Cameraperson
United States • 2016
Director
#853Criterion Collection →Synopsis
Directed by Kirsten Johnson • 2016 • United States A boxing match in Brooklyn; life in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina; the daily routine of a Nigerian midwife; an intimate family moment at home with the director: Kirsten Johnson weaves these scenes and others into her film CAMERAPERSON, a tapestry of footage captured over her twenty-five-year career as a documentary cinematographer. Through a series of episodic juxtapositions, Johnson explores the relationships between image makers and their subjects, the tension between the objectivity and intervention of the camera, and the complex interaction of unfiltered reality with crafted narrative. A work that combines documentary, autobiography, and ethical inquiry, CAMERAPERSON is a moving glimpse into one filmmaker’s personal journey and a thoughtful examination of what it means to train a camera on the world.
Synopsis
Directed by Kirsten Johnson • 2016 • United States A boxing match in Brooklyn; life in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina; the daily routine of a Nigerian midwife; an intimate family moment at home with the director: Kirsten Johnson weaves these scenes and others into her film CAMERAPERSON, a tapestry of footage captured over her twenty-five-year career as a documentary cinematographer. Through a series of episodic juxtapositions, Johnson explores the relationships between image makers and their subjects, the tension between the objectivity and intervention of the camera, and the complex interaction of unfiltered reality with crafted narrative. A work that combines documentary, autobiography, and ethical inquiry, CAMERAPERSON is a moving glimpse into one filmmaker’s personal journey and a thoughtful examination of what it means to train a camera on the world.
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Credits
Crew
DirectorKirsten Johnson
WriterLisa Freedman, Doris Baizley
CinematographerKirsten Johnson
EditorNels Bangerter
ProducerMarilyn Ness, Kirsten Johnson
Cast
Kirsten Johnsonas Self (archive footage)
Jacques Derridaas Self (archive footage)
Michael Mooreas Self (archive footage)
Richard Johnsonas Self (archive footage)