Identity and Memory: the Films of Chantal Ackerman (Cinema Voices Series)

Considered to be one of the most influential auteurs in world cinema, Chantal Akerman (1950 - 2015) had a profound impact on both feminist filmmaking discourse and avant-garde film. She was an uncompromising and dedicated practitioner of the cinematic arts in works such as I...You...He...She (Je tu il elle,1974); Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975); Meetings with Anna (Les Rendez-vous d'Anna,1978); American Stories/Food, Family, and Philosophy (Histoires d'Amérique,1989); and From the East (D'Est,1993). Akerman created new and unexpected films that explore ideas about image, gaze, space, performance, and narration.This collection of essays edited by Gwendolyn Audrey Foster assesses Akerman's wide-ranging oeuvre, particularly her exploration of identity and memory, and considers her development as an artist and as a social force. Along with a detailed filmography and bibliography, ten of the key figures in contemporary feminist moving-image discourse explore the themes with which Akerman is preoccupied: sexuality and lesbian identity, subjectivity, alterity, quotidian reality, the mother-daughter relationship, and Jewish diasporic identity.The contributors include Maureen Turim, Sandy Flitterman-Lewis, Jennifer M. Barker, Ivone Margulies, Catherine Fowler, Janet Bergstrom, Ginette Vincendeau, Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, Judith Mayne, and Kristine Butler.