2 minutes with… Mark Cousins

 

Next up in our ‘2 minutes with’ series, we’re delighted to have the chance to chat with internationally acclaimed director and writer, Mark Cousins, ahead of his event with us to discuss his brand new book, Dear Orson Welles & Other Essays; a book which reflects on his prolific career in filmmaking, meditating on the philosophers, writers, actors and films that have influenced him. The event will be followed by a screening of his film, I am Belfast. Also known for films including The Story of Film: An Odyssey, What is This Film Called Love?, and The Eyes of Orson Welles, and the author of five books, including the highly acclaimed The Story of Film, Widescreen: Watching. Real. People. Elsewhere and The Story of Looking, we caught up with Mark to find out more.

In your work, you consistently connect the personal, the political, and the artistic. Do you feel it is your duty as an artist to encourage people to reflect on the world around them?

I don’t think of myself as an artist, to be honest.  I just feel compelled to film or write about what I see and hear.  The filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini described life as the “stupendous monotony of the mystery”.  I’m with him.  It’s overwhelming and weird to be alive. I try to capture some of the weirdness.

You’ve described Dear Orson Welles & Other Essays as a personal dialogue with cinematic giants. What do you hope readers will take away from this conversation, both about filmmakers as artists and about the broader influence of cinema on our lives?

I’m hoping that the book brings people closer to some of the great filmmakers than more detached writing would.  I’m lucky enough to know, or have known, many of the great directors and actors and so try to write about them with intimacy and passion. The book is also about the places where cinema happens – Los Angeles, India, Cairo, Italy, Ireland, etc.  I hope that some of the essays are like road movies, like Paris Texas.

How does it feel to bring Dear Orson Welles & Other Essays to the Dublin Book Festival, where storytelling is celebrated in so many forms?

I’m delighted. There’s a big section in the book on Ireland. I describe a journey I took along the West coast wondering whether I should stay in cinema and change my life!

Can you tell us about another event during the Dublin Book Festival that you are looking forward to?

I’m a fan of Sinéad Gleeson, so I wish I could go to her event. I might not be able to as I have two films to present when I’m in Dublin, my movie about my home town – I am Belfast – and my new film, A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things.

To hear Mark discuss his new book Dear Orson Welles & Other Essays with Grainne Humphreys, come along to the event on Thursday November 7th at 6:30pm in the Irish Film Institute. Book here. The conversation will be followed by a screening of I am Belfast, introduced by Mark – tickets for the screening must be purchased separately from the IFI Box Office. Book here

Dear Orson Welles & Other Essays is published by The Irish Pages Press and available to buy here.