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The Story of Documentary Film

Berlinale Special Series 2026
The Story of Documentary Film traces the history of documentary from its very beginnings to the present day. Drawing on Mark Cousins’ decades of research, the series re-examines classics of the genre including Hoop Dreams, The Gleaners and I, Shoah, Stop Making Sense and Paris Is Burning. Alongside these celebrated films, it introduces audiences to striking new discoveries and overlooked works from across the globe, with a spotlight on the many great female filmmakers who have too often been written out of the history of documentary filmmaking. Structured chronologically, but interspersed with stand-alone thematic sections, the series challenges prevailing assumptions about what documentary is, offering a captivating new perspective on the history of a form that continues to shape how we understand the world around us. The Berlinale is presenting Chapters 1 to 4 of the film, with this screening being the world premiere of Chapters 2, 3 and 4.
by Mark Cousins (Director) United Kingdom 2026 English 240' Colour & Black/White Documentary form | European premiere (episode 1) | World premiere (episodes 2-4)

Crew

Director Mark Cousins
Cinematography Mark Cousins
Editing Timo Langer
Music Donna McKevitt
Producer John Archer
Executive Producers Joslyn Barnes, Frank Lehmann

Produced by

Hopscotch Films

Glasgow, United Kingdom

World Sales

Dogwoof

London, United Kingdom

Photos

Mark Cousins

© Jenny Leask

The Northern Irish filmmaker and writer lives in Edinburgh. His 15-hour documentary The Story of Film: An Odyssey won a Peabody Award and the Stanley Kubrick Award while A Story of Children and Film premiered at Cannes. With I Am Belfast, he made a lyrical essay film about his home town. His fiction debut was Stockholm, My Love, a musical starring and featuring the music of Neneh Cherry. His most recent book is the non-fiction “The Story of Looking”.

Filmography (selection)

2011 The Story of Film: An Odyssey 2019 Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema 2021 The Story of Film: A New Generation 2026 The Story of Documentary Film; series

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026