Autour de Jeanne Dielman

Autour de Jeanne Dielman records life on a film set while Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman is being made. Rather than summarizing the story, Sami Frey's camera lingers on rehearsals, technical setup, brief conversations and the steady work that builds a specific cinematic tempo. We watch Akerman directing, Babette Mangolte handling camera concerns, and archive moments of Delphine Seyrig, all presented as everyday production business. The documentary keeps to the practical side of filmmaking, showing decisions about framing, sound and pacing without spoiling the finished feature. Sound, lighting and timing also become part of the subject.

Released in 1975, the documentary was directed by actor and filmmaker Sami Frey. It was shot during the production of Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman and features members of that cast and crew appearing as themselves, including cinematographer Babette Mangolte.

This documentary did not collect major festival prizes, and there are no records of prominent awards or nominations tied to it. Its visibility has been shaped more by film studies and archival screenings than by prize seasons. Scholars have referenced it in work on Akerman and on documentary practice.

Because it captures the making of a film that later became central to conversations about gender, duration and cinematic form, Autour de Jeanne Dielman holds interest for scholars and cinephiles. It provides an unscripted window into 1970s art-house practice and into Akerman's methods, cited in academic writing and retrospectives.

Critical response is limited and mixed, with only a few recorded ratings. Viewers who like it note the observational approach and focus on labor and craft, while others find it slow. It reads as a study of collaboration, routine and the choices that shape performance and camera work.