Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith

Name: Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith
Director: Stuart A. Staples
Released: 2016
Duration: 55 mins

Synopsis

A meditative, immersive tribute to the astonishing work and achievements of naturalist, inventor and pioneering filmmaker F. Percy Smith. Smith worked in the early years of the 20th century, developing various cinematographic and micro-photographic techniques to capture nature's secrets in action. Working in a number of public roles, including the Royal Navy and British Instructional Films, Smith was prolific and driven, often directing several films simultaneously, apparently on a mission to explore and capture nature's hidden terrains.
This film is an interpretative edit that combines Smith's original footage with a new contemporary score by tindersticks to create a hypnotic, alien yet familiar dreamscape that connects us to the sense of wonder Smith must have felt as he peered through his own lenses and seen these micro-worlds for the first time. (LFF brochure)
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2016 - Sonic Strand - World premiere

Details

Year: 2016
Type of project: Shorts
Running time: 55 mins
Director: Stuart A. Staples
Producer: David Reeve, Stuart A. Staples
Co-Producer: BFI
Editor: David Reeve, Stuart A. Staples
Director of Photography: F. Percy Smith
Composer: tindersticks with Thomas Belhom and Christine Ott

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Lucky Dog Inc

Stuart A. Staples

Visit Website

tindersticks.co.uk

Studio Moe

David Reeve

dave@designstudio.moe

Sales Company

BFI

Peter Fydler
21 Stephen Street
London
W1P 1LN

Visit Website

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

An in-depth study of David Lean, the man and his films. David Lean was one of the greatest filmmakers. He redefined what films could be, but his singular vision and tenacious determination to film the impossible earned him a reputation as an obsessive maverick. He was a master of his craft, capable of creating love and beauty on screen, but whose personal life was often troubled, uprooted, and painful. Featuring interviews with contemporary filmmakers including Wes Anderson, Paul Greengrass, Alfonso Cuarón, Celine Song, Brady Corbet, Francis Ford Coppola, Denis Villeneuve, Nia DaCosta, and Joe Wright. Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2026 - Cannes Classics - World premiere

Biography

We, The Hated

Director: Rich Felgate

Year: 2026

Told through the lives and motivations of those on the frontline, WE, THE HATED turns its camera on the people behind one of the most polarising protest movements in recent memory. What emerges goes deeper than placards and road blocks: these are individuals who have weighed up the personal consequences of action against the existential stakes of inaction. With fossil fuels driving both the climate crisis and global conflict, and governments increasingly cracking down on dissent, the film raises urgent questions about protest, power and what democracy actually means in practice. Director Rich Felgate, who is in a relationship with Just Stop Oil's founder, brings an insider closeness to the story whilst retaining enough balance to speak to audiences well beyond the already converted. Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2026 - World premiere

Life Support

Director: Daniele Rugo