In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Lumière brothers' first films, filmmakers Sarah Moon and Philippe Poulet challenged 39 renowned international directors to each complete a 52-second film using the original Cinematographe camera under the conditions endured by the brothers. The result of the project was this film, Lumière et Compagnie. The film stock used was homemade from a slightly altered version of the Lumières' recipe. No synchronized sound was allowed and only natural lighting was permitted. The participating directors included
John Boorman,
Costa-Gavras,
Peter Greenaway,
Lasse Hallström,
Spike Lee,
David Lynch,
Liv Ullmann, and
Wim Wenders. Among the actors who performed in the films were
Liam Neeson,
Lena Olin,
Aidan Quinn, and
Alan Rickman. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide