Reclaim the Frame x Women Make Film Q&A
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Mark Cousins, the documentarian and film buff extraordinaire behind The Story of Film and The Eyes of Orson Welles returns this month with a mammoth, 14-hour essayistic dedication to female filmmakers. Women Make Film is divided into 40 chapters and features the work of 183 different directors. The comprehensive chapter titles range from technical (“Staging”, “Editing”) to esoteric (“The Meaning of Life”, “Gear Change”). Narration comes from an all-star cast that includes Jane Fonda, Tilda Swinton and Thandie Newton.
Anybody familiar with Cousins’ work will know to expect poetic tangents, incisive links and references to films that range from mainstream, to art house, through to the thrillingly obscure. Kathryn Bigelow, Donna Deitch, Agnès Varda, Vĕra Chytilová and Maren Ade are just a few of the filmmakers to earn a mention in the programme notes.
Reclaim the Frame — the nationwide initiative dedicated to promoting women-led film — will be hosting an online discussion with Cousins, film historian Pamela Hutchinson, film critic Kate Muir and BFI National Film Archive Head Curator, Robin Baker on Monday 25 May via Facebook Live. The film itself, split into five parts, is available to start watching with a BFI Player subscription (£4.99).
