The Directors

For over ten years, filmmakers and writers Gérard Mordillat and Jérôme Prieur have worked together to investigate the earliest Christian texts and the beginnings of Christianity.

Their most acclaimed effort to date has been the Corpus Christi series, broadcast by Arte at Easter in 1997 and 1998. In twelve 52-minute episodes, Corpus Christi analyzed the six verses of the narrative of the Passion as it appears in the Gospel according to John. Its success and importance were considerable. The series won two consecutive Clio Awards, in addition to the Yedi Frends medal (Jerusalem) and the Golden Rainbow of the Cambridge Historical Film Festival (Great Britain).

While they were making Corpus Christi, the idea for the new series came to Mordillat and Prieur, one that would chronicle the beginnings of the Christian religion. After Corpus Christi was completed, the pair were eager to uncover and explore the true story of the origin of Christianity-the era that begins with the death of Jesus and follows through the division of Christianity and Judaism. In the same vein as Corpus Christi.

In an interview with Facets Video, Jérôme Prieur recalled that it took four years of interpreting of ancient texts, reading scholarly tracts, attendeding lectures, and meeting with experts as part of the extremely long, arduous process of research. Prieur emphasized the sheer volume of volume of information they collected before beginning the process of refining it into a clear narrative.

Prieur also recalled the difficulties of such an ambitious project. The two were absolutely dedicated to getting it right. "It had to be accurate," Prieur stated, noting that it was hard because of the diverse interpretations of the ancient sources. But, the pair felt that a series on Christianity's origins, a topic "most relevant for all of us", was important for today's world. With that in mind, he sought to produce a version of the origins that was scientific, objective, and thorough but one not grounded in a specific theology or ideology.

For the future, Jérôme Prieur and Gérard Mordillat hope to explore this subject matter further. After collection so much research and materials about the origins of Christianity, the pair realize they could pursue this topic "into the next century." As Prieur noted, with only a hint of exaggeration, "It will never be finished."

Together, Jérôme Prieur and Gérard Mordillat have published:

Corpus Christi. Mille et une Nuits/Arte, 1997-1998.

Jésus contre Jésus [Jesus Against Jesus]. Le Seuil, 1995, and paperback Points no. 800, 2000.

Jésus, illustre et inconnu [Jesus: Known and Unknown]. Desclée du Brouwer, 2001, and Albin Michel, paperback 2004.

Jésus apres Jésus [Jesus After Jesus]. Le Seuil, 2004.


The Voice of its Master
  co-directed with Nicolas Philibert (1978)
Owners/Television
  co-directed with Nicolas Philibert (1979)
Live the Socialite! (1983) Prix Jean Vigo
Not Old Bone (TV) (1985)
Billy-ze Kick (1985)
The Cardinal Son (TV) (1986)
The Deserter (1988)
Dear Frangin (1989)
Shakespeare Sonnets (1990)
Always One (1991)
Beatrix Beck (TV) (1991)
The True History of Araud le Momo
  co-directed with Jérôme Prieur (1993)
In the Company of Antonin Artaud (1993)
Jacques Prevel, The Color of Hatred
  co-directed with Jérôme Prieur (1993)
Architruc (TV) (1995)
Body of Christ
  co-directed with Jérôme Prieur (1997-98)
Paddy (1999)
The Training of the City (TV) (2000)
Simon the Just (2001)
Origin of Christianity
  co-directed with Jérôme Prieur (2003)


Live the Socialite! (1981)
The Five Parts of the World (1984)
Celebrities Poldeves (1984)
Long Live the Socialite! Re-examined and Corrected (1987)
What Does Walter Think? (1987)
The Gravitation (1990)
Zartmo (1994)
Bethany (1996)
Body of Christ, Inquiry of the Gospels
  in collaboration with Jérôme Prieur (1997)
The Return of the Person on Leave (1999)
Jesus against Jesus
  in collaboration with Jérôme Prieur (2000)
The Grand Black Mare: The Railway Men in the Adventure of the Century (2000)
Jesus, Famous and Unknown
  in collaboration with Jérôme Prieur (2000)
Vichy Mint (2001)
The Fat Man (2002)
Mrs. Gore (2002) - Grand Prix of Black Humor
Street of the Drains (2002)
The Rudiments of the World (2003)
Yorick (2003)
How to Calm Mr. Bracke (2003)
It's My Turn (2003)
Jesus after Jesus
  in collaboration with Jérôme Prieur (2004)


The True History of Artaud le Momo
  co-directed with Gérard Mordillat (1993)
Jacques Prevel, the Color of Hate
  co-directed with Gérard Mordillat (1993)
Francois Mauriac
  co-directed with Olivier Guiton for "A Century of Writers" (1995)
Léon-Paul Farque, Memories of a Ghost
  for "A Century of Writers" (1997)
Body of Christ
  co-directed with Gérard Mordillat (1997-98)
Jean Paulhan, The Gift of Ubiquity
  for "A Century of Writers" (1998)
Proust Alive (2000)
The Forgotten Men in the Valley of Kings (2002)
Deir el-Medineh (2002)
Origin of Christianity
  co-directed with Gérard Mordillat (2003)
Appolon's Alarm Clock (2003/2004 - in progress)

As director of Portraits of Contemporary Writers: L-R des Forets, Henri Thomas, Claude Simon, Maurice Roche, Beatrix Beck, Jean Grosjean, Georges Haldas, Philippe Jaccottet, Georges Borgeaud, Edouard Glissant, Albert Cossery, Jude Stefan, André Frénaud, Jean Starobinski, Michel Butor, etc. (1987-2002)


The North Bridge (Jacques Rivette) (1983)
Hotel in the Park (Pierre Beuchot) (1991)
In the Company of Antonin Artaud (Gérard Mordillat) (1993)
Secret Companions (Pierre Beuchot) (1996)
Paddy (1999)
The Training of the Village (2000)


Sleepless Nights, Test on the Cinema (1980)
Meeting of Magic Lantern (1985)
The Nocturnal Spectator (1993) In the Company of Antonin Artaud
  in collaboration with Gérard Mordillat (1994)
Jacques Audiberti: The Wall of the Bottom, Writings on the Cinema
  in collaboration with Michel Giroud (1996)
Lightning War (1997)
Jesus Against Jesus
  in collaboration with Gérard Mordillat (1999)
Little Tomb of Marcel Proust
Jesus, Famous and Unknown
  in collaboration with Gérard Mordillat (2000)
Ghost Proust (2001) -Prix Céleste
All the Objects are Sphynx (2002)