About this program
Documentaries challenge us to consider what the camera sees, what it cannot see, and how the camera’s eye forces us to recognize the limits of our own senses. Unifying this disparate set of films is a commitment on the part of their filmmakers to move the audience outside of our comfort zones and to experiment with the perceptual bounds of documentary film.
The program features the following short films:
‘Zug Island’
Situated between Windsor and Detroit, the industrial complex of Zug Island produces a mysterious hum called the Windsor Hum. A sound man travels to the location to find its source. On his way, he meets people affected by the ever-growing consequences of the impenetrable island. Directed by Nicolas Lachapelle. (2022)
‘On The Battlefield’
In the Southern Illinois region of Little Egypt, a sound recordist walks through the flat fields where once stood Pyramid Courts — the housing projects that formed the heart of the Black community of his hometown, Cairo. His mic picks up sonic ephemera in the grass, skies, and trees. Children play, sparrows flock, and a grandmother sages her granddaughter, as a 1970 private release LP by the United Front of Cairo, featuring its founder Reverend Dr. Charles Koen, guides the sound recordist on his search for audible connections across past, present and future. Directed by Theresa Delsoin, Lisa Malloy, J.P. Sniadecki, and Ray Whitaker. (2024)
‘Headshot’
A meditative essay film ruminating on image-making and the historically fraught relationship that Black Americans have with the camera and the land. Directed by Dominic Yarabe. (2024)
‘Love At First Byte’
With security camera footage obtained via a CCTV data request, this short distorts reality to embody a missed connection between a lovelorn surveillance system and a passenger. Directed by Felizitas Hoffmann and Theresa Hoffmann. (2022)
‘The Smallest Power’
During the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in Iran, in the aftermath of the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini, a medical resident finds her voice when the chaos in the streets comes to her hospital floor. Directed by Andy Sarjahani. (2023)
‘What Cannot Be Seen’
Through a collective of BIPOC Real Estate agents, “What Cannot Be Seen” moves through the veiled spaces of urban homes and explores the traces left behind by housing discrimination in the Bay Area. Directed by Julie Gaynin and Dominic Yarabe. (2023)
‘Moomin’
A filmmaker attempts to fulfill a promise to an ex-girlfriend in Canada. Directed by Zach Dorn. (2022)
This program was curated by Brendan Kredell, an Associate Professor and Director of Film Studies and Production at Oakland University.
