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Mark Jenkin's The Cinematic DNA of Enys Men
When considering the DNA of Enys Men it’s maybe predictable that many of the films in this season are drawn from the 1970s – the decade in which the film is grounded, writes filmmaker and season curator Mark Jenkin.
‘I’d rather people feel a film before understanding it.’
– Robert Bresson
Inevitably, when thinking of this era in Britain, a number of these films are not films at all, but highly innovative, haunting, weird or eerie, free-form, often experimental, sometimes oblique, yet always uncompromisingly authored productions made for the small screen. Some of my choices are linked to Enys Men through form, others by content; but in most cases, hopefully by a bit of both. After all, the greatest films mesh the two in a way that is hard to tell where one starts and the other finishes, and cannot ever be picked apart. There are films in this season that do not share similarities with Enys Men in either form or content, but are examples of work made by people who were, and are, willing to take risks; to experiment, maybe even to fail, all in the name of expanding the language of this youthful art form. For that reason alone, they remain a huge inspiration to me.
Fylm bys vyken!
Mark Jenkin, season curator
WalkaboutWalkabout
Drama1970101 minsDirector: Nicolas Roeg
Jenny Agutter plays the teenage girl reliant on a young Aboriginal (David Gulpilil) for her survival, in Nicolas Roeg's stunning Australian outback drama.
"This is where it all started for me. Walkabout is a visceral, sensual and overwhelming experience that arrived at a formative time."
BaitBait
Drama201989 minsDirector: Mark Jenkin
Simmering tensions between locals and newcomers in a modern-day Cornish fishing village reach boiling point in this hugely acclaimed British independent film.
"16mm, black & white, dirty, full of grain, faces, working hands, the rough edges, wild, tangible, real. Bait is a film where form and content are inextricably intertwined. It’s also a film that changed everything for me."
Long WeekendLong Weekend
Drama197795 minsDirector: Colin Eggleston
An Australian ecological horror in which a reckless couple on a camping trip sees nature savagely fighting back.
"The links to my film are pretty clear here: the insects, the birds, the rocks, the sea, the foreboding threat inherent in the natural world. Probably the closest we get to an ecosophical film in this season."
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 BruxellesJeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
Drama1975202 minsDirector: Chantal Akerman
Chantal Akerman's magnificent epic of experimental cinema offering a feminist perspective on recurrent events of everyday life.
"The confrontational camera, sparse dialogue, performances devoid of grand gesture or faux emotion are all there, but the gradual subversion of a strict routine is the obvious starting point when it comes to its influence."
Berberian Sound StudioBerberian Sound Studio
Drama201292 minsDirector: Peter Strickland
In 1970s Italy, a timid British sound engineer joins the crew on a violent horror film. But the disturbing world of the film soon seeps into reality.
"There is a real thrill in watching foley being recorded directly to loops of ¼ inch tape – a process that I employed when creating the sound for Enys Men and one of my favourite aspects of filmmaking."
Haunters of the DeepHaunters of the Deep
Children's198461 minsDirector: Andrew Bogle
A ghostly boy returns from the grave to warn against reopening 'The Devil's Mine' in this spooky drama.
"I must have seen this around the time it came out. Enys Men shares many of the same locations in West Cornwall. Having recently re-watched it, I realise I may have borrowed some shots for my film. It obviously made a mark."
Oss Oss Wee OssOss Oss Wee Oss
Performance195317 minsDirector: Alan Lomax
A short playful film about the famous May Day ceremony of Padstow, a fishing village in Cornwall.
"I grew up over the water from Padstow and the sounds of the drums coming across the estuary on May morning would terrify and entice me in equal measure. This is playful, inventive, evocative and respectful filmmaking."
Requiem for a VillageRequiem for a Village
Animation & Artists Moving Image197568 minsDirector: David Gladwell
The idyllic, pastoral past of a Suffolk village is reborn through memory in this extraordinary, little-known film from director David Gladwell.
"It may be nearly half a century old, but this melancholic portrait of loss seems more relevant than ever. At times surreal and abstract, while in other moments pure documentary, this is a quietly angry piece of filmmaking."
Between the TidesBetween the Tides
Documentary195821 mins Location: Dale Fort Field Centre
Fascinating film of colourful marine life, captured in the inter-tidal zone of a typical and attractive rocky shore of southwest England.
"This Oscar-nominated short is a lovely example of giving significance to the seemingly insignificant simply by pointing a camera at it. If you look closely, you may catch a glimpse of Enys Men, looming in the background."
Enys Men
Watch Jenkin's latest film,a chilling, endlessly mysterious folk horror tale, beautifully shot on grainy 16mm.
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