Picturing the Presidents

Feb 10, 2009

1h 10m

★ 7.0

Is image everything?

Overview

We go behind the scenes and into the minds of artists as they capture, commemorate, and, at times, condemn our presidents.

Genres

Documentary

History

Production Companies

The Smithsonian Network

Picturing the Presidents Trailers

Cast

Narrator

Salvatore Vecchio

Self (archive footage)

George H. W. Bush

Self (archive footage)

Gerald Ford

Self (archive footage)

Bill Clinton

Self (archive footage)

Lyndon B. Johnson

Self (archive footage)

Richard Nixon

Self (archive footage)

John F. Kennedy

Self (archive footage)

Elaine de Kooning

Self

Addie Moray

Self

Marc Pachter

Self

Nelson Shanks

Self

Hilary Kacser

Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby union team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

8.0

Two or Three Things I Know about Edward Hopper

Jan 26, 2020

TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT EDWARD HOPPER is an immersive experience in 3D, that takes its viewers on a journey into the world of Hopper, sharpening their senses for some aspects of his unique work.

0.0

We Hate Communists

May 8, 2025

No overview available.

6.0

Candlelight Revolution

Feb 10, 2022

“What kind of person do you think former President Park Geunhye is?” Sohn Seokhee, a journalist, gives a clear and sharp answer that he “shares the common ideas that people in our country have.” That common idea has led millions to bring candles to the streets, correcting a thread of history that has gone awry, and gather a sense of hope among people. Candlelight Revolution portrays the voices of citizens from various generations, political figures of diﬀerent parties, and the witnesses of an administration under improper inﬂuence. It is a documentary that identifies the genuine structure of politics and society by following how Park entered politics along with government records up until March 10.

No Image Available

0.0

Josef Mánes

Jan 1, 1951

No overview available.

7.8

Search and Seizure: The Rise of Insurrection

Apr 23, 2025

The film follows the 2023 raid by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on investigative outlet Newstapa. Director Kim Yongjin, its former head, traces a pattern of political prosecutions against critical journalists—from reports on Yoon Suk-yeol to Cho Kuk and Kim Keon-hee. Combining on-site footage, journalist testimonies, and legal records, the film reveals how special funds were used to pressure the media, silence dissent, and manipulate public opinion. It is a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle to protect press freedom and democratic values in South Korea.

6.9

Mona Lisa Smile

Dec 19, 2003

Katherine Watson is a recent UCLA graduate hired to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College, in 1953. Determined to confront the outdated mores of society and the institution that embraces them, Katherine inspires her traditional students, including Betty and Joan, to challenge the lives they are expected to lead.

6.7

Pollock

Sep 6, 2000

In August of 1949, Life Magazine ran a banner headline that begged the question: "Jackson Pollock: Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?" The film is a look back into the life of an extraordinary man, a man who has fittingly been called "an artist dedicated to concealment, a celebrity who nobody knew." As he struggled with self-doubt, engaging in a lonely tug-of-war between needing to express himself and wanting to shut the world out, Pollock began a downward spiral.

6.2

W.

Oct 17, 2008

The story of the eventful life of George W. Bush—his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith—and the critical days leading up to his decision to invade Iraq.

No Image Available

0.0

Martin Benka

Jan 1, 1954

No overview available.

No Image Available

0.0

Martin Benka a hudba

Jan 1, 1988

No overview available.

7.2

Zeitgeist: Addendum

Oct 2, 2008

Zeitgeist: Addendum premiered at the 5th Annual Artivist Film Festival. Director Peter Joseph stated: "The failure of our world to resolve the issues of war, poverty, and corruption, rests within a gross ignorance about what guides human behavior to begin with. It address the true source of the instability in our society, while offering the only fundamental, long-term solution."

7.7

Raffaello – Il giovane prodigio

Nov 1, 2021

No overview available.

8.0

30 Years of Democracy

Dec 22, 2019

Two journalists born in the mid '80s decide to take a look back at how their country changed in the last 30 years since the fall of communism. The end product is a documentary containing footage of political events and historical milestones significant to Romania accompanied by a narrator's voice walking the viewer through the events, and also interviews with Romanian politicians and other influential public figures sharing their thoughts and their different views on those events.

7.5

Hidden Sex: Art and Shame

Jan 15, 2023

The representation of genitalia in the fine arts was censored for centuries: sexual organs were discreetly hidden among fig leaves, pearls or sheets; and it is still a taboo today. From Antiquity to the present day, the history of puritanism applied to art and the tricks used by artists to circumvent censorship.

4.4

The Masters of Terror

Jan 21, 2004

The Masters of Terror details the execution of the September 11th attacks and the ensuing whitewash, the cashless society control-grid, implanted microchips, mind-control, militarization of police, concentration camps, foreign troops massing on US soil, the USA Patriot Act, and Homeland Security taking over the states.

5.5

Rubens

Aug 19, 1948

This surreal abstract film falls into three sections, or movements, the first taking place on the ground, the second in the air and the third again on the ground. In the first movement various motifs or themes are introduced, which are again picked up and developed in the third movement. Six spheres, evolved in the first movement, become the sole subject matter–or “dancers”–of the second movement, which consists of a simple type of ballet using the floor-plan choreography or traditional ballet as a basis of interest.