Film and Family Archives

Family portraits, letters, home-videos, notes,
diaries, and small objects and accessories are
often key to tracing hidden secrets and desires
within one's own family. Beyond this, by examining
family archives we can gain a deeper understanding
of regional and national histories. This seminar
pays attention to filmmakers from different
latitudes whose work draws from family archives
or, at times, found archives. Considering Lourdes
Portillo, Natalia Almada, Naomi Kawase, Sergio
Oksman, Joao Moreira Salles, Chantal Akerman,
Karim Anouz, and Juan Carlos Rulfo, to mention but
a few, we will explore how their use of archival
materials pushes them to experiment with the
documentary form. In this interdisciplinary
course, we will also examine the ways in which
their use of family archives not only shapes the
stories they tell, but constitutes them as persons
and artists. Finally, we will delve into the
porous quality of personal histories and how they
permeate into other, larger political narratives.
Students will keep a journal on weekly discussions
and produce a paper or short cinematic piece that
reflects that topics discussed in class.