Frederick Wiseman‘s filmography will now be available for the first time ever in digital formats.
IndieWire can announce that after a five-year process, all of Wiseman’s 45 films are now available in digital formats. Thirty-three of Wiseman’s features from 1969 through 2006 had to be digitized, as many were shot on film.
“I am enormously grateful to the individuals and organizations whose support made possible the digitizing and restoration of my films, which will now provide new access to the films,” said Wiseman in a statement.
The Library of Congress was involved in delivering the original 16mm negatives for 32 films and one 35mm negative — for “The Last Letter,” a filmed version of the stage play he directed in 2002 at the Comédie-Française — along with the Harvard Film Archive sending the sound elements to DuArt Laboratory and then to Goldcrest Post Production after the historic DuArt closed. The negatives were scanned and color graded by Jane Tomachyov, plus matched with the original sound to create the 4K restored digital versions. Wiseman personally reviewed and approved the digitization of all 33 films.
While the digitally restored version of “Law and Order” will debut at Cannes, a full Wiseman retrospective will tour from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles, and Film at Lincoln Center in New York beginning in fall 2024.
The films are available for additional programming worldwide from Wiseman’s distribution and production company Zipporah Films.
Wiseman’s most recent release was the sprawling four-hour documentary “Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros” which debuted at TIFF 2023. He also debuted “A Couple” on the 2022 festival circuit, marking his first narrative feature.
“I’ve always felt that I do what I want to do,” Wiseman told IndieWire of stepping into fiction filmmaking. “The moment seemed right to do this, so I did it. I’m under no obligation to be consistent.”
Wiseman also assured fans he is in no way eyeing retirement, saying in 2022, “I’m old. The fact that I can still work is great. It keeps my mind off the Grim Reaper. I have no desire to stop working. On the contrary: I hope to work even more.”
