Feel The Film: Mark Jenkin On Enys Men

Director Mark Jenkin discusses his creative process and philosophy behind Enys Men, a folk horror film shot on 16mm colour film and processed by hand using analogue techniques. Jenkin explains how his fascination with film mechanics—stemming from childhood observations of projection—shaped his distinctive aesthetic approach, which prioritizes the material properties of cinema over technical perfection. The film, which premiered at Cannes, follows his BAFTA-winning debut Bait and maintains his stripped-down methodology of developing negatives in domestic settings. Jenkin reflects on his relationship with imperfection and visual artifacts—dust, scratches, flares—treating them as integral compositional elements once their origins are understood. He discusses the psychological challenge of releasing finished work and his resistance to post-production revision, arguing that films become immutable objects requiring acceptance rather than perpetual refinement. The interview explores tensions between intentional control and embracing uncontrollable material accidents in experimental filmmaking.

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