In times flooded with moving images, this essay embarks on a winding journey into darkness, in search of a place where we can be free and where anything is possible: from the Paris catacombs through the delirious club nights of New York, to the myths of the Sumerian underworld. We are guided by the voice of Marguerite Duras – queen of darkness – telling us secrets on writing, alcohol and the death of cinema.

Mia Engberg is a filmmaker, researcher and author. Her films include the award-winning trilogy Belleville Baby, Lucky One, and Hypermoon as well as the widely acclaimed Dirty Diaries – 12 Shorts of Feminist Porn. She holds a PhD from Stockholm University of the Arts. Her cinematic research explores the aesthetics of absence and navigates the intersection of documentary and fiction, poetry and essay. Darkness as material is her third book.

In times flooded with moving images, this essay embarks on a winding journey into darkness, in search of a place where we can be free and where anything is possible: from the Paris catacombs through the delirious club nights of New York, to the myths of the Sumerian underworld. We are guided by the voice of Marguerite Duras – queen of darkness – telling us secrets on writing, alcohol and the death of cinema.

Mia Engberg is a filmmaker, researcher and author. Her films include the award-winning trilogy Belleville Baby, Lucky One, and Hypermoon as well as the widely acclaimed Dirty Diaries – 12 Shorts of Feminist Porn. She holds a PhD from Stockholm University of the Arts. Her cinematic research explores the aesthetics of absence and navigates the intersection of documentary and fiction, poetry and essay. Darkness as material is her third book.