Like determining the list of longest novels, figuring the list of longest films yields different results depending on what criteria are used.

While most cinematic films have a broad theatrical release in multiple locations through normal distribution channels, some of the world's longest films are experimental or art films that were never simultaneously released to multiple screens or intended for mainstream audiences. They may have been shown in art galleries where audiences were intended to walk in and out. The longest film screened so far is the Danish experimental film Modern Times Forever (Stora Enso Building, Helsinki)

Modern Times Forever (Stora Enso Building, Helsinki)

Modern Times Forever is a 2011 film by Danish artists' group Superflex. It is currently the longest film ever made, lasting 240 hours . The film shows centuries of decay, compressed into the span of the film, marking Helsinki's Stora Enso building; the building it was originally screened in front...

made by Superflex

Superflex

SUPERFLEX is a Danish artists' group founded in 1993 by Jakob Fenger, Rasmus Nielsen and Bjørnstjerne Christiansen. Superflex describe their projects as Tools, as proposals that invite people to actively participate in and communicate the development of experimental models that alter the prevailing...

. It has a runtime of 240 hours and a one-off screening began on 23 March 2011 at the IHME Contemporary Art Festival in Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

.

Experimental films

Title	Running time	Year released
Modern Times Forever (Stora Enso Building, Helsinki) Modern Times Forever (Stora Enso Building, Helsinki) Modern Times Forever is a 2011 film by Danish artists' group Superflex. It is currently the longest film ever made, lasting 240 hours . The film shows centuries of decay, compressed into the span of the film, marking Helsinki's Stora Enso building; the building it was originally screened in front...	14400 min (240 hr / 10 days)	2011
Cinématon Cinématon Cinématon is a 162-hour long experimental film by French director Gérard Courant. It was the longest film ever released, until 2011. Composed over 33 years from 1978 until 2011, it consists of a series of over 2,432 silent vignettes , each 3 minutes and 25 seconds long, of various celebrities,...	9720 min (162 hr / 6 days, 18 hours).	1978–2011
Untitled #125 (Hickory)	7200 min (120 hr / 5 days).	2011
Matrjoschka Matrjoschka Matrjoschka is a film made and produced by the German artist Karin Hoerler in 2006. At 95 hours of playtime it is the third longest experimental film by time....	5700 min (95 hr / 3 days, 23 hours).	2006
The Cure for Insomnia The Cure for Insomnia The Cure for Insomnia, directed by John Henry Timmis IV, was officially the world's longest movie, according to Guinness World Records, as of its release in 1987. Running 5,220 minutes in length, the movie has no plot, instead consisting of artist L. D...	5220 min (87 hr / 3 days, 15 hours).	1987
The Longest Most Meaningless Movie in the World The Longest Most Meaningless Movie in the World The Longest Most Meaningless Movie in the World is an underground movie made in the UK that runs to 48 hours long. No actual footage was shot for the project, which instead consists entirely of outtakes, commercials, strips of undeveloped film, academy leader, and other filmic castoff material,...	2880 min (48 hr)	1968
**** (Four Stars) Four Stars (film) Four Stars is a 1967 avant-garde film by Andy Warhol, actually consisting of 25 hours of film . In typical Warhol fashion of the period, each reel of the film is 35 minutes long, or 1200 ft...	1500 min (25 hr / 1 day, 1 hour).	1967
24 Hour Psycho 24 Hour Psycho 24 Hour Psycho is the title of an art installation created by artist Douglas Gordon in 1993. The work consists entirely of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 Psycho slowed down to approximately two frames a second, rather than the usual 24. As a result it lasts for exactly 24 hours, rather than the original...	1440 min (24 hr / 1 day).	1993
The Clock (2010) The Clock (2010) The Clock is an art installation by video artist Christian Marclay . It is in effect a clock, but it is made of a 24-hour montage of thousands of time-related scenes from movies and some TV shows, meticulously edited to be shown in “real time”: each scene contains an indication of time that is...	1440 min (24 hr / 1 day).	2010
Crude Oil Crude Oil (film) Crude Oil is a 2008 Chinese documentary film directed by Wang Bing. Filmed in the Inner Mongolian portion of the Gobi Desert, it follows a group of oil field workers as they go about their daily routine....	840 min (14 hr).	2008
The White House	690 min (11 hr).	2006
Empire Empire (1964 film) Empire is a silent, black-and-white film made by Andy Warhol. It consists of eight hours and five minutes of continuous slow motion footage of the Empire State Building in New York City. Abridged showings of the film were never allowed, and supposedly the very unwatchability of the film was an...	485 min (8 hr).	1964
The Wake	462 min (8 hr).	2000
Lamentations a Monument for the Dead World	427 min (7 hr).	1985
The Movie Orgy The Movie Orgy The Movie Orgy is a 1968 film, created by Joe Dante and Jon Davison It is a seven-hour-long compilation of movie clips, commercials, and film trailers assembled by Dante while a college student....	420 min (7 hr).	1968
Star Spangled to Death	402 min (6 hr).	2004
Sleep Sleep (film) Sleep is a film by Andy Warhol which consists of long take footage of John Giorno, his close friend at the time, sleeping for five hours and 20 minutes. The film was one of Warhol's first experiments with filmmaking, and was created as an "anti-film". Warhol would later extend this technique to...	321 min (5 hr).	1963

Cinematic films

Note: Some releases are extended cuts or director's cuts, and are ranked according to the longest verified running time.

Title	Running time	Year released
Berlin Alexanderplatz Berlin Alexanderplatz (television) Berlin Alexanderplatz, originally broadcast in 1980, is a 14-part television film adapted and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder from the Alfred Döblin novel of the same name, and stars Günter Lamprecht, Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Sukowa, Elisabeth Trissenaar and Gottfried John...	931 min (15 hr).	1980
Resan Resan Resan is a 14 ½ hour film by Peter Watkins, made between the years 1983 and 1985 on several continents, and structured around the theme of nuclear weapons, military spending and poverty. Ordinary people are asked about their awareness of these issues...  (The Journey)	873 min (14 hr).	1987
Out 1 Out 1 Out 1 is a 1971 film directed by Jacques Rivette, one of the major filmmakers of the French New Wave. Notorious for its unwieldy length of twelve hours and forty minutes, it is also referred to as Out 1: Noli me tangere...  (Noli me tangere)	773 min (13 hr).	1971
How Yukong Moved the Mountains How Yukong Moved the Mountains How Yukong Moved the Mountains is a 1976 French documentary film directed by Joris Ivens, about the last days of the Cultural Revolution. At 763 min it is one of the longest films by running time....	763 min (13 hr).	1977
Evolution of a Filipino Family Evolution of a Filipino Family Evolution of a Filipino Family is a Filipino film by Lav Diaz. The film is 593 minutes long and ranks among the longest films of all time.-External links:* Ten Best Films of the Decade, Cinema Scope Magazine...	643 min (11 hr).	2004
Human Condition The Human Condition (film trilogy) is a Japanese epic film trilogy made between 1959 and 1961. It is based on a novel by Gomikawa Junpei 五味川純平 .-Background:It was directed by Masaki Kobayashi and stars Tatsuya Nakadai. The trilogy follows the life of Kaji, a Japanese pacifist and socialist, as he tries to survive in the fascist...	579 min (9 hr).	1959-1961
Shoah Shoah (film) This page is about the film by the name of Shoah. For other uses, see Shoah Shoah is a 1985 French documentary film directed by Claude Lanzmann about the Holocaust...	566 min (9 hr).	1985
Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks is a Chinese documentary film by Wang Bing. Over 9 hours long, the film consists of three parts, "Rust," "Remnants" and "Rails."...	556 min (9 hr).	2003
Death in the Land of the Encantos	540 min (9 hr).	2007
Heremias Book One: The Legend of the Lizard Princess	540 min (9 hr).	2006
Taiga Taiga (film) Taiga is an eight-hour documentary directed and photographed by Ulrike Ottinger.It focuses on the life and rituals of nomadic peoples in Northern Mongolia, specifically the Darkhad nomads and the Sojon Urinjanghai.-External links:*...	501 min (8 hr).	1992
War and Peace War and Peace (1968 film) War and Peace is a Soviet-produced film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace. Sergei Bondarchuk directed the film, co-wrote the screenplay and also acted in the lead role of Pierre. It was produced over a seven year period and released in four parts between 1965 and...	484 min (8 hr).	1968
Melancholia Melancholia (2008 film) Melancholia is a 2008 Philippine film directed by Lav Diaz. It won the Horizons prize at the 65th Venice International Film Festival.-Cast:* Angeli Bayani as Alberta Munoz / Jenine* Perry Dizon as Julian Tomas / pimp* Roeder as Renato Munoz...	480 min (8 hr).	2008
The Photo-Drama of Creation The Photo-Drama of Creation The Photo-Drama of Creation, or Creation-Drama, was a four-part Christian film produced by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania under the direction of Charles Taze Russell, the founder of the Bible Student movement.The film presented Russell's beliefs about God's plan from the...	480 min (8 hr).	1914
Imitation of Christ Imitation of Christ (film) - Production :Andy Warhol shot sixteen 32-minute reels of film for all the interior shots during January 1967 in a Hollywood Hills home called the Castle...	480 min (8 hr).	1967
El Protegido de Satán	480 min (8 hr).	1917
Mefisto	460 min (8 hr).	1917
Satantango Satantango Sátántangó is a film directed by Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr. Shot in black-and-white, completed in 1994, it runs 7 hours and 12 minutes. It is based on the novel Sátántangó by Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai, who has been providing Tarr with stories since his 1988 film Kárhozat...	450 min (8 hr).	1994
Hitler: A Film from Germany Hitler: A Film from Germany Hitler: A Film from Germany is a 1978 Franco-British-German experimental biopic directed by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg, produced by Bernd Eichinger, and co-produced by the BBC. It starred Heinz Schubert, who played both Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler...	442 min (7 hr).	1978
Arshin Mal Alan	420 min (7 hr).	1916
The Satin Slipper The Satin Slipper The Satin Slipper is a long play by the French dramatist and poet Paul Claudel. It was written in 1929, but first performed on stage in 1943. Today it is rarely staged because of its extreme length and its challenging production requirements...	410 min (7 hr).	1985
The Best of Youth The Best of Youth The Best of Youth , is a 2003 Italian film directed by Marco Tullio Giordana. Originally planned as a four-part mini-series, it was presented at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival where it won the prestigious Un Certain Regard award. It was then given a theatrical release in Italy in two three-hour...	400 min (7 hr).	2003
Bábolna	400 min (7 hr).	1985
I, Paisan	392 min (7 hr).	1967
Parisette Parisette Parisette is a 1921 French drama film serial directed by Louis Feuillade.-Cast:* Sandra Milovanoff ... Parisette* Georges Biscot - Cogolin* Fernand Herrmann - Le banquier Stephan* Édouard Mathé - Pedro Alvarez* René Clair - Jean Vernier...	380 min (6 hr).	1921
Babel - A Letter to My Friends Left Behind in Belgium	380 min (6 hr).	1991
La Révolution française La Révolution française (film) La Révolution française is a two-part film, co-produced by France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada. The first part, titled La Révolution française : les Années lumière was directed by Robert Enrico. The second part, La Révolution française : les Années terribles, was directed by...	360 min (6 hr).	1989
Little Dorrit Little Dorrit (film) Little Dorrit is a 1988 film adaptation of the novel Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. It was written and directed by Christine Edzard, and produced by John Brabourne and Richard B. Goodwin. The music, by Giuseppe Verdi, was arranged by Michael Sanvoisin.The film stars Derek Jacobi as Arthur...	360 min (6 hr).	1988
Bevezetés a filmkészítés rejtelmeibe	360 min (6 hr).	1996
Les Miserables Les Misérables (1925 film) Les Misérables is a French silent film based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.-Cast:* Gabriel Gabrio as Jean Valjean* Paul Jorge as Monseigneur Myriel* Sandra Milowanoff as Fantine & Cosette* Andrée Rolane as Cosette...	359 min (6 hr).	1925
The Fight for Moscow	358 min (6 hr).	1985
Near Death	358 min (6 hr).	1989
Fragments: Jerusalem	358 min (6 hr).	1997
Perón, sinfonía del sentimiento	346 min (6 hr).	1999
La Commune (Paris, 1871) La Commune (Paris, 1871) La Commune is a 2000 historical drama film directed by Peter Watkins about the Paris Commune. It is a historical re-enactment in the style of a documentary, and was shot in just 13 days in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Paris...	345 min (6 hr).	2000
And Quiet Flows the Don And Quiet Flows the Don (1958 film) And Quiet Flows the Don is a three-part epic 1958 Soviet film directed by Sergei Gerasimov based on the novel of the same title by Mikhail Sholokhov. The first two parts of the film were released in October 1957 and the final third part in 1958...	340 min (6 hr).	1957–1958
Perón, sinfonía del sentimiento	340 min (6 hr).	1999
L'idole des jeunes	338 min (6 hr).	1976
Vkus khleba	336 min (6 hr).	1979
Napoléon	330 min (6 hr).	1927
Yoman	330 min (6 hr).	1983
Mahatma: Life of Gandhi, 1869-1948 Mahatma: Life of Gandhi, 1869-1948 Mahatma: Life of Gandhi, 1869–1948 is a 1968 documentary biography film, detailing the life of Mahatma Gandhi. The film was produced by The Gandhi National Memorial Fund in cooperation with the Films Division of the Government of India, and was directed and scripted by Vithalbhai Jhaveri. Jhaveri...	330 min (6 hr).	1968
The Vampires	399 min (6 hr).	1915
Spiritual Voices	328 min (5 hr).	1995
Vindicta	320 min (5 hr).	1923
Cleopatra Cleopatra (1963 film) Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy...	320 min (5 hr).	1963
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty	320 min (5 hr).	2000
1900 1900 (film) 1900 is a 1976 Italian epic film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Donald Sutherland, Alida Valli, and Burt Lancaster. Set in Bertolucci's ancestral region of Emilia, the film chronicles the lives of two men during the political turmoils...	318 min (5 hr).	1976
Tsahal	316 min (5 hr).	1994
The Deluge	316 min (5 hr).	1974
Batang West Side	315 min (5 hr).	2002
Tamas (film)	312 min (5 hr).	1987 (Hindi)
Fanny and Alexander Fanny and Alexander Fanny and Alexander is a 1982 Swedish fantasy drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. It was originally conceived as a four-part TV movie and cut in that version, spanning 312 minutes. A 188-minute version was created later for cinematic release, although this version was in fact the...	312 min (5 hr).	1983
Nightmare	312 min (5 hr).	1972
Legend About Thiel	311 min (5 hr).	1976
Les Misérables Les Misérables (1934 film) Les Misérables is a 1934 film adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name. It was written and directed by Raymond Bernard and stars Harry Baur as Jean Valjean and Charles Vanel as Javert...	305 min (5 hr).	1934
The Confessions of Winifred Wagner	302 min (5 hr).	1975
The Nazis: A Warning From History The Nazis: A Warning from History The Nazis: A Warning from History is a 1997 BBC documentary film series that examines Adolf Hitler and the Nazis' rise to power, their zenith, their decline and fall, and the consequences of their reign. It featured archive footage and interviews with eye witnesses and was shown in six...	299 min (5 hr).	1998

The original version of Erich von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...

's Greed

Greed (film)

Greed is a 1924 American dramatic silent film. It was directed by Erich von Stroheim and starring Gibson Gowland, Zasu Pitts, Jean Hersholt, Dale Fuller, Tempe Pigott, Sylvia Ashton, Chester Conklin, Joan Standing and Jack Curtis....

reportedly ran at about 10 hours. However, it was only ever shown once at this length, and no such copy currently exists. The length of the final release (edited against von Stroheim's wishes) was approximately 2 hours 20 minutes. Subsequently rediscovered footage has let researchers reconstruct something closer to four hours. Similarly, Sion Sono's Love Exposure

Love Exposure

is a 2008 Japanese film written and directed by Sion Sono. The film gained a considerable amount of notoriety in film festivals around the world for its four-hour duration and themes including love, family, lust, religion and the art of upskirt photography. The first version was originally six...

 ran approximately 6 hours before being edited down to four at the behest of the producers. A 2-hour version was attempted but ultimately deemed "impossible", according to Sono. Sono currently has no plans to publicly release the 6-hour cut.

Films released in separate parts

Title	Running time	Year released
The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple is a Chinese silent film serial directed by Zhang Shichuan. The film, adapted from the novel The Tale of the Extraordinary Swordsman, focuses on the rescue of a commander held captive in a temple full of traps....	1620 min (27 hr).	1928–1931
Die Zweite Heimat - Chronik Einer Jugend Heimat (film) Heimat is the overall title of three series of films in 30 episodes written and directed by Edgar Reitz which view life in Germany between 1919 and 2000 through the eyes of a family from the Hunsrück area of the Rhineland. Personal and domestic life is set against glimpses of wider social and...	1532 min (25 hr).	1992
Heimat - Eine Deutsche Chronik Heimat (film) Heimat is the overall title of three series of films in 30 episodes written and directed by Edgar Reitz which view life in Germany between 1919 and 2000 through the eyes of a family from the Hunsrück area of the Rhineland. Personal and domestic life is set against glimpses of wider social and...	924 min (15 hr).	1984