Editing Alejandro Jodorowsky (section)

==Film career==

=== Early comics and films ===
In 1957, while Jodorowsky was in Paris studying mime, he created ''[[Les têtes interverties]]'' (''The Severed Heads''), a 20-minute adaptation of [[Thomas Mann]]'s novella. It consisted almost entirely of mime and told the surreal story of a head-swapping merchant who helps a young man find courtship success. Jodorowsky played the lead role. The director [[Jean Cocteau]] admired the film and wrote an introduction for it. It was considered lost until a print of the film was discovered in 2006.

In 1966, he produced his first comic strip, ''Anibal 5'', which was related to the Panic Movement. The following year he created a new feature film, ''[[Fando y Lis]]'',<ref name="empire-oct-09" /> loosely based on a play written by [[Fernando Arrabal]], who was working with Jodorowsky on [[performance art]] at the time. ''Fando y Lis'' premiered at the 1968 [[Acapulco]] Film Festival, where it instigated a riot amongst those objecting to the film's content,<ref name="Rosenbaum92">Rosenbaum, 1992. p. 92</ref> and was subsequently banned in Mexico.<ref name="Rosenbaum93">Rosenbaum, 1992. p. 93</ref>

===''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'' (1970–1974)===
In 1970, Jodorowsky released the film ''[[El Topo]]'', which sometimes is known in English as ''The Mole'',<ref name="empire-oct-09"/> which he had both directed and starred in. An [[acid western]], ''El Topo'' tells the story of a wandering Mexican bandit and [[gunslinger]], El Topo (played by Jodorowsky), who is on a search for spiritual enlightenment, taking his young son along with him.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alejandro Jodorowsky {{!}} Biography, Films, & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alejandro-Jodorowsky|access-date=2020-07-16|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> Along the way, he violently confronts a number of other individuals, before finally being killed and being resurrected to live within a community of deformed people who are trapped inside a mountain cave. Describing the work, he stated that "I ask of film what most North Americans ask of psychedelic drugs. The difference being that when one creates a psychedelic film, he need not create a film that shows the visions of a person who has taken a pill; rather, he needs to manufacture the pill."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jodorowsky |first=Alejandro |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/El_Topo.html?id=uOcuAAAAYAAJ |title=El Topo: A Book of the Film |date=1972 |publisher=Douglas Book Corporation |isbn=978-0-8256-3401-7 |pages=97 |language=en}}</ref> Knowing how ''Fando y Lis'' had caused such a scandal in Mexico, Jodorowsky decided not to release ''El Topo'' there,<ref name="Rosenbaum93" /> instead focusing on its release in other countries across the world, including Mexico's northern neighbour, the United States. It was in New York City where the film would play as a "[[midnight movie]]" for several months at [[Ben Barenholtz]]'s [[Elgin Theater]]. It attracted the attention of rock musician and countercultural figure [[John Lennon]], who thought very highly of it, and convinced the president of [[The Beatles]]' company [[Apple Corps]], [[Allen Klein]], to distribute it in the United States.{{sfn|Jodorowsky|2005|p=237}}

Klein agreed to give Jodorowsky $1&nbsp;million to go toward creating his next film. The result was ''[[The Holy Mountain (1973 film)|The Holy Mountain]]'', released in 1973. It has been suggested that ''The Holy Mountain'' may have been inspired by [[René Daumal]]'s Surrealist novel ''[[Mount Analogue]]''. ''The Holy Mountain'' was another complex, multi-part story that featured a man credited as "The Thief" and equated with Jesus Christ, a mystical [[Alchemy|alchemist]] played by Jodorowsky, seven powerful business people representing seven of the planets (Venus and the six planets from Mars to Pluto), a religious training regimen of spiritual rebirth, and a quest to the top of a holy mountain for the secret of [[immortality]]. During the completion of ''The Holy Mountain'', Jodorowsky received spiritual training from [[Oscar Ichazo]] of the [[Arica School]], who encouraged him to take [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]] and guided him through the subsequent [[Psychedelia|psychedelic]] experience.<ref>Jodorowsky's audio commentary on the Anchor Bay DVD of ''The Holy Mountain''.</ref> Around the same time (2 November 1973), Jodorowsky participated in an [[isolation tank]] experiment conducted by [[John C. Lilly|John Lilly]].<ref>[[John C. Lilly]], ''The Deep Self: Profound Relaxation and the Tank Isolation Technique'', Simon & Schuster (1977), pp. 220–221.</ref>

Shortly thereafter, Allen Klein demanded that Jodorowsky create a film adaptation of Pauline Réage's classic novel of female [[Sadomasochism|masochism]], ''[[Story of O]]''. Klein had promised this adaptation to various investors. Jodorowsky, who had discovered [[feminism]] during the filming of ''The Holy Mountain'', refused to make the film, going so far as to leave the country to escape directing duties. In retaliation, Allen Klein made ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'', to which he held the rights, completely unavailable to the public for more than 30 years. Jodorowsky frequently decried Klein's actions in interviews.<ref>[http://web5.premiere.com/directors/3354/q-a-alejandro-jodorowsky.html Premiere – Q&A: Alejandro Jodorowsky]{{dead link|date=December 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=19 June 2007|title=Trance Mutations on the Holy Mountain|url=http://electricsailor.blogspot.com/2007/06/trance-mutations-on-holy-mountain.html|access-date=1 December 2015|publisher=Electricsailor.blogspot.com}}</ref>

Soon after the release of ''The Holy Mountain'', Jodorowsky gave a talk at the Teatro [[Julio Castillo]], [[University of Mexico]] on the subject of koans (despite the fact that he initially had been booked on the condition that his talk would be about cinematography), at which Ejo Takata appeared. After the talk, Takata gave Jodorowsky his [[kyosaku]], believing that his former student had mastered the art of understanding koans.<ref>Jodorowsky, Alejandro (2005). ''The Spiritual Journey of Alejandro Jodorowsky''. Rochester, Vermont: Park Street Press. pp. 194–216.</ref>

===''Dune'' and ''Tusk'' (1975–1980)===
In December 1974, a French consortium led by Jean-Paul Gibon purchased the [[film rights]] to [[Frank Herbert]]'s epic 1965 science fiction novel ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' and asked Jodorowsky to direct [[Dune (Jodorowsky film)|a film version]]. Jodorowsky planned to cast the Surrealist artist [[Salvador Dalí]], in what would have been his only speaking role as a film actor, in the role of Emperor [[Shaddam IV]]. Dalí agreed when Jodorowsky offered to pay him a fee of $100,000 per hour.<ref name="Dune">{{Cite web|last=Jodorowsky|first=Alejandro|title=The Film You Will Never See|url=https://www.duneinfo.com/unseen/jodorowsky/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616192820/http://www.duneinfo.com/unseen/jodorowsky|archive-date=16 June 2016|work=duneinfo.com}}</ref> He also planned to cast [[Orson Welles]] as Baron [[Vladimir Harkonnen]]; Welles only agreed when Jodorowsky offered to get his favourite gourmet chef to prepare his meals for him throughout the filming.{{sfn|Jodorowsky|2005|pp=227–230}} The book's protagonist, [[Paul Atreides]], was to be played by Jodorowsky's son, [[Brontis Jodorowsky]], 12 years old at the start of pre-production. The music would be composed by [[Pink Floyd]] and [[Magma (band)|Magma]].<ref name=Dune /> Jodorowsky set up a pre-production unit in Paris consisting of [[Chris Foss]], a British artist who designed covers for science fiction publications, [[Jean Giraud]] (Mœbius), a French illustrator who created and also wrote and drew for ''[[Métal Hurlant]]'' magazine, and [[H. R. Giger]].<ref name=Dune /> Frank Herbert travelled to Europe in 1976 to find that $2&nbsp;million of the $9.5&nbsp;million budget had already been spent in pre-production, and that Jodorowsky's script would result in a 14-hour movie ("It was the size of a phonebook", Herbert later recalled).<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Ariston|last2=Jodorowsky|first2=Alejandro|date=17 June 2013|title=10 Lessons on Filmmaking from Director Alejandro Jodorowsky|url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/72541-10-lessons-on-filmmaking-from-director-alejandro-jodorowsky/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409080232/http://filmmakermagazine.com/72541-10-lessons-on-filmmaking-from-director-alejandro-jodorowsky/|archive-date=9 April 2016|work=[[Filmmaker (magazine)|Filmmaker]]|publisher=[[Independent Feature Project]]}}</ref> Jodorowsky took creative liberties with the source material, but Herbert said that he and Jodorowsky had an amicable relationship. The production for the film collapsed when no film studio could be found willing to fund the movie to Jodorowsky's terms. The aborted production was chronicled in the documentary ''[[Jodorowsky's Dune]]'', directed by [[Frank Pavich]]. Subsequently, the rights for filming were sold to [[Dino De Laurentiis]], who employed the American filmmaker [[David Lynch]] to direct, creating the film ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]'' in 1984. The documentary does not include any original film footage of what was to be ''Jodorowsky's Dune'' though it states that the unmade film was an influence on other science fiction films, such as ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'', ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'', ''[[The Terminator (film)|The Terminator]]'', ''[[Flash Gordon (film)|Flash Gordon]]'' and ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190312-is-jodorowskys-dune-the-greatest-film-never-made|title=Is Jodorowsky's Dune the greatest film never made? |last=Barber |first=Nicholas |date=March 14, 2019|publisher=[[BBC News]]|access-date=May 19, 2020}}</ref><ref name="EW 1341">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20326356_20879243,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209103634/http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20326356_20879243,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 December 2014 |title=10 Best/5 Worst Movies of 2014 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |first=Chris |last=Nashawaty |issue=1341 |date=December 12, 2014|access-date=December 8, 2014}}</ref> In particular, the Jodorowsky-assembled team of O'Bannon, Foss, Giger, and Giraud went on to collaborate on the 1979 film ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scanlon |first1=Paul |author2=Michael Cross |title=The Book of Alien |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |year=1979 |location=[[London]] |isbn=1-85286-483-4}}</ref> Later, in January 2023, Frank Pavich, director of the documentary film ''Jodorowsky's Dune'', published an essay in ''[[The New York Times]]'' related to ''Jodorowsky's Dune'' (and more) that involved artwork generated by [[generative AI]].<ref name="NYT-20230113">{{cite news |last=Pavich |first=Frank |authorlink=Frank Pavich |title=This Is the 'Greatest Film Never Made' - This Film Does Not Exist |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/01/13/opinion/jodorowsky-dune-ai-tron.html |date=13 January 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=13 January 2023 }}</ref>

After the collapse of the ''Dune'' project, Jodorowsky completely changed course and, in 1980, premiered his children's fable ''[[Tusk (1980 film)|Tusk]]'', shot in India. Taken from [[Reginald Campbell]]'s novel ''[[Poo Lorn of the Elephants]]'', the film explores the [[soul-mate]] relationship between a young British woman living in India and a highly prized elephant. The film exhibited little of the director's outlandish visual style and was never given wide release.

===''Santa Sangre'' and ''The Rainbow Thief'' (1981–1990)===

In 1989, Jodorowsky completed the Mexican-Italian production ''[[Santa Sangre]]'' (''Holy Blood''). The film received limited theatrical distribution, putting Jodorowsky back on the cultural map despite its mixed critical reviews. ''Santa Sangre'' was a surrealistic [[slasher film]] with a plot like a mix of [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' with [[Robert Wiene]]'s ''[[The Hands of Orlac (1924 film)|The Hands of Orlac]]''. It featured a protagonist who, as a child, saw his mother lose both her arms, and as an adult let his own arms act as hers, and so was forced to commit murders at her whim. Several of Jodorowsky's sons were recruited as actors.

He followed in 1990 with a very different film, ''[[The Rainbow Thief]]''. Though it gave Jodorowsky a chance to work with the "movie stars" [[Peter O'Toole]] and [[Omar Sharif]], the executive producer, [[Alexander Salkind]], effectively curtailed most of Jodorowsky's artistic inclinations, threatening to fire him on the spot if anything in the script was changed (Salkind's wife, [[Berta Domínguez D.]], wrote the screenplay).

That same year (1990), Jodorowsky and his family returned to France to live.{{sfn|Jodorowsky|2005|p=216}}

===Attempts to return to filmmaking (1990–2011)===
[[File:AlejandroJodorowsky.jpg|thumb|Jodorowsky in [[Sitges]], Spain (2006)]]
[[File:Alejandro-Jodorowsky-y-Diego-Moldes.París.-26.03.2008.jpg|thumb|Jodorowsky (left) and Spanish writer [[:es:Diego Moldes|Diego Moldes]] in Paris (2008)]]
In 2000, Jodorowsky won the Jack Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the [[Chicago Underground Film Festival]] (CUFF). Jodorowsky attended the festival and his films were shown, including ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'',<ref>{{Cite news|last=Benson|first=Eric|date=2014-03-14|title=The Psychomagical Realism of Alejandro Jodorowsky|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/magazine/the-psychomagical-realism-of-alejandro-jodorowsky.html|access-date=2020-07-16|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> which at the time had grey legal status. According to festival director [[Bryan Wendorf]], it was an open question of whether CUFF would be allowed to show both films, or whether the police would show up and shut the festival down.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alejandro Jodorowsky & aesthetic film|url=http://somethinofnothin.net/blog/wordpress/2011/05/08/alejandro-jodorowsky-aesthetic-film/|access-date=2 September 2019|website=SONN|date=9 May 2011 }}</ref>

Until 2007, ''Fando y Lis'' and ''Santa Sangre'' were the only Jodorowsky works available on DVD. Neither ''El Topo'' nor ''The Holy Mountain'' were available on [[videocassette]] or DVD in the United States or the United Kingdom, due to ownership disputes with distributor [[Allen Klein]]. After settlement of the dispute in 2004, however, plans to re-release Jodorowsky's films were announced by ABKCO Films. On 19 January 2007, it was announced online that [[Anchor Bay Entertainment|Anchor Bay]] would release a box set including ''El Topo'', ''The Holy Mountain'', and ''Fando y Lis'' on 1 May 2007. A limited edition of the set includes both the ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'' soundtracks. And, in early February 2007, Tartan Video announced its 14 May 2007, release date for the UK ''PAL DVD'' editions of ''El Topo'', ''The Holy Mountain'', and the six-disc box set which, alongside the aforementioned feature films, includes the two soundtrack CDs, as well as separate DVD editions of Jodorowsky's 1968 debut feature ''Fando y Lis'' (with his 1957 short ''La cravate'' a.k.a. ''Les têtes interverties'', included as an extra) and the 1994 feature-length documentary ''La constellation Jodorowsky''. Notably, ''Fando y Lis'' and ''La cravate'' were digitally restored extensively and remastered in London during late 2006, thus providing a suitable complement to the quality restoration work undertaken on ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'' in the States by ABKCO, and ensuring that the presentation of ''Fando y Lis'' is a significant improvement over the 2001 Fantoma DVD edition. Prior to the availability of these legitimate releases, only inferior quality, optically censored, [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] copies of both ''El Topo'' and ''The Holy Mountain'' have been circulated on the Internet and on DVD.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Films-Alejandro-Jodorowsky-Fando-Mountain/dp/B000NY1E9E |title=The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky: (Fando y Lis / El Topo / The Holy Mountain) |access-date=2020-07-16|website=www.amazon.com|date=May 2007 }}</ref>

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Jodorowsky attempted to make [[El Topo#Sequel|a sequel to ''El Topo'']], called at different times ''The Sons of El Topo'' and ''Abel Cain'', but did not find investors for the project.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Skinner|first1=Craig|date=15 May 2016|title=The Son of El Topo or A Sensual Travel to be Alejandro Jodorowsky's next film after Endless Poetry|url=https://www.flickreel.com/the-son-of-el-topo-or-a-sensual-travel-to-be-alejandro-jodorowskys-next-film-after-endless-poetry/|access-date=2 September 2019|website=Flickreel}}</ref>

In an interview with ''[[Première (magazine)|Première]]'', Jodorowsky said he intended his next project to be a gangster film called ''[[King Shot]]''. In an interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper in November 2009, however, Jodorowsky revealed that he was unable to find the funds to make ''King Shot'', and instead would be entering preparations on ''[[Abel Cain|Sons of El Topo]]'', for which he claimed to have signed a contract with "some Russian producers".<ref>{{Cite news|author=Steve Rose|date=14 November 2009|title='Lennon, Manson and me: the psychedelic cinema of Alejandro Jodorowsky' &#124; Guardian Film|work=The Guardian|location=London|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/14/alejandro-jodorowosky-el-topo}}</ref>

In 2010, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City staged the first American cinema retrospective of Alejandro Jodorowsky entitled ''Blood into Gold: The Cinematic Alchemy of Alejandro Jodorowsky''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alejandro Jodorowsky: Blood into Gold|url=http://madmuseum.org/series/alejandro-jodorowsky-blood-gold|access-date=1 December 2015|website=Museum of Arts and Design}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Rapold|first1=Nicholas|date=27 September 2010|title=Confessions of a Radical Mind|website=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704082104575516483224340778|access-date=5 August 2015}}</ref> Jodorowsky would attend the retrospective and hold a master class on art as a way of transformation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Art as a Way of Transformation A Master Class with Alejandro Jodorowsky|url=http://madmuseum.org/events/art-way-transformation|access-date=5 August 2015|website=Museum of Arts and Design}}</ref> This retrospective would inspire the museum [[MoMA PS1]] to present the exhibition ''Alejandro Jodorowsky: The Holy Mountain'' in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alejandro Jodorowsky: The Holy Mountain|url=http://momaps1.org/exhibitions/view/334|access-date=5 August 2015}}</ref>

===''The Dance of Reality'' and ''Endless Poetry'' (2011–present)===
In August 2011, Alejandro arrived in a town in Chile where he grew up, also the setting of his autobiography ''[[The Dance of Reality]]'', to promote an autobiographical film based upon his book.

On 31 October 2011, [[Halloween]] night, the [[Museum of Modern Art]] (New York City) honored Jodorowsky by showing ''The Holy Mountain''. He attended and spoke about his work and life.<ref name="TarotNYT">{{Cite news|author=David Coleman|date=11 November 2011|title=When the Tarot Trumps All|work=Fashion & Style|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/fashion/alejandro-jodorowsky-and-his-tarot-de-marseille.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimesarts&seid=auto|access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> The next evening, he presented ''El Topo'' at the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FSLC announces film series celebrating Hollywood's "Jew Wave" of the late 60s/early 70s |url=https://www.filmlinc.org/press/fslc-announces-film-series-celebrating-hollywoods-jew-wave-of-the-late-60s/ |website=Film at Lincoln Center |access-date=2 September 2019}}</ref>

Alejandro has stated that after finishing ''[[The Dance of Reality]]'' he was preparing to shoot his long-gestating ''[[El Topo]]'' sequel, ''[[Abel Cain]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=30 November 2011|title=Confirma Jodorowsky su regreso al cine|url=http://eleconomista.com.mx/entretenimiento/2011/11/30/confirma-jodorowsky-su-regreso-cine|journal=[[El Economista (Mexico)|El Economista]]|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=30 November 2011|title=Jodorowsky: 'Todos los problemas vienen de la familia' &#124; Cultura|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/11/30/cultura/1322631492.html|journal=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]]}}</ref> By January 2013, Alejandro finished filming on ''The Dance of Reality'' and entered into post-production. Alejandro's son and co-star in the film, Brontis, claimed the film was to be finished by March 2013, and that the film was "very different than the other films he made".<ref name="miaminewtimes1">{{Cite journal|last=Morgenstern|first=Hans|date=29 January 2013|title=Brontis Jodorowsky on His Father's New Film The Dance of Reality|url=http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/cultist/2013/01/brontis_jodorowsky_on_his_fath.php|journal=[[Miami New Times]]}}</ref> On 23 April, it was announced that the film would have its world premiere at the Film Festival in Cannes.<ref name="Elsa Keslassy @elsakeslassy">{{Cite news|author=Elsa Keslassy @elsakeslassy|date=23 April 2013|title=U.S. Fare Looms Large in Directors' Fortnight|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/hold-directors-fortnight-1200407774/}}</ref> coinciding with ''The Dance of Reality'' premiered alongside the documentary film ''[[Jodorowsky's Dune]]'', which premiered in May 2013 at the [[Cannes Film Festival]], creating a "Jodorowsky double bill".<ref>{{Cite news|author=Peter Bradshaw|date=18 May 2013|title=Cannes 2013: La Danza de la Realidad (The Dance of Reality) – first look review &#124; Film|work=The Guardian|location=London|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/18/cannes-2013-alejandro-jodorowsky-reality-dance}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Fred Topel|date=22 May 2013|title=Cannes Roundtable: Alejandro Jodorowsky on La Danza de la Realidad|url=http://m.craveonline.com/film/interviews/504843-cannes-roundtable-alejandro-jodorowsky-on-la-danza-de-la-realidad|publisher=M.craveonline.com}}</ref>

In 2015, Jodorowsky began a new film entitled ''[[Endless Poetry]]'', the sequel to his last "auto-biopic", ''The Dance of Reality''. His Paris-based production company, Satori Films, launched two successful [[crowdfunding]] campaigns to finance the film. The Indiegogo campaign has been left open indefinitely, receiving donations from fans and movie-goers in support of the independent production.<ref name="Indiegogo">{{cite web|url=https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/alejandro-jodorowsky-endless-poetry|title=Alejandro Jodorowsky - Endless Poetry|website=[[Indiegogo]]}}</ref> The film was shot between June and August 2015, in the streets of [[Centro Cultural Matucana 100|Matucana]] in Santiago, Chile, where Jodorowsky lived for a period in his life.<ref name="kickstarter.com">{{Cite web|title=Jodorowsky's new film ENDLESS POETRY(Poesía Sin Fin)|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/276667448/jodorowskys-new-film-endless-poetrypoesia-sin-fin/posts/1146266|access-date=10 June 2016|publisher=[[Kickstarter]]}}</ref> The film portrays his young adulthood in Santiago, years during which he became a core member of the Chilean poetic avant-garde alongside artists such as [[Hugo Marín]], [[Gustavo Becerra]], [[Enrique Lihn]], [[Stella Díaz Varín]], [[Nicanor Parra]] and others.<ref>{{Cite web|last=UPLINK|date=15 February 2015|title=Alejandro Jodorowsky's special message on KICKSTARTER – Feb 15 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRuJlHp0PB0|access-date=12 February 2018|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Alejandro Jodorowsky – Endless Poetry|url=http://www.poesiasinfin.com|access-date=12 February 2018|website=Alejandro Jodorowsky – Endless Poetry}}</ref> Jodorowsky's son [[Adan Jodorowsky]] plays him as an adult; and [[Brontis Jodorowsky]] plays as his father, Jaime. [[Jeremias Herskovitz]], from ''[[The Dance of Reality]]'', portrays Jodorowsky as a teenager.<ref name="kickstarter.com"/> [[Pamela Flores]] plays as Sara (his mother) and Stella Díaz Varín (poet and young Jodorowsky's girlfriend). [[Leandro Taub]] portrays Jodorowsky's best friend, the poet and novelist Enrique Lihn.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Boyd van Hoeij|date=14 May 2016|title='Endless Poetry' ('Poesia sin fin'): Cannes Review|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/endless-poetry-poesia-sin-fin-893999/|access-date=28 March 2019|work=Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> The film premiered in the [[Directors' Fortnight]] section of the [[2016 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes Film Festival]] on 14 May 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Poesía Sin Fin &#124; La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs|url=http://www.quinzaine-realisateurs.com/qz_film/poesia-sin-fin/|access-date=9 December 2016|publisher=Quinzaine-realisateurs.com}}</ref> [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'s review was overwhelmingly positive, calling it "...the most accessible movie he has ever made, and it may also be the best."<ref>{{Cite web|author=Owen Gleiberman|date=14 May 2016|title='Endless Poetry' Review – Cannes Film Festival 2016|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/cannes-film-review-jodorowsky-endless-poetry-1201774470/|access-date=9 December 2016|work=Variety}}</ref>

During an interview at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016, Jodorowsky announced his plans to finally make ''[[Abel Cain|The Son of El Topo]]'' as soon as financial backing is obtained.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Skinner |first=Craig |date=2016-05-15 |title=The Son of El Topo or A Sensual Travel to be Alejandro Jodorowsky's next film after Endless Poetry (Cannes Film Festival Breaking News) |url=https://www.flickreel.com:443/the-son-of-el-topo-or-a-sensual-travel-to-be-alejandro-jodorowskys-next-film-after-endless-poetry/ |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Flickreel |language=en-US}}</ref>