Sunday 29 August also marks the launch of the ultimate Mark Cousins collection on Filmhouse @ Home
- Edinburgh Filmhouse hosts a special screening of Mark Cousins’ latest film The Story of Looking on Sunday 29 August at 7.30pm, followed by an in-person Q&A with director Mark Cousins.
- The Story of Looking is being released UK-wide on Friday 17 Sept by Modern Films.
- Scottish premiere of The Story of Looking at Filmhouse on Sunday 29 August marks the launch of the ultimate Mark Cousins collection on Filmhouse @ Home
Described by Variety as “An uplifting meditation on the power of looking”, Mark Cousins explores the role that visual experience plays in our individual and collective lives as he prepares for surgery to restore his vision.
In a deeply personal meditation on the power of looking in his own life, he guides us through the riches of the visible world, a kaleidoscope of extraordinary imagery across cultures and eras.
At a time when we are more assailed by images than ever, he reveals how looking makes us who we are, lying at the heart of the human experience, empathy, discovery and thought. He shares the pleasure and pain of seeing the world, in all its complexity and contradiction, with eyes wide open.
As the Covid-19 pandemic brings another dramatic shift of perspective, he reaches out to the other lookers for their vision from lockdown, and travels to the future to consider how his looking life will continue to develop until the very end.
“A rich cinematic journey into the art of seeing and how it connects us with culture, ourselves and each other” Time Out
https://www.filmhousecinema.com/showing/story-looking
The ultimate Mark Cousins collection on Filmhouse @ Home includes 13 films:
The First Movie (w/d/dp, 81 m, 2009)
The Story of Film: An Odyssey (w/d/dp, 930 m, 2011)
What is this Film Called Love? (w/d/dp, 75 m, 2012) a personal film about Mexico City and Sergei Eisenstein
Here be Dragons (w/d/dp 76 mins, 2013) About Albania
A Story of Children and Film (w/d/dp, 101 m, 2013)
Life May Be (co-w/co-d/co-dp with Mania Akbari, 80 m, 2014) Cine-letters
6 Desires: DH Lawrence and Sardinia (w/d/dp, 83 m, 2014)
I am Belfast (w/d/co-dp, 86 m, 2015) A city film, co-shot by Christopher Doyle
Atomic (d, 72 mins, 2015) A montage film, with a new score by Mogwai
Stockholm My Love (w/d, co-dp 2016) City musical, with Neneh Cherry
The Eyes of Orson Welles (w/d/dp, 100 mins, 2018)
Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (w/d 15 hrs, 2020)
The Story of Looking (w/d/dp, 87 mins, 2021)
Mark Cousins said: “For 36 years, Filmhouse has been my local cinema, my education, my escape and consolation, so I LOVE the idea that it will host my movies on Filmhouse at Home.
“I’ve been a passionate filmmaker for three decades. Many of my films have been influenced by what I’ve seen in Filmhouse. Now, for the first time, many of them are in one place. I’m humbled, as are my many collaborators – editor, producers, sound designers, composers and graphics artists – in Edinburgh, Scotland and further afield. Thank you from all of us.”
Rod White, Head of Programming at Filmhouse said: “What a twin pleasure it is to have Mark with us once again in person to discuss his latest film, The Story of Looking, ahead of its national release, AND be instrumental in bringing together all his feature film work to date in the one place – that being our streaming site Filmhouse @ Home – for new audiences to enjoy.
“We’re especially pleased and proud to be able to support a filmmaker who’s been such a strong supporter of Filmhouse over the years.”
The Story of Looking is supported by the National Lottery via Creative Scotland.