's 18-minute study of moonfall in the morning sky-- A close cousin to his film "two moons". A lovely rendition of 'Moon River' accompanies the...

Grand Opera marks a stock-taking of Benning's work and his life, presenting a personal and artistic autobiography woven together with a series of...

Iron ore is super heated in a blast furnace to make pig iron, which in turn is used to produce steel. The making of steel is a continuous process....

Intercourse between two people who never appear on the screen at the same time. An exploration of sex and male/female identities.

Los Angeles is depicted in 35 stationary shots, each 2½ minutes long, in this non-narrative film, part 2 of Benning's "California Trilogy".

Benning continues his examination of Americana in this film through the stories of two murderers. Ed Gein was a Wisconsin farmer and multiple...

Lengthy static shots of various backroads, smaller interstates, quieter roads, and lonely highways.

Using experimental narrative structure as his vehicle, Benning recreates the sensationalized and controversial circumstances surrounding Lorencia...

A document of one of the most famous 66 miles of railroad track in the world including the Tehachapi Loop.

Seven entirely static shots make up James Benning's quiet reflection on existence in the Ruhr Valley.

Composed of just four shots in which Clara McHale-Ribot, Rachel Kushner, Richard Hebdige, and Simone Forti read quietly to themselves, the film...

Filmed on November 21 and 22, 2018 in Valencia, California. A gibbous and full moon rising.

Video essay providing a brief introduction to the work of James Benning for his exhibition at neugerriemschneider.

One half filmed in 1977, one half filmed 27 years later. Director combined the structural analysis of image and sound with fragments of a narrative...

Filmed in Sierra Nevada, just like Benning's Spring Equinox, but this time during a different season. Consists of static shots of the actual...

A new video work by American avant-garde filmmaker James Benning explores the videos of Russian activist/activist-art group Voina (“war”).

In the fictional city of Santa Teresa, located on the border between Mexico and USA, the researcher Juan de Dios Martínez straddles the line...