A western female writer and her Japanese correspondent, Hiroshi, narrate a metaphorical journey up the mysterious Mount Fuji in Japan, crossing geographical, temporal and cultural divides. Made entirely with stills, Fiona Tan’s Ascent has been referred to as a photo-film, balanced between documentary and fiction, photography and film.

Successive images of Mount Fuji – spanning the history of photography as well as Japanese and western art and popular culture – inspire the narrators to uncover different paths up the mountain, and to muse on the significance it holds within Japanese history, religion and philosophy.

In the words of David Campany, Ascent offers the viewer 'a rich weave of associations that are personal, poetic, historical, scientific, anthropological, military, geological, political, literary and artistic. Ascent is a bowl for images, a vortex of images, with Mount Fuji at its centre.'

Join us after the communal viewing for a live discussion with Fiona Tan who will be in conversation with Ben Harman, Director of Stills Gallery in Edinburgh.

Fiona Tan is a visual artist and filmmaker who lives and works in Amsterdam. She is best known for her skillfully crafted video and film installations, in which explorations of memory, time, history and the role of visual images are key. Her installations and photographic works have been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions in international venues. She has written and directed two feature length films to date.

Available to watch from Wednesday 4 November 6:00pm (BST) - Wednesday 11 November 6:00pm (BST)

Live online discussion on Wednesday 4 November at 8:00pm

We would be greateful if you could complete this short audience survey after the screening.

A PDF transcript of the discussion will be available on request

Trouble booking? Be in touch to let us know and we will do what we can to help.