In Frame
At Emstأشباح مألوفة
FAMILIAR PHANTOMS
2023
|Fiction
|42'
by Larissa Sansour & Søren Lind
Synopsis
Familiar Phantoms is an experimental documentary short film about memory, history and trauma. Blending live action, special effects, private family photos and archival footage, the film explores the impact of fiction on the creation and reinterpretation of memory. Familiar Phantoms is inspired by anecdotes from my family history and my old childhood in Bethlehem, making it my most personal film to date. Shot in a derelict mansion and a black studio, the film oscillates between slow, fluid exploratory sequences and fast-paced collages of objects, mementos, family photos and Super 8 footage, its visuals and editing mimicking the actual workings of memory, constantly revisiting the same imagery alongside new fragments in search of meaning – while alternating between storytelling and ruminations on memory.
The film, jointly commissioned by the Whitworth and Film and Video Umbrella with support from the Irish Museum of Modern Art, is a new acquisition to the Whitworth’s collection as part of the Art Fund’s Moving Image Award. It is nominated for CPH:DOX's Art Film Award.
Official Poster
THE DIRECTOR
Larissa Sansour was born in 1973 in East Jerusalem, Palestine, and studied Fine Arts in London, New York and Copenhagen. Central to her work is the tug and pull between fiction and reality. In her recent works, she uses science fiction to address social and political issues. Working mainly with film, Sansour also produces installations, photos and sculptures.
Sansour’s work is shown in film festivals and museums worldwide. In 2019, she represented Denmark at the 58th Venice Biennial. She has shown her work at Tate Modern, MoMA, Centre Pompidou and the Istanbul Biennial. Recent solo exhibitions include Bluecoat in Liverpool and Nikolaj Kunsthal in Copenhagen.
Sansour currently lives and works in London, UK.
Søren Lind is a Danish author, director and visual artist.
With a background in philosophy, Lind wrote books on mind, language and understanding before turning to art, film and fiction. He has published novels and short story collections. His children’s books are translated into several languages.
Lind screens and exhibits his films at museums, galleries and film festivals worldwide. His work was shown at the Danish Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennial. Other recent venues and festivals include the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, KINDL in Berlin, Copenhagen Contemporary (DK), International Film Festival Rotterdam (NL) and BFI London Film Festival (UK). He lives and works in London.
Director's photo
Review
Through director Larissa Sansour's own narration, we are taken on a journey through the memories and stories of her family and her childhood home in Bethlehem. Familiar Phantoms simply yet intricately creates a theatrical setting where the workings of memory itself begin to unfold.
How accurate are our memories? Can we inherit memories? Why does silence cover the darkest pages of our history? Where do fiction and memory merge?
Through family photographs and super 8 film, Larissa Sansour introduces us to the lives of a family and its members, focusing on the trauma of exile and the consequences of colonial violence.
The camera obsessively returns to the same objects, which, out of context, function as archaeological finds. An experimental, personal and atmospheric film that studies the power of narrative and images as well as intergenerational trauma and the notion of belonging.
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Antigoni Papantoni
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The texts have been produced by the network Filmmakers for Palestine gr.
*We consider Filmmakers to be every person who designs, implements, analyzes and teaches cinema: from editors to assistant directors, from lighting technicians to film critics, from viewers to programmers. A film is created by every gaze that shapes it.
Editing & Translation Team: Sofia Grigoriadou, Christina Phoebe, Maximillien Luc Proctor, Sophia Thomopoulos
Director's photo
