Out on Film 2026 - Face to Face: Don Bachardy

From the venue:

Face to Face is a deeply personal and revealing documentary that explores the life and art of Don Bachardy, one of the most distinctive portrait artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Known for his striking, intimate drawings, Bachardy’s career is closely intertwined with that of his longtime partner, the writer Christopher Isherwood.

Through candid interviews and rare access to Bachardy’s working environment, the film offers an unfiltered look at his creative practice and the extraordinary sitters who have come before him. The film begins with Bachardy preparing a portrait in his Santa Monica studio, inviting viewers into the rituals, concentration, and quiet intensity that define his process.

Bachardy reflects on his early fascination with Hollywood—how film stars shaped his understanding of expression—and on the turning point when Isherwood encouraged him to pursue formal training at Chouinard, setting him on the path to a life devoted to portraiture. Friends, artists, and longtime sitters speak to his singular ability to capture the essence of a person with both honesty and empathy, whether depicting iconic actors like Ginger Rogers and Henry Fonda or public figures such as Jerry Brown.

One of the film’s most powerful threads is Bachardy’s recollection of the final portraits he made of Isherwood as he was dying. Over six months, Bachardy completed 448 drawings—an act of devotion that remains one of the most remarkable artistic testaments to love and loss.

In his later years, Bachardy continues to evolve as an artist, most recently culminating in a major retrospective at The Huntington, while his growing body of self-portraits charts his own aging with stark candor.

Face to Face is a portrait of an artist who has spent his life looking—deeply, relentlessly, and without compromise—revealing not only Bachardy’s extraordinary body of work but also the humanity, curiosity, and courage that have guided him for more than six decades.