Jorge Ruffinelli, in “Andrés Di Tella and Argentine Documentary Film,” also tracks broad developments in recent Latin American documentary filmmaking by focusing on the case of Argentine director Andrés Di Tella, whose films like La televisión y yo (Television and Me, 2002) and Fotografías (Photographs, 2007) figure among the most prominent examples of the subjective turn. In addition to making films that concretize metacinematic practices, Di Tella has also given numerous interviews and written essays in which he reflects on the importance of the “personal archive” in today’s documentary filmmaking, the exploratory, “essayistic” nature of his films, and the interfacing that occurs between the public and the private. Far from narcissism or …show more content…
Acknowledging a world in which we humans are hyperconnected yet paradoxically estranged from one another, Furtado highlights how certain new Brazilian documentaries hint at an unrealized potential for constructing collective horizons, even though we are never quite sure if these horizons will materialize in a world in which it has become ever more difficult to envision collective projects. If Deleuze was right in affirming that the “people have gone missing” in contemporary documentary films, material objects and the magic of the movie camera can be mediators that facilitate human interaction. Reminiscent of Piedras’s “mobility turn,” movement, for Furtado, brings individuals into contact with one another in ways that challenge the hyperindividualized neoliberal moment. Although we are still far removed from the 1970s sense of the “people” as a political construct, we find that new documentaries have not given up completely on the desire to bring human beings together to forge meaningful relationships and communities and to break with self-centered modes of
By showing the historical struggle of Mexican immigrants to be equal members of American society, portraying the humble and unique characteristics of Fernando Valenzuela, and by emphasizing his incredible rise to fame, the film Fernando Nation introduces a new type of American dream. Fernando Valenzuela became the embodiment of the Mexican-American dream to many people. By understanding his story we can understand the hopes and dreams of many Mexican immigrants in America today.
Afterwards, in the 1990s films portraying Latinos would take a somehow new direction, one of the most famous filmmakers would be Gregory Navas, he directed the movie My Family/Mi Familia, a film that portrays the lives of a Mexican-American family and the difficulty that the couple faced in order to establish in the U.S. “by passing as immigrants and all the struggle to integrate their family in another country” (Peña Acuña, 2010). The film let the audience see a potential reality that most immigrants went through when they first moved to the United States and how the system worked differently and the way immigrants had to adapt not only to the system, but also to the language and culture.
“Waste Land” and “Emmanuel’s Gift”, After watching these films, I have been thinking about the happiness to be found by work that is honest and valuable. I also thought about how hard some people are prepared to work, and how inspiring it is to see the individuals in these films find ideas to demonstrate the power of art and media to bring curiosity and cultural awareness in the poorest, most underprivileged people. “Waste Land” follows an artist Vik Muniz as he works on his art project in Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho in Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs catadors or garbage pickers as they pick recyclable materials from the garbage. And upon meeting the characters at the landfill, Vik decides to turn the project into collaboration with the catadors. In the end, this collaboration reveals both dignity and despair in the lives of the catadors. “Emmanuel’s Gift”, is about Emmanuel Ofosu, a man born in Ghana with a deformed right leg, he bikes around the country to help raise awareness and build relationships in a culture that ridicules those with disabilities.
It is an animated documentary film released in 2011 that displays the harsh reality of the Colombian youth narrated by children themselves (ages 8-13). The directors use only interviews and drawings produced by children that have suffered by the violence of the armed conflict. The end result is an innovative animation movie that allows to look at the Colombian current reality from a child`s point of view: full of innocence and sweetness, not ready for the violence that surrounds them.
This essay is based on ‘Silent Dancing’ by Judith Ortiz Cofer and it is her memoirs of her childhood and the difficulties of growing up between two different cultures. The story looks back on her childhood and adolescence through the form of a video tape showing the movement between her hometown of Puerto Rico, and her New Jersey home, of which she spent six months of the year. The differences in culture, gender values, and racial profiling are prominent; as to is the symbolism between the images of the home movie being described and the silent undertones which only become clear when the home movie is focused upon in hindsight.
Veloso, Caetano, and Barbara Einzig. Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2003. Print.
Because “Camila” was released shortly after the end of the Argentine Proceso, it was clearly a timely criticism of dictatorship in Argentina. The real story of Camila occurred in a time following a brief bout with democracy. This film could be seen as a cautionary tale in terms of warning against ever returning to that form of government. If this, indeed, was Bemberg’s intentions, she was a brave, courageous woman that would have made a great character in one of her own films.
This work follows in that of the purveyors of documentary photography. Like Richards, Jacob Riss went into the city slums a century earlier armed with a camera. In New York, Riss saw a glut of people, mostly immigrants, jammed packed together and feebly existing in filth. Riss, who was primarily a writer, found that his words were not communicating the ailments of society to the public as he wished. Then, the primitive flash was invented. Riss saw this as way to communicate the troubles he saw in the dark areas where the grossly impoverished lived. The outcome of Riss’ efforts was a startlingly powerful book of his images and text appropriately titled How the Other Half Lives. Though the photographic equipment has change through this time span, the aim of the photographers is the same: to educate the rest of the world of those that are forgotten or ignored, and in that way, bring about change.
In my essay I will discuss the differences between national cinema and Hollywood cinema by using Rio de Janeiro¡¯s famous film City of God. There will be three parts in my following main body, the first part is a simple review of the film City of God, I will try to use the review to show the film structure and some different new points from this, show the how did the ¡®Shocking, frightening, thrilling and funny¡¯ (Nev Pierce) work in the film. The second part is my discussion parts; I will refer some typical Hollywood big name films such as Gangs in New York, Shawshank¡¯s Redemption, and Good Fellas to discuss the main differences between City of God and other national films. The third part is my summary, I will use my knowledge to analyse why there have big different between both kind of films and their advantages.
This essay will seek to outline my findings on movie and theatre by looking at still image and moving image. I will discuss the relationship between cinema and film, and also compare some works of artists in order to answer the question which how might photography be contextualized as image on the threshold of still and moving – as an object incorporating the temporal and the narrative, the writing of history, or the presentation of documentation as record.
Williams, Bruce. "The Reflection of a Blind Gaze: Maria Luisa Bemberg, Filmmaker." A Woman's Gaze: Latin American Women Artists. Ed. Marjorie Agosin. New York; White Pine Press, 1998. 171-90.
Art has been always seen as a form to express self emotions and ideas; an artist creates an idea and shapes it by culturally known objects and forms to send encrypted message. Through the times both, ideas and materials used, separates art in to different periods and movements. In late 40’s and late 50’s two art and culture movements emerged, one from another. The first one, Lettrism, was under the aspiration to rewrite all human knowledge. From it another movement, Situationism, appeared. It was an anti-art movement which sought for Cultural Revolution. Both of these movements belong to wide and difficulty defined movement of experiment, a movement whose field is endless. Many different people create experimental films because of the variety of reasons. Some wishes to express their viewpoints which are unconventional. But most of them have an enthusiasm for medium itself. They yearn to explore what prospects the medium has and wishes to open new opportunities to create and to explore, as well as to educate. Experimental filmmaker, differently from mainstream filmmakers, wishes to step out from the orthodox notions. The overall appreciation is not the aim that the experimental filmmakers would seek for. Experimenters usually work on the film alone or with a small group, without the big budget. They intend to challenge the traditional ideas. And with intention to do so Lettrism tries to narrow the distance between the poetry and people’s lives, while Situationism tries to transform world into one that would exist in constant state of newness. Both of these avant-garde movements root from similar sources and have similar foundations. Nonetheless, they have different intentions for the art and culture world and these movements...
Since the creation of films, their main goal was to appeal to mass audiences. However, once, the viewer looks past the appearance of films, the viewer realizes that the all-important purpose of films is to serve as a bridge connecting countries, cultures, and languages. This is because if you compare any two films that are from a foreign country or spoken in another language, there is the possibility of a connection between the two because of the fact that they have a universally understanding or interpretation. This is true for the French New Wave films; Contempt and Breathless directed by Jean-Luc Godard, and contemporary Indian films; Earth and Water directed by Deepa Mehta. All four films portray an individual’s role in society using sound and editing.
This is a movie about a professional killer, or "Cleaner", named Léon played by Jean Reno, and his unlikely interaction with a 12-year old girl, Mathilda played by Natalie Portman. Mathilda's family is murdered by corrupt Drug Enforcement Agents (DEA) lead by Agent Stansfield played by Gary Oldman. Agent Stansfield, is portrayed as a drug addict, mentally unstable and an overtly violent and corrupt law enforcement team leader.
...ie Calle’s works in the context of documentaries. It bases its arguments on the nature in which Sophie Calle collects her photographs and uses established sources to buttress theories put foward.