F for Fake

F for Fake
US theatrical release poster
Directed by	Orson Welles François Reichenbach
Written by	Orson Welles Oja Kodar
Produced by	François Reichenbach Dominique Antoine Richard Drewett
Starring	Orson Welles Oja Kodar Elmyr de Hory Clifford Irving Edith Irving François Reichenbach
Cinematography	François Reichenbach (France) Gary Graver (United States)
Edited by	Marie-Sophie Dubus Dominique Engerer Gary Graver (uncredited)
Music by	Michel Legrand
Distributed by	Planfilm Specialty Films
Release date	1973 (1973) (San Sebastián Film Festival)
Running time	88 minutes
Countries	France Iran West Germany
Language	English
Box office	182,857 admissions (France)[1]

F for Fake (French: Vérités et mensonges, "Truths and lies"; Spanish: Fraude,^[2] "Fraud") is a 1973 docudrama film co-written, directed by, and starring Orson Welles who worked on the film alongside François Reichenbach, Oja Kodar, and Gary Graver. Initially released in 1974, it focuses on Elmyr de Hory's recounting of his career as a professional art forger; de Hory's story serves as the backdrop for a meandering investigation of the natures of authorship and authenticity, as well as the basis of the value of art. Far from serving as a traditional documentary on de Hory, the film also incorporates Welles's companion Oja Kodar, hoax biographer Clifford Irving and Orson Welles as himself. F for Fake is sometimes considered an example of a film essay.

In addition to the 88-minute film, in 1976, Welles also shot and edited a self-contained nine-minute short film as a "trailer", almost entirely composed of original material not found in the main film itself.