In this wide-ranging, stylish and iconoclastic book, the acclaimed Belfast filmmaker and BBC author Mark Cousins reflects on his prolific career in documentary-making, meditating on the philosophers, writers, actors and films that have influenced him. From recollections of his childhood in Belfast to practical filmmaking advice for new directors, to the complexities of representing trauma on screen, this book will captivate readers interested in contemporary film and the history of cinema.

Cousins' essays are in conversation with iconic artistic figures, particularly Pier Paolo Pasolini, an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual; and Orson Welles, an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. He is also in dialogue with D.H. Lawrence; film-directors Stanley Donen and Agnes Varda; screenwriter Paul Schrader; and last but not least, himself.