What does it take to articulate a history that has already been forgotten? This is the challenge Amir Muhammad confronts in his iconic and controversial film The Last Communist (2006), where he explores the concept of “absent history.” The question encapsulates both Muhammad’s methodological approach and the dynamic interplay between
Author: Adrian Mendizabal
Adrian D. Mendizabal is a Filipino media studies scholar based in Manila, Philippines. He completed his degree on MA Media Studies (Film) at the University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI) last July 2023. He was previously a contributing film reviewer of the now defunct VCinema. He contributed several essays on Philippine cinema and the local media industry to various publications like Asian Politics & Policy, Plaridel Journal, Kino Punch, NANG 2, La Furia Umana, New Durian Cinema, Transit Journal, Sinekultura Film Journal and MUBI Notebook . He recently finished his MA thesis on the relationship of time and Lav Diaz’s cinema. His main interest is film-philosophy, archiving, and memory studies. email: adrian.lessegers@gmail.com
Reclaiming History through Cinema and the Archive: The Ethics and Power of Liberatory Memory Work in Audiovisual Media
The third of Adrian Mendizabal’s essay for his ArtsEquators fellowship, here’s how history is presented through cinema, and the importance of presenting it with the ethics and power of liberatory memory work. Introduction In cinema, memory and history have always been intertwined with filmic practice. Since the early days of
Remembering the Resistance: Liberatory Memory Work in Cinemata’s ‘Democracy Derailed: Curated Videos on Myanmar’
The media landscape of the 21st century is largely shaped by the rise of online platforms, which serve as the primary intersection between capitalism and public discourse. Platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, and Google, are specialized websites that provide a full range of user experience to their visitors, allowing them
Filmic Duration and Liberatory Memory Work: Analyzing Lav Diaz’s ‘Evolution of a Filipino Family’ (2004)
Introduction To introduce Lav Diaz and his cinema, the simplest approach is to emphasize his distinctive use of long cinematic duration, which is not merely an aesthetic choice but a result of complex historical, material, and political transformations. For Diaz, it is his praxis—a foundational aspect of his cinematic philosophy
The Seen and the Unseen review: An Indonesian Gem about Rediscovering Our Magical Childhood
Kamila Andini’s The Seen and the Unseen (2017) navigates the depths of a child’s subconscious, as seen through her cultural heritage. It recounts the story of fraternal twins, Tantri and Tantra. One fateful day, Tantra stole an egg from the gods’ altar, and Tantri subsequently prepared and consumed it. Tantri ingested the
