Cork-born Louis Marcus began his film career in Dublin in 1958 as assistant editor on Mise Éire  and Saoirse?, and made his own first film The Silent Art in 1959 about the sculptor, Seamus Murphy RHA. From 1960 to 1973 he made short cinema documentaries for Gael Linn and went on to work for television and corporate patrons.  His subjects have included social life, Irish traditions, history, and the arts. He has made in all over 80 documentaries winning 20 international festival awards, including the Silver Bear of the Berlin Film Festival for Fleá Ceoil , prizes at Moscow, London, Chicago and Oberhausen, and two Academy Award Nominations for Páistí ag Obair and Conquest of Light. 

In 1995 he received the Irish Film Institute’s Annual Award, and at the 50th Cork Film Festival in 2005 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award and a retrospective of his work.  In 2011 he received the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland/Foras na Gaeilge award for outstanding work in the Irish language. 

Throughout the 1960s he had become one of the most important and prolific Irish documentary directors, making popular films including a portrait of Christy Ring and the 1916 commemoration film An Tine Bheo. At that time, he became a key figure in the development of an Irish film industry, publishing a series of influential articles in The Irish Times calling for the Government to support the Irish film industry, and making him one of the most influential names in the business. 

Marcus’s 35mm films for Gael Linn were screened in cinemas nationwide and were designed to promote the Irish language. All were directed by Louis Marcus and filmed by his longtime friend and collaborator Bob Monks. 

The Louis Marcus Collection, available on the IFI Archive Player, includes The Silent Art (1958), Rhapsody of a River (1965), Fleá Ceoil (1967), Pobal (1969), Dubliners Sean agus Nua (1971), Páistí ag Obair (1973), Conquest of Light (1975), and Discovering Ireland (1982). 

Thosaigh an Corcaíoch, Louis Marcus, a chuid oibre sa scannáníocht i mBaile Átha Cliath sa bhliain 1958 mar eagarthóir cúnta ar Mise Éire agus Saoirse, agus rinne sé a chéad scannán féin, The Silent Art, sa bhliain 1959 ar an dealbhóir, Seamus Murphy RHA.

Ó 1960 go 1973, rinne sé gearrscannáin fhaisnéise do Ghael Linn agus d’oibrigh sé le haghaidh na teilifíse agus ar son patrún corparáideach. Rinne sé scannáin faoin saol sóisialta, traidisiúin Éireannacha agus an ealaín.

San iomlán, tá níos mó ná 80 scannán faisnéise déanta aige agus níos mó na 20 duais ó fhéilte idirnáisiúnta buaite aige: an Béar Airgid ó Bheirlín le haghaidh Fleá Ceoil, duaiseanna ó Mhoscó, Londain, Chicago, agus Oberhausen, agus ainmniúcháin le haghaidh dhá duais de chuid na hacadaimh sna Stáit Aontaithe le haghaidh Páistí ag Obair agus Conquest of Light ina measc.

Sa bhliain 1995, bhain sé an Duais Bliantúil ó Institiúid Scannán na hÉireann, agus ag an 50ú Féile Scannánaíochta  i gCorcaigh sa bhliain 2005, fuair sé Gradam Saoil agus rinne siad iardhearcadh ar a shaothar. Sa bhliain 2011, fuair sé duais le haghaidh sároibre i nGaeilge ó Screen Directors Guild of Ireland agus Foras na Gaeilge.

I rith na 1960í, bhí sé ar dhuine de na stiúrthóirí faisnéise is tábhachtaí de chuid na hÉireann, agus é ag déanamh scannán cáiliúil cosúil le cuntas ar Christy Ring agus comóradh ar 1916 sa scannán An Tine Bheo. Ag an am sin, bhí sé lárnach i bhforbairt tionscadal na scannán, ag foilsiú sraith alt ar an Irish Times a raibh tionchar mór acu. Bhí sé ag iarraidh níos mó tacaíochta don tionscadal ón rialtas reatha.

Cuireadh a scannáin 35mm, a rinne sé do Ghael Linn chun borradh a chuir faoin nGaeilge, ar siúl i bpictiúrlanna ar fud na tíre. Bhí Louis Marcus mar stiúrthóir agus rinne a chara agus a chomhoibrí Bob Monks an scannánaíocht.

Tá Bailiúchán Louis Marcus ar fáil ar an IFI Archive Player, agus tá The Silent Art (1958), Rhapsody of a River (1965), Fleá Ceoil (1967), Pobal (1969), Dubliners Sean agus Nua (1971), Páistí ag Obair (1973), Conquest of Light (1975), agus Discovering Ireland (1982) le haimsiú ansin.