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Documentary Media MFA Showcase 2024

Cinema in Relation: Yearnings for the Beyond

RSVP FOR PROGRAM 1

RSVP FOR PROGRAM 2

Cinema in Relation: Yearnings for the Beyond is the 2024 thesis showcase of Northwestern University’s Documentary Media program. For two nights, 7 emerging filmmakers from all over the world will share experiences that serve as a vessel through the complex terrain of cultural identity, shared history and belonging. Embrace the universal quest for connection in a world that feels fragmented and distant by experiencing two unique screenings at The Block Cinema.

Program 1: Metamorphoses of Memory, premiering on Wednesday June 5, will feature three short films from an eclectic web of transnational relations across Ireland, Haiti, China, and the US through essayistic, verite, archival, and slow cinema modes. Transnational cameras become mediators unearthing long buried questions, possibilities and revelations. Bringing past events into the immediate present, distance between the personal and political conflates, each one enveloping the other. Metamorphoses of Memory ponders the possibility of personal and societal change through turning toward, not away from, that which is closest to us. This program will feature films by Luyao (Lulu) Tian, Obed Lamy, and Erik Nuding.

Program 2: Places of Memory = Reconstruction, premiering on Thursday June 6, presents a collection of four films that explore themes of indigeneity, belonging, ancestral roots, and the transformative impact of environmental change. Offering a nuanced perspective on the daily experiences of individuals and community, these films from Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and the Dominican Republic, serve as reminders of the enduring connections between people and their environments, imbued with memory, highlighting the importance of remembering cultural consciousness and reclaiming lost histories amidst the complexities of modern life. Places of Memory = Reconstruction navigates the depths of the cinematic landscape, where time meets reality, and the yearning for the beyond becomes a universal quest for experiencing and belonging. This program will feature films by Johnaé Strong, Joshua Coverdale, Jeny Amaya, and Dalissa Montes de Oca.

About the films in Program One ( June 5):

A Pool In Which I Play (2024, 20 min) by Erik Nuding

When severe storms threaten to break down the emotional walls built between the filmmaker’s mother and grandmother, shared memories, dreams and reflections of water begin to flow, leading us down into the metallic interiors which connect them. As mystical allegory meets climate reality, A Pool In Which I Play pulsates in the brackish breath space between tension and release.

Put Your Heart Down (2024, 20 min) by Luyao (Lulu) Tian

What does the passage of time feel like for us, when we don’t have the habit of remembering? My family and I wander through moments of loss and reconnection across China and America.

Did You Test Me? (2024, 13 min) by Obed Lamy

A Haitian woman grapples with the memory of an incident that made her a target of discrimination during the AIDS epidemic in the United States.

About the films in Program Two (June 6):

Black Things Today (2024, 12 min) by Johnaé Strong

Zaria, Zenaida, and Zaire (affectionately known as the “Z Squad'') are children of a village of African-centered schools on the South Side of Chicago. As they navigate high school, each girl must determine how to bring “the village” with them in their own unique way.

Los Hoyos (2024, 18 min) by Jeny Amaya

A liminal landscape in greater Los Angeles is activated by myths, memories, and hauntings of the land.

Nothing Out the Island: Bridges (2024, 16 min) by Dalissa Montes de Oca Mosquea

Fragmented memories and visions find a home in light and shadows, bridging the gap between the past, the present and the loss of a mother.

Weaving the Pieces Together: A story about Beyonce Armstrong (2024, 18 min) by Joshua Coverdale

The film is about Brooklyn-based artist Beyonce Armstrong's first-hand encounter with gentrification in her community, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Brooklyn is considered a deep landmark for her family lineage and in shaping her identity. Ironically, through her artistry, she is preserving the culture she knew Bed-stuy to be.

Following the screening, filmmaker Edgar Jorge Baralt will join the MFA filmmakers for a conversation and Q&A with the audience.



FREE & OPEN TO ALL

Contact The Block Museum of Art for more information: (847) 491-4000 or email us at block-museum@northwestern.edu