1. Technical thrill (1895-1903) : the sensations of the first movies --
2. The early power of story (1903-18) : how thrill became narrative --
3. The world expansion of style (1918-28) : movie factories and personal vision --
4. Japanese classicism and Hollywood romance (1928-45) : cinema enters a golden age --
5. The devastation of war and a new movie language (1945-52) : the spread of realism in world cinema --
6. The swollen story (1953-59) : rage and symbolism in 1950s filmmaking --
7. The exploded story (1958-69) : the breakdown of romantic cinema and the coming of modernism --
8. Freedom and want see (1969-79) : political cinema around the globe and the rise of the blockbuster in America --
9. Mega-entertainments and philosophy (1979-90) : the extremes of world cinema --
10. Can see (1990-present) : computerization takes cinema beyond photography.

The story of film: an odyssey, written and directed by award-winning film-maker Mark Cousins, is the story of international cinema told through the history of cinematic innovation. Five years in the making, The Story of Film: An Odyssey covers six continents and 12 decades, showing how film-makers are influenced both by the historical events of their times, and by each other. It provides worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made; an epic tale that starts in nickelodeons and ends as a multi-billion dollar globalised digital industry. Described as a 'love letter' to the movies, Cousins visits the key sites in the history of cinemal from Hollywood to Mumbai; from Hitchcock's London to the village where Pather Panchali was shot, and features interviews with legendary filmmakers and actors including Stanley Donen, Kyoko Kagawa, Gus van Sant, Lars Von Trier, Claire Denis, Bernardo Bertolucci, Robert Towne, Jane Campion and Claudia Cardinale.