In 1994, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the cinema, Cahiers du cinéma decided to produce a book in which one hundred authors would write about one hundred films in order to create an imaginary history of the cinema. In the very first pages, Jean-Luc Nancy thus describes the circumstances which led to the creation of L'évidence du film. Abbas Kiarostami, which may be construed as a long conversation with the Iranian film-maker about the relationship between images, photography and the cinema.
In this book, the author addresses the topic of images and the spectator, analysing the subject based upon his interview with Kiarostami, a "director who makes films while at the same time distancing himself from the cinema."

Jean-Luc Nancy was formerly a professor at Université de Strasbourg. A student and friend of Derrida, he has published numerous essays under his own name or in collaboration with Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe.