24/02/2026 - BERLINALE 2026: Finlay Pretsell’s artist portrait is an abrasive, confrontational piece of documentary filmmaking which reframes our perception in the spirit of its subject

Scottish artist Douglas Gordon was the first winner of the Turner Prize for video art in 1996 and is probably most famous for large-scale video installations and a very particular, somewhat Warholian approach to remixing and reappropriation of existing art works, as seen in 24 Hour Psycho, or Zidane, a 21st Century Portrait on which he collaborated with Philippe Parenno and which screened in Cannes in 2006. He even calls his Berlin studio “A poor man’s Andy Warhol Factory”, and this is where most of British director Finlay Pretsell’s documentary, Douglas Gordon by Douglas Gordon, which world-premiered in Berlinale’s Panorama, takes place.

The film is a far cry from a standard artist portrait. Instead, it’s an abrasive, confrontational piece of documentary cinema. Pretsell opens proceedings in an appropriately chaotic way, with thumping dance music and fast cuts of excerpts from Gordon’s works, alternating with skewed angled, freewheeling footage of his studio enveloped in darkness and dotted with coloured lights, as if in a nightclub. There’s a synthesizer, a burning T-shirt stamped with the slogan “Nobody knows I’m a lesbian”, a cornucopia of technical equipment in various states of disassembly, all kinds of toys and props, scribbles on the wall, and Gordon himself, wearing Maradona’s Napoli jersey and leopard-print leggings. His head shaved and his body covered in tattoos, with a greying beard (he was born in 1966) and chains around his neck, the provocative artist decides to play for the crowd rather than listening to the filmmaker’s instructions.

Their interplay - or rather their serious sparring which sometimes descends into open arguments, with Pretsell obviously being the more cautious of the two – is central to the film. Interwoven throughout the film’s 89 minutes, it’s formally interesting in itself, but it also reveals the protagonist’s inner world much more than exploring his art. In this sense, this is primarily a documentary for audiences already acquainted with Gordon’s work.

But his art comes from a space where tenderness and no-nonsense attitudes are inseparable, where love is uncompromising and hope goes hand in hand with defiance. Gordon shouts at Pretsell and cinematographer Martin Radich but then, in the next scene, his eyes tear up as he talks to his mum on the phone. His music taste spans Velvet Underground, Hank Williams and Throbbing Gristle; he wields a whip as an artistic act and to relieve stress, with the filmmakers cautiously keeping their distance. His idea for the film’s title, “Portrait of a Perilous Character”, turns out to be a more fitting description than the title that’s ultimately chosen. It’s like a duel between mutually respectful adversaries, one of whom knows he has the upper hand and is not afraid to use it – but is also keenly aware of the need to provide space for his opponent.

Decidedly low-fi, loud, brash and clearly intentionally chaotic but with a clear narrative arc (crafted by editor Kieran Gosney), Douglas Gordon on Douglas Gordon is unlikely to prove an inviting prospect for regular audiences. Much like his art, the movie reframes our perception of the artist but also of biographical documentary filmmaking. 

Douglas Gordon by Douglas Gordon is a co-production between British firms Parcel of Rogues and Sonja Henrici Creates, and France’s Grande Ourse Films. Austria’s Autlook Filmsales are managing international rights.