Movie: Birth of a Nation

Top 10 Billed Cast

Chantal Akerman
Chantal Akerman

Self

Kenneth Anger
Kenneth Anger

Self

Michel Auder
Michel Auder

Self

Bruce Baillie
Bruce Baillie

Self

Robert Beavers
Robert Beavers

Self

Jane Wodening
Jane Wodening

Self

Stan Brakhage
Stan Brakhage

Self

Robert Breer
Robert Breer

Self

James Broughton
James Broughton

Self

L.M. Kit Carson
L.M. Kit Carson

Self

  • HomePage

  • Overview

    Jonas Mekas assembles 160 portraits, appearances, and fleeting sketches of underground and independent filmmakers captured between 1955 and 1996. Fast-paced and archival in spirit, the film celebrates the avant-garde as its own “nation of cinema,” a vital community existing outside the dominance of commercial film.

  • Release Date

    1997-08-06

  • Average

    7

  • Rating:

    3.5 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    English
  • Keywords

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