This meditative, immersive film by tindersticks’ Stuart Staples is a tribute to the astonishing work and achievements of naturalist, inventor, and pioneering British filmmaker F. Percy Smith (1880–1945).

Based in a studio in north London in the early years of the 20th century, Percy Smith developed the use of time-lapse, animation 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 in his mission to explore and capture nature’s hidden terrains, often directing several films simultaneously.

Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith is an interpretative work that combines Smith’s original film footage – preserved within the BFI National Archive – with a new contemporary score by tindersticks with Thomas Belhom and Christine Ott. It creates 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 saw these micro-worlds for the first time.

Description and all images on this page courtesy of Icarus Films.

“A beautiful hypnotic melange.” —Patrick Barkham, The Guardian

“Seeps under the audience’s skins and into their veins.” — Pamela Hutchinson, Sight & Sound

“Wondrous! With a pop music mentality, Staples adds many hues to the sense of the sublime inherent in Percy Smith’s [awe-inducing] work.” — Tanner Tafelski, Hyperallergic

“Recommended! Smith’s moons, planets and shooting stars will captivate and stay with you after the film is over.” — Jim Hobbs, Loyola University, Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO)