You Can Call Me Bill

In recent years Alexandre O. Philippe has become a loyal guest at Film Fest Gent. In his documentaries, the Swiss director explores the most fascinating corners of cinema, whether it's the universe of Alien in Memory: The Origins of Alien or the shower scene from Psycho in 78/52. In You Can Call Me Bill, he turns his lens to William Shatner, forever known as Captain Kirk from Star Trek. The entire film is built around a long interview with Shatner, with Philippe holding his camera remarkably close to his head. Shatner talks non-stop: about cinema and his career, about his two idols (Marlon Brando and Laurence Olivier), about death and his desire to return as a tree. There are no other speakers, but Shatner has had such a productive career that Philippe has plenty of fragments to choose from to illustrate the man's arguments. Though in the end, one question remains: why call him Bill?