Famous Unknowns: Chantal Akerman

Chantal Akerman is often referred to as an author of personal films in which she enriches the avant garde cinema aesthetics with a humanistic dimension and explores themes of femininity, Jewishness, and uprooting. Her works are characterised by an attention to overlooked activities, moments of waiting and in-between times and spaces not normally seen in films. But is this a sufficiently apt description? The lecture will try to grasp Akerman’s diverse filmography in a more holistic way and include her neglected romantic comedies and television documentaries. It will also look at the director’s work against the backdrop of contemporary film-industrial conditions and widely shared means of expression.