Director Gus Van Sant (1952)

Gus Van Sant’s drama, Promised Land (2012), follows the journey of Steve Butler as he climbs the ranks at Global Crosspower Solutions, an energy company focused on fracking for natural gas. With a proven record of efficiently and cost-effectively securing mineral rights leases from land owners, Butler catches the attention of top management. Teaming up with his partner Sue Thomason, Butler travels to a struggling farming community in Pennsylvania where residents take great pride in their long-standing family farms. Having grown up in a town similar to this one, Butler is determined to win over the locals on behalf ...

To Each His Own Cinema (2007) is a French comedy-drama anthology film created for the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival. It showcases 34 short films, each 3 minutes long, by 36 renowned directors from various parts of the world. The filmmakers were invited to express ‘their state of mind of the moment as inspired by the motion picture theatre’. The film’s subtitle, ‘a declaration of love to the big screen’, captures its overall theme. Many of the shorts touch on similar topics such as paying tribute to classic European art cinema, reflecting on the decline of movie-going, recollecting childhood awe, and exploring the ...

In the film Paris, I love you (2006), 20 different filmmakers each capture five-minute moments in the magical City of Love. These moments are linked together through transitional interstitial sequences and an introduction and epilogue. The transitions smoothly connect the previous film’s ending shot to the following film’s beginning shot, creating a continuous flow and building anticipation for what comes next. Through this technique, we witness the vibrant life of Paris through a recurring mysterious character and a common theme of love that ties all 20 segments together. 01. Tuileries (

In the drama film Last Days (2005), directed, produced, and written by Gus Van Sant, we witness a fictionalized portrayal of a musician’s final days, loosely based on Kurt Cobain. The central character, Blake, breaks out of a rehab facility and makes his way back home through the forest. After swimming through a lake and spending the night by a fire, he returns to his house and changes his clothes before wandering around with a shotgun in hand. Among his roommates – Scott, Luke, Asia, and Nicole – is Thadeus A. Thomas, who chats with him about advertising in the upcoming Yellow Pages book. Despite ...

Elephant (2003) is a gripping American psychological drama film by writer, director, and editor Gus Van Sant. Set in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon at Watt High School, the film delves into the aftermath of a school shooting, inspired by the infamous 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The story follows various high school students as they navigate their lives leading up to the tragic event. One student, John McFarland, has a turbulent relationship with his alcoholic father – evident when he takes over driving due to his father’s drunken state. Upon arriving late to school, John faces disciplinary action ...

Gerry (2002) is an American drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, with stars and co-writers Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. The characters embark on a hike at a marked location called ‘Wilderness Trail’. Along the way, they encounter other passing hikers. In order to avoid any interruptions, they choose to venture off the trail. After some walking, conversation and even an impromptu foot race, they decide to turn back. However, it doesn’t take long for them to realize that they are completely ...

The American drama film, Finding Forrester (2000), was written by Mike Rich and directed by Gus Van Sant. In the Bronx, sixteen-year-old Jamal Wallace doesn’t fully embrace his potential as an intelligent student. Instead, he chooses to spend his time playing basketball with his friends. They capture the attention of William Forrester, a local recluse who is known as somewhat of an urban legend in the neighborhood. One day, Jamal’s friends dare him to sneak into Forrester’s apartment, but their plan goes awry when Jamal is caught off guard and flees, ...

Good Will Hunting (1997), an American drama directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, tells the story of a self-taught math prodigy from South Boston. Will Hunting, just twenty years old, has recently been released from prison and works as a janitor at MIT. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with his friends Chuckie, Billy, and Morgan. One day, Professor Gerald Lambeau challenges his graduate students with a difficult combinatorial mathematics problem on the blackboard. To everyone’s ...

My Own Private Idaho (1991) is an American indie adventure drama flick written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on the works of Shakespeare. It follows the lives of young hustlers Mike Waters and Scott Favor as they navigate the Pacific Northwest, often spending time with their fellow hustlers in an abandoned building in Portland.Their mentor is Bob Pigeon, an overweight homeless man who himself identifies as gay. Among this group, Mike and Scott share a close bond as best friends. While Mike openly embraces his homosexuality, Scott views his encounters with male clients purely as a business transaction. In ...