'' The Story of Film : An Odyssey '' is a 2011 British documentary film about the history of film , presented on television in 15 one-hour chapters with a total length of over 900 minutes . It was directed and narrated by Mark Cousins , a film critic from Northern Ireland , based on his 2004 book '' The Story of Film '' . The series was broadcast in September 2011 on More4 , the digital television service of UK broadcaster Channel 4 . The Story of Film was also featured in its entirety at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival , and it was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in February 2012 . It was broadcast in the United States on Turner Classic Movies beginning in September 2013
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
The Story of Film: An Odyssey