Making a Scene

Making a Scene

"The year's best big-screen performers in 11 original (very) short films."

For this year's Movies Issue, The New York Times Magazine commissioned lines from an eclectic and talented group of screenwriters — writers responsible for some of the best scripts of 2013. We asked them each to write a single line for us — not a scene, a script or a scenario, but simply an intriguing, amusing or captivating line of dialogue. Then we gave these lines to one of the great movie artists of our time: the cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, a two-time Oscar winner. Kaminski used these lines as inspiration to create 11 original (very) short films. Each short evokes a style or genre of the cinematic past and stars an actor who gave an especially memorable performance in 2013.

Transit

Transit

2013

Real Life

Real Life

2021

For What I Had to Fear

For What I Had to Fear

2009

Dear Chickens

Dear Chickens

2018

Thylacine

Thylacine

2014

Camp Burlesque

1969

Chiefs

Chiefs

1968

Mirrored

Mirrored

2015

Flies

Flies

2018

Unicorn

Unicorn

2014

Wanks

Wanks

2014

White Noise

White Noise

2023

The Martyrdom of Saint Etienne

1912

The Death of Saul

1912

The Judgment of Solomon

1912

Esther

1913

The Toledo Chest

1914

The Guardian of Camargue

The Guardian of Camargue

1910

The Béarnaise Girl

The Béarnaise Girl

1911

Moses of the Mill

Moses of the Mill

1911