Through the Detour of Art

In this film programme selected by Amanda Adam we explore how art and anthropology can intersect. Can film serve as a means to question the complexity of human beings and communities? Who is speaking, and how is the image constructed? How do filmmakers deal with their inevitable positionality? Can film and documentary do justice to the stories of communities of which the filmmakers themselves are not a part?

Through this programme, we reflect collectively on these questions by means of three documentaries: Tisztás by Zalán Szakács, Ours is a Country of Words by Mathijs Poppe, and Cherry Blossoms by An van Dienderen. In these three films, the directors are not merely creators but become part of the story themselves, questioning their own role in the process. They make space for the voices of the communities involved and experiment with fiction, co-creation, and artistic approaches in order to move beyond their own gaze.

The screening is accompanied by the launch of the new book by Professor Kris Rutten: Cultural Critique Through the Detour of Art. The book brings together a compilation of thematic issues from the academic journal Critical Arts focusing on the ethnographic turn in the arts.

In the presence of Kris Rutten, who will engage in a conversation with the filmmakers after the screening.

Short Film Programme

Ours is a Country of Words (2017)Mathijs Poppe, 42’, Arabic spoken, English subtitles

Cherry Blossoms (2012)An van Dienderen, 12’, Japanese spoken, without subtitles

Tisztás (2024)Zalán Szakács, Hungary, 39’, Hungarian spoken, English subtitles