A Story of Children and Film

A Story of Children and Film is a documentary and essay film exploring the history of kids on film. Using footage of 53 different films from 25 countries, director Mark Cousins looks at the different emotions children go through everyday. The films that Cousins chose to include range from big hits (E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Moonrise Kingdom) to foreign films practically unknown to all but the most avid cinephiles. He also borrows footage from his first film, aptly titled The First Movie, about kids growing up in Kurdish Iraq.

A Story of Children and Film had its world premiere at Cannes last year, and its North American premiere at TIFF, being received well at both festivals. Hailing from Northern Ireland, Cousins teamed up with actress Tilda Swinton to create the 8 1/2  Foundation, a not-for-profit dedicated to introducing world cinema to children. In 2011 Cousins created The Story of Film: An Odyssey, a 15-hour series on the history of film. It was broadcast in 1-hour episodes on television, but was screened in its entirety (all 915 minutes) at TIFF in 2011.

The film is showing at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto beginning on January 31. It is rated 14A.

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