An History of Civilisation (2010)

Short Documentary | UK | English | 7m
Dir: Andrew Kötting | Scr: Andrew Kötting | Ph: Gary Parker | Prod: Andrew Kötting | Mus: Andrew Kötting | Ed: Andrew Kötting | Snd: Andrew Kötting | Narrator: Martin Donegan

As families enjoy the May Day sun at a funfair in a south-east London park, overlooked by the skyscrapers of the financial district, Martin Donegan reads philosophical quotes from Mao Tse Tung on the future of society. Kötting’s witty and thoughtful yet strangely hypnotic documentary is filmed from a distance, rendering its protagonists antlike as they scurry around busily ignoring political doctrines, giving the film an aesthetic and tone quite unlike his usual fare.