F for Fake

About F for Fake

Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse.

François Reichenbach and Orson Welles directed F for Fake, a 1973 documentary film. The film is filed under artist, deception, manipulation, and forgery.

Orson Welles appears as Self, Oja Kodar as The Girl, Elmyr de Hory as Self, and Clifford Irving as Self. It runs 89 minutes and was released in September 1973.

The screenplay is by François Reichenbach and Orson Welles. Produced by SACI. In the United States it streams on Criterion Channel, HBO Max, and HBO Max Amazon Channel.

Ex Machina, Focus, and Hard Candy make useful companions to F for Fake, all filed under illusion. TMDB voters put it at 7.4 out of 10 across 383 votes and it carries a PG rating.