filmmaker Archives

followed by a Q&A with director Ian Cheney & animator of the film, Professor of the Practice Melissa McClung

In a universe that erases its tracks, why are we so hellbent on leaving a trace?

From executive producer Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams; Grizzly Man) and director Ian Cheney (King Corn), The Arc of Oblivion is an unexpectedly playful search for an answer to a deeply existential question. Set against the backdrop of the filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in a field in Maine, the film heads far afield—to salt mines in the Alps, fjords in the Arctic, and ancient libraries in the Sahara—to illuminate the strange world of archives, record-keeping, and memory.

Director Ian Cheney and animator, Wheaton Professor of the Practice Melissa McClung, will join us for a Q&A after a screening of this fun and thought-provoking film.

Join Charlotte Mangin and Sandra Rattley, the makers of UNLADYLIKE2020, as they describe how they created a new visual vocabulary for documentary filmmaking in digital shorts, while elevating the voices of unsung women and little-known heroines who shaped and changed America over 100 years ago, and the women who now follow in their footsteps. In illustrative conversations, Mangin and Rattley share insights on how they crafted the multi-media tools to present history in a bold new way—covering the early years of feminism and suffrage, to the women-led anti-racist work of today.

Join filmmaker Tim Slade for a discussion of his film Destruction of Memory, which explores how cultural heritage is intentionally targeted during armed conflict. Participants who register for this event by October 2 will receive a code via email, to access and view the film.