Archive

Special Screening

Ritual in Transfigured Time

Maya DEREN

USA1946 15min 16mm B&W

Synopsis

Maya DEREN is often called the godmother of American experimental films. She left behind a total of 6 films, of which Ritual in Transfigured Times is her fourth. It is about dancing, which she was obsessed with ever since childhood. Her debut and most famous feature Meshes of the Afternoon showed the director deconstructing time and space. This experiment continues with Ritual in Transfigured Times. She wrote in many articles that she believed that the single most unique characteristic of the film medium is its ability to deconstruct or transfigure time and space. As can be seen from the title Ritual in Transfigured Times deal with the transfiguration of time. By twisting and stopping time, she molds human movements, and dancing contributes to the molding. By giving life to the three Fates, Maya DEREN has created a new myth, and she does this through the medium of dancing. (PARK Dong-hyun)

Diretor

Maya DEREN

Born in Ukraine in 1917 and fled to America in 1922 due to the pogroms against Russian Jews. In 1943, she made her first film with Alexander Hammid called Meshes of the Afternoon (1943). She made six short films, several incomplete films and was the first filmmaker to receive a Guggenheim for creative work in motion pictures.