Film Essay – Between Personal Expression and Public Discourses

Film essay has developed as an artistic practice that combines documentary with avant-garde cinema. As such, it also combines realism and experimental formalism, between real and fiction, and between the personal and the public. At the same time, film essay does not create a new cinematic format, but rather reexamines existing models in order to conduct a conceptual dialogue with them. In this class, we will discuss the unique characteristics of film essay by reviewing and analyzing films and key creators who have used this practice from the second half of the twentieth century to the present day. This is to highlight the importance and power of this practice in emphasizing the personal voice of the creator while promoting an image and public discourse.