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.

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The Way to Shadow Garden

1954

Early Abstractions

Early Abstractions

1965

Trance and Dance in Bali

Trance and Dance in Bali

1952

Corridor

Corridor

1970

How the Cossacks Were Cooking Kulish

How the Cossacks Were Cooking Kulish

1967

Kusama's Self-Obliteration

Kusama's Self-Obliteration

1967

The Volunteer Worker

The Volunteer Worker

1940

Ben and Me

Ben and Me

1953

The March

The March

1964

Golden Yeggs

Golden Yeggs

1950

Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid

Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid

1929

Uncertain Verification

Uncertain Verification

1965

Hanoi, Tuesday 13th

Hanoi, Tuesday 13th

1969

Child of the Big City

Child of the Big City

1914

The Misadventure of a French Gentleman Without Pants at the Zandvoort Beach

The Misadventure of a French Gentleman Without Pants at the Zandvoort Beach

1905

In My Room

In My Room

2020

I Am Your Punishment

I Am Your Punishment

1996

'Twas the Night Before Bumpy

'Twas the Night Before Bumpy

1995

Disneyland Dream

1956

Tolerantia

Tolerantia

2008