A Contemplation of the Cross

In the supercharged world of dirt track racing, a single mistake causes the lives of two men to change forever. One must fight for his family, the other must fight to forgive.

Mary traces the lives of a woman caught in a scandal of adultery, another rejected and ignored because of her promiscuity, a third shunned because of a shameful condition, and a widow cast out from society, mourning the loss of her only son.

A lonely man tries to enjoy a regular evening

A journey to an unknown star, a children's theatre play, an untalented writer and the fear of becoming the worst version of oneself. A mixture of live-action footage and animated scenes. A stream of (un)conscious stereotypes.

A father and daughter who have been estranged by divorce for twelve years find themselves on a trip across the country that becomes a more complicated journey than they imagined. It's a story of pain, hope, healing, and redemption.

"Devoted Heart" reimagines the Nativity in modern times. War veteran Joe Shepherd returns home to find fiancée Mary mysteriously pregnant. An angelic dream reveals the divine truth: she carries Jesus, humanity's savior. Braving gossip and doubt, they embark on a census-mandated road trip, stranding in a storm where Mary births Jesus in a shed. Angelic visions summon migrant workers to adore the child.

Viridiana is preparing to start her life as a nun when she is sent, somewhat unwillingly, to visit her aging uncle, Don Jaime. He supports her; but the two have met only once. Jaime thinks Viridiana resembles his dead wife. Viridiana has secretly despised this man all her life and finds her worst fears proven when Jaime grows determined to seduce his pure niece. Viridiana becomes undone as her uncle upends the plans she had made to join the convent.

A short experimental film that thematizes dreams and nightmares in a surrealistic way. The basis of the movie is found in the poetry created by the two directors, so the film partly seems like stringed lyrical motifs, open to arbitrary interpretation, giving the impression of poetic images arranged in sequences. Combined techniques were used, so in addition to recording with a camera, pixilation, object animation, collage and liquid animation are featured.

Shots of Paris on May 15, 2016 with a Parisian narrator telling us the story of May 15, 1848, when protesters finally pushed the establishment to let them have a popular vote to elect their ruler.

The animation, music, and optical printing of Kitsch in Synch was produced by Beckett and the students in two classes he was teaching at CalArts. Although a group project, it is clear that Beckett was the director. The playful, catchy soundtrack is used to create a cycle of building tension and release. The brightly colored shapes create approximate symmetrical formations and become more densely layered, with glimpses of iconographic objects and even live footage near the end. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in partnership with the iotaCenter, in 2007.

In 1971 Salford fish-and-chip shop owner George Khan expects his family to follow his strict Pakistani Muslim ways. But his children, with an English mother and having been born and brought up in Britain, increasingly see themselves as British and start to reject their father's rules on dress, food, religion, and living in general.