Robert Frank’s significant contribution to photography in the mid-twentieth century is unquestionable. His book, The Americans, is arguably the most important American photography publication of the post-World War II period, and his photography has spawned numerous disciples, as well as a rich critical literature. However, at the very moment Frank achieved the status of a ‘star’ at the end of the 1950s, he abandoned traditional still photography to become a filmmaker. He eventually returned to photography in the 1970s, but Frank, as a filmmaker, has remained a well kept secret for almost four decades.

In conjunction with Tate Modern’s exhibition Robert Frank: Storylines, this rare programme of Frank’s films will highlight their singular role in his practice. The screenings will allow closer examination of film’s critical influence on the narrative and sequential aspects of Frank’s photography and on his devotion to the transience of the moment.