Eight Bridges

“It seems to be the time to consider bridges.” – James Benning

Berlin International Film Festival 2026 - World Premiere

James Benning (b. 1942, Milwaukee, US) has created an expansive body of work encompassing film, painting, photography and installations. Rising to prominence in the late 1970s for his work in film, Benning developed a distinct visual language associated with extended real-time, single-shot frames and the use of landscape, which he continues to deploy to this day. Exploring ecology, technology and the marginalization of peoples, Benning often returns to grand narratives and their hidden undersides, inviting close examination of the lesser-observed and inviting reflection on the broader cultural consciousness. Since the late 1980s, he has lived in Val Verde, California. He teaches at the California Institute of the Arts.

James Benning is the only filmmaker in BIFF’s history to have had a film featured in the programme of every edition of the festival so far.

13 Lakes (2004)
Ten Skies (2004)
RR (2007)
The United States of America (2022)

Original title: Eight Bridges
Director: James Benning
Cast: -
Cinematography: James Benning
Screenwriter: -
Producer: James Benning
Editor: James Benning
Music: -
Hungarian Distributor: -
Colour: colour
Run Time: 82 mins