British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger

Synopsis

"The four essay films which comprise ‘The Seasons in Quincy’ each take different aspects of British writer and thinker John Berger’s life in the Haute-Savoie, and combine ideas and motifs from Berger’s own work with the atmosphere of his mountain home. Each film was created as an individual work of art but they combine to make a feature film... showing how film can move beyond text, and beyond fine art, to offer a multifaceted and multi-layered portrait. These are more than documentary films – they are exercises in thinking in film." Derek Jarman Lab
'Ways of Listening', (Colin MacCabe), deals with fathers and friendship. 'Spring', (Christopher Roth), considers Berger's writing on our relationship with animals. 'A Song for Politics', (Colin MacCabe and Bartek Dziadosz), reflects on politics through archive footage, song and a discussion between Berger and several young left-wing thinkers. 'Harvest', (Tilda Swinton), revisits Quincy to meditate on belonging and continuity with Berger and his son Yves.
Berlinale 2016 - World premiere
Visit Film Website

Details

Year
2016
Type of project
Features
Running time
90 mins
Director
Colin MacCabe, Christopher Roth, Bartek Dziadosz, Tilda Swinton
Producer
Derek Jarman Lab, Birkbeck, University of London, Lily Ford, Colin MacCabe,
Executive Producer
Tilda Swinton, Steven Connor, Adam Bartos, Vijay Vaidyanathan
Editor
Christopher Roth, Bartek Dziadosz, Assistant Editor: Walter Stabb
Screenwriter
Tilda Swinton, Christopher Roth, Ben Lerner (contributing writer)
Director of Photography
Nick Ward, Jeanne Tremsal, Bea Moyes, Lenny Flohr, Bartek Dziadosz
Sound
Walter Stabb, Lily Ford, Sally Mumby Croft
Composer
Simon Fisher Turner
Principal cast
John Berger, Yves Berger, Melina Berger, Vincent Berger, Sandra Berger, Jules Linglin, Tilda Swinton, Colin MacCabe, Christopher Roth, Ben Lerner, Askshi Singh, Xavier Swinton Byrne, Honor Swinton Byrne,

Categories

Documentary

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

A Derek Jarman Lab (UK) production, with support from University of Pittsburgh (US), Silicon Valley Community Foundation (US) and Pannonia Foundation (US)

Derek Jarman Lab

Birkbeck
University of London
LIDC
Room B11
36 Gordon Square
London
WC1H 0PD

Sales Company

Derek Jarman Lab

Zoe Kandyla
Birkbeck
University of London
LIDC
Room B11
36 Gordon Square
London
WC1H 0PD

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

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A Distant Call A Distant Call

Director: Andrea Suwito

Year: 2026

In the ancient Bugis way of life in Indonesia, gender non-binary ‘bissu’ were once revered spiritual leaders. Eka, one of the last remaining bissu, decides to leave behind their identity, searching for belonging in a world that insists on definitions.

Asian
Solstice on Grímsey Island Nation

Director: Nikolai Galitzine

Year: 2026

When a church burns down in a storm, a remote arctic community come together to preserve their identity as they face an uncertain future.

Climate / Environment
A reality TV presenter speaks to the camera, looking directly into the lens. Tops

Director: Ames Pennington

Year: 2024

A fun pastiche of chaotic, brash, self-deprecating and clueless 1990s/2000s British reality TV, TOPS sees self-proclaimed future award-winning filmmaker Ames Pennington present their landmark faux-documentary. Casting themselves as an invasive TV presenter, Ames goes on a satirical odyssey through the lives and homes of four unique individuals, exploring the crucial question that defines the transmasc experience: “What TOP did you want to wear after TOP surgery?” Official Selection BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2024 - World premiere Official Selection Kashish Pride Film Festival 2024 - International premiere

Comedy Docufiction LGBTQIA+