Patrick Bokanowski

Directing

Patrick Bokanowski

Born 1943-06-23 · Algiers, Alger, France [now Algeria]

Patrick Bokanowski is a French filmmalker who makes experimental and animated films. The film The Angel (1982) is his most prominent, fascinating, and obsessive work. It is accompanied by a soundtrack made by his wife, Michèle Bokanowski, and released during 2003 on a CD album by the label trAace under the title L'Ange. Bokanowski develops work between the traditional cinematographic genres: short film, experimental film, and animation. His manner of treating filmic material is his research at the frontier of optical and visual arts, always in an "in-between" to create. He calls into question the idea that cinema's essence should be to reproduce reality, that is, our habits of thinking and feeling. His films contradict the "objectivity" of photography that is solidly essential to most of the global film productions. Bokanowski's experiments, with the aim of opening cinema to other expressive possibilities – for example the "warping" of objective lenses (though he prefers the term "subjective") – testify to purely mental visions that ignore conventional representations, affecting reality, transforming, and giving the viewer of his films new perceptual adventures. According to Raphaël Bassan, in his article «L'Ange: Un météore dans le ciel de l'animation,» Patrick Bokanowski's work can be considered the beginnings of contemporary animation.

Acting credits

Le Canard à l'orange poster
6.8

A housewife is preparing a duck à l'orange in her kitchen. But the reluctant bird tries to escape from her but the woman manages to recaptures it and plucks it savagely. Once the duck is put in the oven, an alligator unexpectedly appears in the kitchen, threatening the cook.

Le Canard à l'orange

2002

No artwork available
7.0

In this documentary, under the gaze of Pip Chodorov, Patrick Bokanowski evokes the genesis of his films and shows, by explaining them, a certain number of his inspirations (his meeting with the painter Henri Dimier , his first photographic tests...), his tools (lenses, title bench, masks, costumes...), his attempts, such as this idea of ​​filming the moving reflection of a mercury surface.

Patrick Bokanowski : visite à l'atelier

2017

A Solar Dream poster
5.8

Behold the struggle between light and dark, the two principles that are at the very heart of the cinematic deed. A Solar Dream takes the seventh art’s ability to generate imaginary and phantasmagorical worlds to the limit, multiplied here by Michèle Bokanowski’s enveloping music. A precious plastic and sonic gem.

A Solar Dream

2016

A Creator of the Imaginary: Patrick Bokanowski - Short Film poster
7.0

A Creator of the Imaginary: Patrick Bokanowski

A Creator of the Imaginary: Patrick Bokanowski - Short Film

1977

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Paroles d'artistes

2003

A Creator of the Imaginary: Patrick Bokanowski - Hieroglyphs poster
7.0

In his film studio, Patrick BOKANOWSKI talks about his research (audiovisual and animation techniques) for his new project ("L'Ange" which will be released in 1982). Filming scenes, and excerpts from his short film "Lunch in the morning," punctuate the interview. On a film set, Patrick BOKANOWSKI describes some scenes of his project, notably "the attack of the castle of the egg"; it evokes the influence of the painter Henri DIMIER, of which he was the apprentice, his research on photographic printing, optical systems of shooting, and objectives. - He comments on a sketch of preparation explaining the image sought, and the means implemented. - Images of the shooting of scenes of characters in the darkness and light beams, accompanied by music, punctuate the interview.

A Creator of the Imaginary: Patrick Bokanowski - Hieroglyphs

1975

No artwork available
7.0

Short documentary by Pip Chodorov showing Patrick Bokanowski's process in making "Un rêve solaire".

Patrick Bokanowski - Genesis of 'Un rêve solaire'

2017

Behind the camera

Le Canard à l'orange poster
6.8

A housewife is preparing a duck à l'orange in her kitchen. But the reluctant bird tries to escape from her but the woman manages to recaptures it and plucks it savagely. Once the duck is put in the oven, an alligator unexpectedly appears in the kitchen, threatening the cook.

Le Canard à l'orange

2002

Le Canard à l'orange poster
6.8

A housewife is preparing a duck à l'orange in her kitchen. But the reluctant bird tries to escape from her but the woman manages to recaptures it and plucks it savagely. Once the duck is put in the oven, an alligator unexpectedly appears in the kitchen, threatening the cook.

Le Canard à l'orange

2002

Le Canard à l'orange poster
6.8

A housewife is preparing a duck à l'orange in her kitchen. But the reluctant bird tries to escape from her but the woman manages to recaptures it and plucks it savagely. Once the duck is put in the oven, an alligator unexpectedly appears in the kitchen, threatening the cook.

Le Canard à l'orange

2002

The Beach poster
7.2

Reworked and colored images of people playing at the seashore.

The Beach

1992

The Beach poster
7.2

Reworked and colored images of people playing at the seashore.

The Beach

1992

The Beach poster
7.2

Reworked and colored images of people playing at the seashore.

The Beach

1992

Solar Beats poster
8.4

Walking towards the fire. In a ceaseless stream of light, people, landscapes and objects lead us to mysterious regions. French filmmaker Patrick Bokanowski’s work is hard to classify - and all the richer for it. Together with his wife Michèle, whose musique concrète compositions form the basis of the sound design, Bokanowski offers a prolonged, dense and visually visceral experience of the kind that is rare in cinema today. Difficult to define and locate, its strangeness is quite unique.

Solar Beats

2008

Solar Beats poster
8.4

Walking towards the fire. In a ceaseless stream of light, people, landscapes and objects lead us to mysterious regions. French filmmaker Patrick Bokanowski’s work is hard to classify - and all the richer for it. Together with his wife Michèle, whose musique concrète compositions form the basis of the sound design, Bokanowski offers a prolonged, dense and visually visceral experience of the kind that is rare in cinema today. Difficult to define and locate, its strangeness is quite unique.

Solar Beats

2008

Solar Beats poster
8.4

Walking towards the fire. In a ceaseless stream of light, people, landscapes and objects lead us to mysterious regions. French filmmaker Patrick Bokanowski’s work is hard to classify - and all the richer for it. Together with his wife Michèle, whose musique concrète compositions form the basis of the sound design, Bokanowski offers a prolonged, dense and visually visceral experience of the kind that is rare in cinema today. Difficult to define and locate, its strangeness is quite unique.

Solar Beats

2008

The Angel poster
6.8

The climbing of an immense staircase made up of the most varied stairs. Symbolic scenes occur on different levels where characters seem to be prisoners of their deeds and of their own folly. The steep staircase leads little by little towards the zones of great light where human beings and nonhuman beings meet.

The Angel

1982

The Angel poster
6.8

The climbing of an immense staircase made up of the most varied stairs. Symbolic scenes occur on different levels where characters seem to be prisoners of their deeds and of their own folly. The steep staircase leads little by little towards the zones of great light where human beings and nonhuman beings meet.

The Angel

1982

The Angel poster
6.8

The climbing of an immense staircase made up of the most varied stairs. Symbolic scenes occur on different levels where characters seem to be prisoners of their deeds and of their own folly. The steep staircase leads little by little towards the zones of great light where human beings and nonhuman beings meet.

The Angel

1982

Breakfast poster
7.8

Relentlessly reworking ‘real’ images, using techniques borrowed from painting and animated film, Patrick Bokanowski is an author of stature, capable of creating an insane and cataclysmic universe of unquestionable beauty.

Breakfast

1974

Breakfast poster
7.8

Relentlessly reworking ‘real’ images, using techniques borrowed from painting and animated film, Patrick Bokanowski is an author of stature, capable of creating an insane and cataclysmic universe of unquestionable beauty.

Breakfast

1974

Breakfast poster
7.8

Relentlessly reworking ‘real’ images, using techniques borrowed from painting and animated film, Patrick Bokanowski is an author of stature, capable of creating an insane and cataclysmic universe of unquestionable beauty.

Breakfast

1974

Un rêve poster
7.0

Experimental film by Patrick Bokanowski.

Un rêve

2014

Un rêve poster
7.0

Experimental film by Patrick Bokanowski.

Un rêve

2014

Un rêve poster
7.0

Experimental film by Patrick Bokanowski.

Un rêve

2014

Soar poster
7.0

Choreography of an imaginary journey.

Soar

2018

Soar poster
7.0

Choreography of an imaginary journey.

Soar

2018

Soar poster
7.0

Choreography of an imaginary journey.

Soar

2018

Flammes poster
6.5

Memories split in the space.

Flammes

1998

Flammes poster
6.5

Memories split in the space.

Flammes

1998

Flammes poster
6.5

Memories split in the space.

Flammes

1998