Mark Cousins’ A Sudden Glimpse To Deeper Things gets a UK release date

Following the World Premiere and main prize win at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the first documentary ever to win the Grand Prix Crystal Globe in 72 years, Conic announces 18th October date for the UK and Ireland release of Mark Cousins’ latest documentary feature A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things, a cinematic portrait of British 20th Century painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.

Born with the gift of synaesthesia – associating letters, names and people with particular colours – Barns-Graham, or Willie as she was known, was a member of the St Ives circle of modernist artists who were active in the post-war era. In 1949, aged 36, she scaled a Swiss glacier, where she experienced an aesthetic and spiritual breakthrough which transformed her vision. Cousins reenacts this climb, and traces its resonance throughout the rest of her prolific life and career.

Willie’s inner thoughts, drawn from her private notebooks, are voiced by Tilda Swinton, a longtime fan of Barns-Graham’s art; Cousins uses his distinctive storytelling style to paint a unique portrait of Willie’s imagination.

A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things is both the story of a remarkable artist, and a wider exploration of themes of gender, neurodiversity, climate change, and the nature of creativity from youth to old age. Two decades after her death in 2004, the film represents a major reassessment of Barns-Graham’s life and work, and her place in 20th century art.

A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things will make its UK Premiere as part of the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival on 21st August, followed by a cinema release across the UK and Ireland on 18 October.

Check out the official site.