This programme examines films about children, surrealism, and dreams, and looks at how directors employ cinematic techniques such as editing and choosing camera angles. 'Women Make Film III' features screenings of six chapters from Mark Cousin’s documentary Women Make Film.

The first chapter, ‘Adult/Child’, explores the connection and bond between children and adults as depicted in films from across geography and time. ‘Economy’ looks at the fragments of a cinematic picture, going beyond spare and evocative visuals. Next, ‘Editing’ summarises how filmmakers connect or disconnect visuals, emotions, events, characters, and stories.

In ‘POV’, Cousins investigates the role of point-of-view shots to demonstrate psychological intimacy. ‘Close Up’ is about the power of the camera transforming itself into a microscope, a psychological zoom, or an element of abstraction to communicate finer details. The last chapter, ‘Surrealism and Dream’, sheds light on how filmmakers switch into, reveal, and replicate the inner workings of the subconscious mind in films and silent movies.

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.