Born Christian François Bouche-Villeneuve on July 29, 1921 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, Chris Marker was the master of the cinematic essay, fusing fiction, documentary, and experimental techniques in creating associations that put in debate contemporary philosophical and political notions. Employing a range of montage techniques, Marker made films that engaged in the culture, but were often mysterious, even poetic and playful, seemingly conspiring to give the films a sense of provocation, as though he was using his camera to explore something about the human condition that film and film alone could access.

Level Five
dir. Chris Marker, France, 1997, digital video, 106 mins. color and b/w, French w/ English subtitles

Level Five is the story of Laura, a computer game designer. Whilst working on a new World War II game following the epic battle of Okinawa, she searches the internet for background information and finds harrowing eyewitness accounts, disturbing pictures, and upsetting interviews. These discoveries lead her to look deeper into the reasoning behind the war and in turn allow her to look at her own life in a new way.