Teilnahme Ethnokino Film Festival, Bern, Schweiz

Antragstellender: Shubham Sharma
Fachbereich, Studienrichtung: FB08, Master Visual Anthropology

As a graduate student pursuing a master's degree in Visual Anthropology at the University of Munster, my participation in the Ethnokino Film Festival took on a profound academic and personal significance. This experience provided a unique platform to explore the intersection of my studies and my creative endeavours as a filmmaker.

The festival, which unfolded in Bern from September 28th to October 1st, marked a remarkable juncture in my academic journey. At its core, the festival served as a celebration of global cinema, a rich tapestry of narratives, cultures, and storytelling techniques from around the world. This eclectic blend of films offered me an opportunity to observe how different cultures and societies use visual media to convey their stories, which is a central aspect of my studies in visual anthropology.

However, my film, "A Family Portrait," had a particular resonance with the themes I was exploring in my academic pursuit. In my studies, I've been delving into the cultural significance of images and their evolution, particularly in the context of family portraits. These images, which were once among the first visual representations to grace the walls of common households, are now on the verge of obsolescence in the digital age. As a student of visual anthropology, I became acutely aware of the significance of these portraits and what they can reveal about a society's transformation and memory in the face of digitization.

"A Family Portrait" can be classified as an autoethnographic film, a genre that integrates personal experiences into the ethnographic narrative. In this film, I aimed to articulate the relevance and poignancy of family portraits using archival footage from my hometown. Through this medium, I sought to explore the intersection of memory, migration, and visual representation, a central concern within visual anthropology.

My aspiration in creating this film was twofold. Firstly, I aimed to highlight the intrinsic value that an image carries, particularly in the era of content saturation. I wanted to underline how, amidst the vast sea of visual data, images have the potential to resonate deeply with individuals and communities, serving as vessels for collective memory and identity.

Secondly, "A Family Portrait" is a vehicle to express the complex journey that immigrant memories undertake when suddenly confronted with a family picture. It explores how migration affects the senses and shapes the way individuals connect with their roots and identities. These explorations align perfectly with the core tenets of my master's program, as I am driven to find novel approaches to understanding and representing the multifaceted impact of migration on individuals and communities.

In conclusion, my participation in the Ethnokino Film Festival was not just a screening; it was an opportunity to showcase a film deeply intertwined with my academic pursuits in visual anthropology. The festival allowed me to share my exploration of the cultural significance of family portraits and the impact of migration on senses and memory. As I continue my academic journey, "A Family Portrait" will serve as a testament to the profound connections between visual anthropology, storytelling, and personal experience.