Bill Douglas's remarkable trilogy of powerful films of his childhood display an original and powerful mature artistic vision. My Childhood (1972), My Ain Folk (1973) and My Way Home (1978) are weaved together through the journey of Jamie.

The narrative arc is biographical; with Jamie, we embark on a journey into the artist's experience, growing up in a poverty-stricken mining village in the post-war era, at the mercy of brutal, loveless surroundings and the relatives and neighbours responsible for his welfare.

But these films are not a depressing experience, rather they are a poetic journey of recovery and catharsis. Jamie is a survivor, bold and curious, and his story is ultimately redemptive. The beautiful cinematography creates visual poetry from startling, bleak monochrome images. When Douglas died in 1991, British cinema lost one of its most original artists.

Presented in partnership with The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum at the University of Exeter.

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