By Sidney Lumet

"By Sidney Lumet", the documentary film, is a portrait of the work and life of one of the most accomplished and influential directors in the history of cinema. Peabody and Emmy Award- winning filmmaker Nancy Buirski has Lumet to guide us through his world; the documentary film features clips from Lumet's films -- he made 44 films in 50 years. Though spiritual and ethical lessons are at the core of his work, they are not didactic. His films are both powerfully dramatic and wildly entertaining for Mr. Lumet was first and foremost a storyteller. In a rare never-before-seen interview, we are privileged to have Sidney Lumet tell his own story just a few years before his death. With candor, humor and grace, he reveals what matters to him as an artist and as a human being. His strongly moral tales captured the dilemmas and concerns of a society struggling with essentials -- how does one behave to others and to oneself?