This programme focuses on how some of the world’s greatest female directors capture conversations, handle camera movement and harness the power of discovery. 'Women Make Film II' features screenings of six chapters from Mark Cousin’s documentary Women Make Film.

‘Conversation’ shows how directors turn fundamental human interactions into powerful cinematic moments. In the next chapter, ‘Framing’, Cousins looks at how frames paint the scenes. Next, ‘Tracking’ explains the complex choreography and precise camerawork of tracking shots—an essence of filmmaking magic.

Pointing clearly to the origin of theatre, ‘Staging’ answers a key question: how do directors shape a scene’s invisible geometry and accentuate tension between characters? In ‘Journey’, Cousins dives into movement where modes of transportation become metaphors for horizontal and vertical inner journeys. Finally, the ways discovery and revelation shape some of cinema’s most iconic moments are the subject of ‘Discovery’.

Mark Cousins (b. 1965, England) is a filmmaker, critic, and programmer based in Edinburgh. He is known for The First Movie (2009), The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011), A Story of Children and Film (2013), and The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018). He is the co-founder with Tilda Swinton of the 8½ Foundation.