What Is Cinema?
The best movies feel as if they’d been born, not made. In a new series of articles and videos, Vanity Fair, in partnership with Rolex, starts a revealing conversation with—and among—filmmakers about their craft, their visions, and the art of paying inspiration forward. Technology and industry trends may change, but the drive to tell stories that mean something, and will last, does not. I think you’ll enjoy listening in.
—Radhika Jones, Vanity Fair Editor in Chief
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VANITY FAIR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ROLEX
Rolex and Cinema: A Long-Term Partnership in Excellence
What Is Cinema?Sarah Polley and Ruben Östlund on Juggling Acting Ensembles and Pushing Their Audiences
In Vanity Fair’s series What Is Cinema?, the Oscar-nominated writer-directors behind Women Talking and Triangle of Sadness reveal their biggest challenges.
Vanity Fair In Partnership With RolexRolex Supports the Transmission of Knowledge to Future Generations of Filmmakers Through Its Mentoring Program
For more than half a century, Rolex has partnered some of the world’s most talented artists and leading cultural institutions to celebrate excellence and contribute to perpetuating artistic heritage, creating a link between the past, present and future.
What Is Cinema?The Art That Inspired 6 Major Filmmakers
A short story suggested by Martin Scorsese, a 1970s documentary, a photograph of the Blitz—inspiration came from many sources to create some of 2022’s best films.
What Is Cinema?Rian Johnson and the Daniels on the Film Rules They Love to Follow—And Break
In Vanity Fair’s series What Is Cinema?, the directors of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Everything Everywhere All at Once talk craft.
What Is Cinema?How 4 Directors Found a Way to Go Home Again
New movies from Steven Spielberg, James Gray, Joanna Hogg, and Alejandro González Iñárritu ask tough questions about their own pasts—and remind us of cinema’s power as a medium for memories.
What Is Cinema?Directors Gina Prince-Bythewood and Halle Berry on Their “Very Small Sisterhood”
To kick off Vanity Fair’s new series, What Is Cinema?, the directors of The Woman King and Bruised connect on the “had-to-do” stories they brought to the screen.
Awards Insider Exclusive
Watch Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich Go to War in the Breathless Fair Play Trailer
Plus: Writer-director Chloe Domont on her actors’ on-camera explosion, that huge sale to Netflix, and conflicting opinions about her movie.
Little Gold Men
The Two Very Different Versions of Killers of the Flower Moon
The Little Gold Men book club series kicks off with a look at the 2017 book by David Grann, soon to be a film by Martin Scorsese.
JUST KIDS
Can You Name the (Great) Movie That Launched Brie Larson, LaKeith Stanfield, Rami Malek, and More?
The now famous cast of Short Term 12, as well as writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton, look back in amazement a decade later.
exclusive
Red, White & Royal Blue May Be “the Most Expensive Bit of Fan Fiction Ever”
In this VF photo exclusive, director and cowriter Matthew López talks about adapting a beloved queer beach read and getting energy from its impassioned fan base: “I knew that this was a story that I absolutely had to tell.”
Exclusive
“Jaws Became a Living Nightmare”: Steven Spielberg's Ultimate Tell-All Interview
“It was made under the worst of conditions,” the filmmaker reveals in a new book. “People versus the eternal sea. The sea won the battle.”
Awards Insider!
Oppenheimer—and, Yes, Barbie—Have a Real Shot at the 2024 Oscars
After a historic weekend at the box office, both Barbenheimer films are primed for strong awards campaigns.
bathroom breaks
Why Are Movies Sooooo Long? An Investigation
Despite groans from audiences and executives alike, new releases seem to keep getting longer. Can anyone make a 90-minute movie anymore?
Hi, Barbie!
Dreamhouse, Assemble: How Barbie Cast Barbie, Barbie, Barbie (and Ken)
Casting directors Lucy Bevan and Allison Jones sought a very specific quality: “We needed actors who could get the fact that our Barbies only knew pleasant things.”
Review
Barbie Is About as Good as a Barbie Movie Could Ever Be
Greta Gerwig’s film is more than an advertisement, but a little less than a dream.
Awards Insider Exclusive
Rustin First Look: Colman Domingo Is Bayard Rustin, the Man Who Turned MLK’s Dream Into a Reality
The star and director George C. Wolfe shine a spotlight on an unsung civil rights hero: “The more I was living with Bayard, I just became overwhelmed.”
in conversation
Lakota Nation vs. the United States and the Fight for the Black Hills
Directors Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli on their new documentary, which charts the Lakota quest to return to their most sacred place.
striking back
AI May Kill Us All, but It’ll Never Write a Good Movie
A member of the WGA’s AI working group reflects on screenwriting in the age of artificial intelligence—and explains why now is the time to stand up for human labor.
Old Hollywood Book Club
Beautiful Dreamer: Ali MacGraw’s Semi-Charmed Life
From the outside, MacGraw seemed to float into superstardom—but as she writes in her memoir, that apparently effortless celebrity came at a cost.
We Come to This Place for Magic
Barbie, Bombs, Blockbusters! Box Office Wars Return as a Spectator Sport
Hollywood needs to make $4 billion this summer to be truly in the pink.
Little Gold Men
Glenn Howerton, Oscar Contender
The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star really is that good in BlackBerry, one of the most dynamic films of the year. We go deep with him on hearing early awards chatter—and what it means to him to hear it.
Throw Me the Whip
The Unbelievable True Stories of the Real Indiana Jones
He hated snakes, looked great in a fedora, and had globe-trotting adventures that captivated the world. Roy Chapman Andrews set the template for the world’s most famous (fictional) archaeologist.
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giant
The Real Rock Hudson: A Moving New HBO Doc Claims Him as a Gay Icon
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed examines the star’s closeted career—and the significance of him going public with his AIDS diagnosis.
swan song
John Williams Always Settles the Score
Ahead of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, we take stock of the 91-year-old who’s composed countless unforgettable movie themes—and arguably saved classical music in the process.
Little Gold Men
Ian McKellen Made Oscar History in 1999—And Shamefully, No One Else Has Repeated It
A look back at Gods and Monsters, to this day, the only film to earn an Oscar nomination for an openly gay male actor.
state of the union
The Flash Is the Past; Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Is the Future
Viewed back-to-back, these dueling multiverse sagas show what’s gone wrong with superhero movies—and how the genre can be saved.
Exclusive
First Look: The Deepest Breath Tells a Heartbreaking True Story About Diving
The documentary about world champion Alessia Zecchini and her coach Stephen Keenan explores loyalty and obsession.
Take Care of Maya Tackles a Thorny, Heartbreaking Medical Mystery
Situations like that of Maya Kowalski—a kid whose chronic illness was just the beginning of her troubles—are “a nationwide pattern,” says doc director Henry Roosevelt.
Why Me?
Diane Keaton Asks Francis Ford Coppola a Question 50+ Years in the Making
Figuring she’s got job security now, the Oscar-winning actress pings her former director over Instagram.
Little Gold Men
Bryan Cranston on Returning to Walter White, Wes Anderson, and More
The Emmy winner talks with Little Gold Men about his Asteroid City role, reprising his Breaking Bad icon, and the mystery project he’s got up next.
Little Gold Men
A Groundbreaking Queer Oscar Winner and Its Very, Very Complicated Legacy
In 1986 William Hurt became the first actor to win an Oscar for playing an openly queer character. Did he start one of the Oscars’ worst trends?
Tribeca Film Festival
“I Have to Direct This”: 7 Actors Who Took the Camera Into Their Own Hands
A group chat with Tribeca Film Festival standouts David Duchovny, Jennifer Esposito, Hamish Linklater, Chelsea Peretti, Lily Rabe, Michael Shannon, and John Slattery.
INTO THE SNYDER-VERSE
Zack Snyder Goes Galactic: Exclusive First Look at Rebel Moon
The Netflix saga was once Snyder’s pitch for a Star Wars movie. Now it’s in a universe all its own.
Awards Insider!
Early Hollywood’s “Joyous Bisexual” and Her Most Daring Onscreen Roles
The Little Gold Men podcast kicks off a series of Pride flashbacks with 1932’s Shanghai Express, starring the inimitable Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong.
Year in Review
The Best Movies of 2023, So Far
Vanity Fair chief critic Richard Lawson lists the best movies of 2023 to date, from Past Lives to Scream VI.
Cannes Film Festival
Did an Oscar Winner Premiere at Cannes?
The fest’s best range, from Scorsese’s Native American epic to a mesmerizingly grim Holocaust tale.
Cannes Film Festival
Natalie Portman and Todd Haynes Don’t Want to Be ‘Vampires on People’s Lives’
In Haynes’s May December, Portman plays an actor studying the life of a tabloid sensation.
cannes 2023
Wes Anderson Gets Back to Basics, Beautifully, in Asteroid City
The director’s layered latest is his best film in years.
Awards Insider!
“There’s a Movement”: Inside the Fight to De-gender Awards Shows
Nonbinary actors are withdrawing from consideration. Still more are calling for change. The industry may need to finally start listening.
Cannes 2023
Martin Scorsese Has Never Made a Movie Like Killers of the Flower Moon
Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone anchor a riveting American crime story.
In Conversation
“She’s So F--king Funny”: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michaela Watkins’s Sister Act
They first worked together 15 years ago. Now the comic actors play sisters in Nicole Holofcener’s acclaimed movie You Hurt My Feelings.
Cannes 2023
13 Cannes Film Festival 2023 Premieres We’ve Got Our Eyes On
Killers of the Flower Moon, Asteroid City, and more of Richard Lawson and Rebecca Ford’s most anticipated titles.
Walking and Talking
Nicole Holofcener Isn’t Holding Back
The director of You Hurt My Feelings gets candid about her new film and life as an artist: “I feel like if I stick to doing what I love or really like, my career’s always in jeopardy.”
IN CONVERSATION
Jane Fonda on Marriage, Sex, and Succession—Plus Looking at Herself in the Mirror at 85
The Oscar winner also shares the parenting advice that’ll prevent you from making the mistakes she did, and why she prefers to be single: “I can get much more done when I’m on my own.”
old hollywood book club
The Contrarian: Marlon Brando’s Paradoxical Life
Troubled, righteous, callous, brilliant: A pair of biographies prove that the iconic actor was impossible to pin down.
Awards Insider!
Jemima Khan’s Had Enough of Fairy Tales
The writer of the rom-com What’s Love Got to Do With It? made a love letter to Pakistan that also questions how anyone finds love in the first place.
26 Summer Movies to Anticipate in 2023
Whether you want a massive blockbuster or a future Oscar contender, there’s much to choose from in what’s looking like the busiest summer movie season in years.
Dune: Part Two Trailer Reveals Austin Butler’s Dead-Faced Assassin
The Elvis star’s appearance has been closely shrouded, but a new teaser shows his fearsome transformation.
From the Magazine
Suddenly, Stephanie Hsu Is Everywhere
The Oscar nominee on her intense year, her love for Jamie Lee Curtis, and how her next movie, Joy Ride, defies stereotypes.
Little Gold Men
Michael Shannon on Music, the Apocalypse, and Keeping Up With Hollywood
The Oscar nominee goes deep on everything from his Emmy-bound critical darling, George & Tammy, to what lies ahead with The Flash and more.
First Look
Dune: Part Two—An Exclusive First Look at the Saga’s Epic Conclusion
Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and director Denis Villeneuve share secrets from the new film and reveal Florence Pugh’s, Austin Butler’s, and Léa Seydoux’s new characters.
We Must, We Must
Are You There, Margaret? The Search for Judy Blume’s Beloved Heroine
How did Abby Ryder Fortson snag the title role in Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret? The answer, naturally, involves a bra.
Good Golly
Little Richard: The Riveting Showmanship and Tortured Sexuality That Built Rock and Roll
The director of the new doc Little Richard: I Am Everything on the force of nature who inspired Elvis, The Beatles, Prince, and more.
bloodsuckers
The Real Renfield: How Dracula Broke Classic Hollywood Star Dwight Frye
As Renfield hits theaters, we remember the actor who first brought the character to life—and how Dracula led to his downfall.
Cannes Film Festival
The Highlights of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival Lineup
From Indiana Jones to a tabloid romance as directed by Todd Haynes.
JUST DO IT
Air: The Real Sonny Vaccaro on Matt Damon, Michael Jordan, and Shoe-Biz Heartbreak
Basketball marketing legend Sonny Vaccaro tells VF the real-life story behind Air, and about the message he just received from Michael Jordan’s mother, Deloris.
Amy Irving Is Crossing Delancey
Nearly 35 years after her underappreciated romantic comedy’s release, the Oscar nominee returns to the Lower East Side.
Awards Insider!
Kelly Reichardt Can Laugh at Anything
On this week’s Little Gold Men podcast, the filmmaker behind the art school comedy Showing Up shares why she wanted to focus on the process of art—broken hot water heater included.
Awards Insider!
Teyana Taylor Can’t Be Stopped Now
Her captivating role in the Sundance-winning drama A Thousand and One gave her the opportunity she’s been waiting for: “to show off what I can do.”
Little Gold Men
Predicting the 2024 Oscar Nominations
Now that Everything Everywhere All at Once has proven there’s no such thing as “too weird” for Oscar, could this be the year for horror, rom-coms, or Barbie?
Awards Insider!
Brooke Shields, Exploited Child Star? The Truth Isn’t Nearly That Simple
Documentary filmmaker Lana Wilson says that in her new film, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, she watched a young star grow “from being an object to being a human being.”
Awards Insider!
Upcoming Movies From Paul Mescal, Michelle Yeoh, and More 2023 Oscar Nominees
Some nominees are already planning to reunite, while others may go dark for another decade—here’s what we know for now.
Oscars 2023
Where to Watch Every 2023 Oscar-Winning Movie Today
From the best picture champion to the technical winners, almost every 2023 Oscar winner is available to watch right now at home.
Oscars 2023
Everything Everywhere All at Once Sweeps Oscars 2023, Wins Best Picture
The A24 film that premiered at SXSW almost exactly one year ago won seven total Oscars.
Making a Scene
Pretzels, Sexual Favors, and Shifting Power Dynamics in Triangle of Sadness
Writer-director Ruben Östlund breaks down a pivotal scene that was filmed on an anarchist nudist beach in Greece.
From the Magazine
The Making of Everything Everywhere All at Once’s Rock World
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert wanted to create the least stimulating universe possible for the emotional fulcrum of their wild, universe-hopping adventure.
FROM THE MAGAZINE
Backstage Pass: On Set With Austin Butler, Michelle Yeoh, and More
Go behind the scenes with some of the year’s most celebrated Oscar nominees.
From the Magazine
Lukas Dhont Is Ready for His Close-Up
The 31-year-old Belgian filmmaker tackles the “crisis of connection” among teen boys in his second film, now an international feature Oscar nominee.
Highlight Reel
Tony Kushner on Nearly 2 Decades of Collaboration With Steven Spielberg
The Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind The Fabelmans looks back at crafting stories that often took years to write: “I usually agonize about things.”
From the Magazine
How Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio Survived Decades in the Hollywood Wilderness
Half a decade since he announced his dream Pinocchio project was dead, del Toro is an animated-feature Oscar nominee—because he finally got that unequivocal yes he’d been holding out for.
Little Gold Men
With Pinocchio, Guillermo del Toro Makes a Childhood Dream Come True
The filmmaker’s Oscar-nominated stop-motion film captures his own feelings of “being adrift in the world as an anomaly.”
Awards Insider!
Gustavo Dudamel Offers Lydia Tár the LA Philharmonic
The powerhouse conductor joined the Tár team of Cate Blanchett and Todd Field to go deep on their Oscar-nominated film.
Awards Insider!
Justin Hurwitz Gives Everything to His Movie Scores, and He’s Not Going to Stop
The composer of La La Land and Babylon looks back at his Oscar-nominated work, and what happens when a massive success is followed by something distinctly different.
Little Gold Men
Jamie Lee Curtis Is “Both Weepy and Giddy” About Her First Oscar Nomination
The Everything Everywhere All at Once star on being haunted by For Your Consideration, embracing being a Hollywood “old mule,” and living up to her parents’ legacy.
Little Gold Men
All Quiet on the Western Front’s Uphill Climb to Nine Oscar Nominations
Director Edward Berger speaks to Vanity Fair about making his historic German-language war epic.
Sundance First Look
Randall Park’s Long Wait for Shortcomings
The Fresh Off the Boat star makes his directorial debut with the adaptation of a graphic novel, an Asian American story he waited 15 years to tell.
Awards Insider!
The Images, Colors, and Mind-Boggling Technology of Avatar: The Way of Water
Nearly three decades of collaboration brought director James Cameron and cinematographer Russell Carpenter to the Avatar sequel, which melded brand-new technology with some of the oldest camera tricks in the book.
play on
John Williams Is Not Retiring on Steven Spielberg
A night spent sharing stories of their 50-year collaboration ended with a promise to make more.
Awards Insider!
Lukas Dhont on Close, Masculinity, and What He Learned From the Criticisms Surrounding Girl
The 31-year-old Belgian director wants to spark conversations with his new film, about a relationship between teenage boy that deteriorates in heartbreaking fashion.
Awards Insider!
The Most Deceptively Difficult Scene in Top Gun: Maverick
On this week’s Little Gold Men podcast, Joseph Kosinski shares behind-the-scenes stories from the blockbuster that may have just saved Hollywood.
Shot List
The Images of All Quiet on the Western Front: Using Light to Capture the Darkness of War
Director Edward Berger and cinematographer James Friend used flares, snow, and modern techniques to create the war drama’s breathtaking cinematography.
Shot List
The Images of Nope: How Jordan Peele Captured the Impossible
Peele and his DP, Hoyte van Hoytema, go over key shots from their movie, many of which sounded impossible to commit to film—until they actually tried and did it.
Shot List
How Armageddon Time Became a Ghost Story
Director James Gray and cinematographer Darius Khondji look back at key scenes from the intimate drama, based closely on Gray’s childhood and capturing the “slippage of time.”
Awards Insider!
Inside the Visual Effects of Avatar: The Way of Water: “Water Is Both a Blessing and a Curse”
Even with five Oscars between them, Joe Letteri and Richard Baneham had to learn whole new ways of thinking to create the Avatar sequel’s stunning underwater sequences.
From the Magazine
How the Best Sequences of Top Gun: Maverick Made the Cut
Editor Eddie Hamilton turned a “tidal wave” of aerial footage into gripping—and breathtakingly realistic—action scenes.
Little Gold Men
Todd Field Loves Your Tár Theories
“There’s no wrong way to read the film,” says the writer-director of his story about an imperious orchestra conductor, played by Cate Blanchett.
From the Magazine
Seeing Visions: Inside the Making of Elvis, Tár, and Bardo
Directors and cinematographers break down some of their most ambitious images.
Shot List
The Images of Everything Everywhere All at Once: Absurdity, Authenticity, and a Lot of Improvisation
“I’m the janitor, if you will,” says cinematographer Larkin Seiple of working with the Daniels. “I’m constantly trying to clean things up that are crazy, and make them feel ordinary.”
Awards Insider!
Oscar Contender Alice Diop Is Pushing the Boundaries of Global Cinema
The first Black woman ever to represent France in the Oscar race, the Saint Omer filmmaker is changing the game with one of the best films of the year.
Little Gold Men
The Vulnerability of James Gray’s Armageddon Time
“If someone says, ‘I hated that movie,’ it means they hate part of me,” says the director, who captured his complicated youth in his latest film.
Awards Insider!
The Making of EO: Six Donkeys and a Lot of Luck
How do you get a donkey to cross a perilous bridge? Cast six of them, and hope for the best.
LIFE LESSONS
What Scared Steven Spielberg About The Fabelmans—And How Tony Kushner Pushed Him Past It
The director and the screenwriter look back at their nearly two-decade collaboration, which led them to Spielberg’s most personal film ever.
Awards Insider Exclusive
Inside the Script for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: “I Feel Like We Rewrote It a Million Times”
Del Toro and his Emmy-winning cowriter, Patrick McHale, tell Vanity Fair about the toughest scene to write, the character who almost got cut, and the main goal of their acclaimed adaptation.
everything sucks
Noah Segan on Vampirism, Judaism, Glass Onion, and Eating Cheerios Off the Floor
As the writer-director-star of the upcoming Blood Relatives and a Rian Johnson mainstay, Segan tells VF how his weird upbringing has led to one of film’s most eclectic careers.
Little Gold Men
With Turning Red, Domee Shi Embraces Weirdness—Even Her Own
The director of Pixar’s animated hit about a Chinese Canadian 13-year-old aims to “celebrate girl nerdiness,” in every form.
Shot List
The Images of The Woman King: A Hollywood Epic, Redefined
Gina Prince-Bythewood and cinematographer Polly Morgan go through seven stunning shots from their historical epic, from the intention behind them to the craft in accomplishing them.
Shot List
The Images of Decision to Leave: Inside Park Chan-wook’s Noir Masterwork
The director goes deep on six pivotal frames from his new film, which unfurls a spellbinding romantic mystery in the language of old-school film noir.
Awards Insider!
Elegance Bratton Has Arrived
Inside a whirlwind night at the New York Film Festival with the director of The Inspection, who dressed “to look like somebody”—and fit the part.
Awards Insider!
The Inexplicable, Emotional Beauty of Aftersun
Writer-director Charlotte Wells is watching audiences take many different paths to the same conclusion of her extraordinary film: “It feels in some strange way I’ve created a choose your own adventure.”
Awards Insider!
The Truth, Fiction, and Outrage in Netflix’s The Good Nurse
Screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns breaks down her process of retelling the true serial killer story—and shifting focus to the heroine who helped finally bring him to justice.
Little Gold Men
Ruben Östlund Rides the Waves of Triangle of Sadness
The Swedish filmmaker and two-time Palme d’Or winner examines the modern man and the ultrarich in his wild satire set aboard a luxury yacht.