Sans Soleil

Sans Soleil is arguably Chris Marker’s greatest film, a docu-fiction in which he brings together many of the themes and preoccupations of his travelogues and cine-essays of the previous three decades. The film reprises his long fascination with Japanese culture, but also spans more broadly to take in various aspects of the global experience of modernization in the post-2^nd World War period, intercutting contemporary film footage with imagery and reflections drawn from the past.

Dr Jon Kear (University of Kent) will give an introductory talk exploring the style and epistolary form of Marker’s film and map out a political and historical context in which to place his later work.

Jon Kear lectures on the History & Philosophy of Art at the University of Kent. He has published widely on 19^th and 20^th century visual culture and curated several exhibitions and authored many articles and a monograph, Sunless, on Chris Marker. He is currently about to publish a monograph on the French painter Paul Cézanne and is embarking on a second book on Chris Marker.

This screening is the first in a series of decade-spanning film events that Flatpack are planning throughout the year as part of Ikon Gallery’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Check www.ikon-gallery.org for further details.