13 Lakes (2004)

Anecdotes

13 Lakes is a 2004 American experimental film by independent filmmaker James Benning. Consisting of 13 ten-minute-long static shots of different lakes in the United States, 13 Lakes is an instance of slow cinema, placing emphasis on introspection and contemplation. Shot on 16 mm film, 13 Lakes had its world premiere at the Vienna International Film Festival on October 20, 2004. Due to the experimental nature of the film, it did not receive a theatrical release, but has been distributed by Canyon Cinema. 13 Lakes received positive reviews, with particular praise directed towards its ambience, cinematography and Benning's direction.

Production

James Benning is an American independent filmmaker known for utilizing long takes in his films. Benning's The United States of America (1975) was described by the Criterion Channel as "one of the major works of the structuralist film movement of the 1970s." Many of Benning's works focus heavily on landscape.

MacDonald believes that Benning specifically chose the thirteen lakes because of his personal history with each of them. For instance, Oneida Lake was chosen due to his frequent visits with friends residing in central New York, and Benning is fond of both the Salton Sea and the Great Salt Lake. Benning purposefully chose to bisect the lakes with the skyline as he considered the sky to add atmosphere and contribute to each lake's uniqueness.

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