Struggles in Public Spaces

For over 100 years, amateur filmmakers have been capturing special moments privately – but also in public. It is here that their images frequently deliver especially powerful counter-images to the dominate historical narratives and the molding of political identity. These "raw" film images are not easy to read, however, and can never be reduced to simple statements. In this presentation, we will look at examples and discuss questions surrounding public spaces. Who is allowed to be present in public spaces? Who is shut out of them? What struggles are being led in and around public spaces? Who documents and for what purpose? How does our position today influence how we understand this footage? (sh&ml)
 
Presented by Michael Loebenstein, Director of the Film Museum, and Film Museum staff member Stefan Huber