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18/9

Evidence of My Existence

For veteran photojournalist Jim Lo Scalzo, what is the evidence of his existence? Is it scores of photographs from all over the world — of outcastes in India, the frozen wonder of Antarctica, the last days of Saddam Hussein — or could it be something else?

Evidence of My Existence is a visual accompaniment to Lo Scalzo's revealing written memoir. In a deftly-constructed collage of photographs, video, and super-8 film, Lo Scalzo explores the manic drive behind his wanderlust, and exposes what may be the price paid for such a life. We watch as he dives into the lives of others across the globe — even as his heart stays tied to the life he leaves behind.

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A Dress Rehearsal for an Execution

Since the Pulitzer Prize for journalism was established, only one winning photograph has ever had an anonymous creator. In 2006, after nearly three decades of fearing for his life, Jahangir Razmi at last revealed his identity as the photographer of the 1979 prize-winning picture of an execution in post-revolution Iran. The story of the photo alone would make a fascinating documentary, but Montreal-based director and visual artist Bahman Tavoosi’s film is much more than an historical retelling of facts. Tavoosi records his process of restaging the photograph and meticulously seeks out a suitable location and cast. The source material becomes a muse, and a dramatic history is exposed and developed like a negative in this ambitious, cinematic and riveting piece of filmmaking.

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South Africa in Pictures

British fashion photographer Rankin explores South Africa's rich photographic tradition, discovering how its leading photographers have captured this complex, often turbulent, nation through remarkable images and charting the unique role photography has played in documenting the story and people of this fascinating country. Through encounters with legendary conflict photographers the Bang Bang Club, documentary photographer David Goldblatt and photojournalist Alf Kumalo amongst others, Rankin goes on a compelling and moving photographic journey to see the nation through their gaze.

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Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photography and the Emergence of a People

Inspired by Deborah Willis’s book “Reflections in Black” Through a Lens Darkly casts a broad net that begins with filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris’s family album. It considers the difference between black photographers who use the camera to define themselves, their people, and their culture and some white photographers who, historically, have demeaned African-Americans through racist imagery.

The film embraces both historical material (African-Americans who were slaves, who fought in the Civil War, were victims of lynchings, or were pivotal in the Civil Rights Movement) and contemporary images made by such luminaries as Roy DeCarava, Gordon Parks, and Carrie Mae Weems. The film is a cornucopia of Americana that reveals deeply disturbing truths about the history of race relations while expressing joyous, life-affirming sentiments about the ability of artists and amateurs alike to assert their identity through the photographic lens.

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19/9

Sid Kaplan - The Photographer's Photographer

Profile of photographer and master printer Sid Kaplan. Sid, 75 years old is a "photographer's photographer" whose own work spans for over half a century. He is best known as Robert Frank's primary printer, but he has also printed for "anyone and everyone" including Weegee, Allen Ginsberg, W. Eugene Smith, Cornell Capa, Louis Faurer, Philippe Halsman and Duane Michals.

Sid says, "In some ways I think right now I'm exactly where I was 60 years ago, where anybody that had a wet darkroom in their house was somewhat unusual. People say, “Oh, you've got a darkroom in your house?” And I say, “No, the whole house is a darkroom and I just found a corner to sleep in.” The adventure though is still getting a good picture. If I thought about all this other stuff, about where it's going or where I'm heading, it wouldn't be fun.

I'm at the point that it's time to start wrapping things up. If there's no more developer around, no more Dektol, no more paper, well I got my 60-year merit badge. But there's still a few more negatives I'd like to print.

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Life in Stills

At the age of 96, Miriam Weissenstein never imagined that she would be facing a new chapter in her life. But when "The Photo House" – her late husband Rudi’s life’s work – was destined for demolition, even this opinionated and uncompromising woman knew she needed help.

Under the cloud of a family tragedy, a special relationship is forged between Miriam and her grandson, Ben, as they join forces to save the shop and its nearly one million negatives that document Israel’s defining moments. Despite the generation gap and many conflicts, Ben and Miriam embark on a heart-wrenching journey, comprising many humorous and touching moments – a journey that requires a lot of love, courage, and compassion.

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Mugshot

Mugshot is a feature documentary investigating the cultural significance of the mug shot. Originally a law enforcement tool, the “mugshot” has deviated from its fundamental purpose as a source of criminal identification. It has been sensationalized through the world of the celebrity, exploited by the leniency of freedom of information, but has also captivated the attention of the art world. Mugshot explores the personal stories of those whose lives have been affected by this iconic photograph.

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All What is Somehow Useful

A multitude of animals brought together in a rhythmical sequence of photographs. The images blend together similar to the cross breeding of animals. An accumulation of bygone days, captured in photos, in which the animals are replaceable, but the same employees frequently reappear.

Years of studies and experiments on animals are reduced to a few images per second. The outcome of the research derived from the image or remains a mystery. Seeing is comparing; discovering similarities or differences, seeking for an ideal, gratification of curiosity, optimising utilisation. 'Alles was Irgendwie Nützt' is based on the historical glass plate photograph collection 'Julius Kühn' of the Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

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Other People's Pictures

Other People’s Pictures is a documentary about collectors who share an unlikely obsession – snapshots that have been abandoned or lost by their original owners and are now for sale. The film is set at New York City’s Chelsea Flea Market where, every weekend, dozens of collectors sift doggedly through piles, boxes and bins of cast-off photos, ready to pay anywhere from a few cents to hundreds of dollars for a single snapshot.

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20/9

From Darkroom to Daylight

The documentary film From Darkroom to Daylight features Harvey Wang's interviews with more than 20 important figures in the field of photography. Each shares their personal perspective on this monumental shift in the practice of photography, and how it has impacted their work. The stories are told through studio visits, artists' work, and archival imagery. The film runs one hour and is screening 2014-15 at museums, film and photography festivals, and educational institutions.

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Matrimania

Weddings in which the bride and bridegroom have chosen their partner on their own account for less than 10 per cent of all unions in today’s India: a society where the overwhelming majority of marriages are traditionally arranged by the couple’s parents. As the country modernizes this institution still defies predictions of decline.

Love marriages are especially common among the cosmopolitan upper class, in which young Indians often study and work abroad. The wedding festivities though, take place in India and are orchestrated in the same traditional manner as any other marriage. Religious rituals are believed to contribute to marital stability while a deep meshing and unification of extended families takes place.

Mahesh Shantaram has been documenting the weddings of this thin slice of Indian society for many years through his subjective photography. Disneyland-like sets, entertainment and catering for thousands of guests, Mahesh’s photographs are his personal take on 21st century India. “Everything that's great about India and everything that's wrong with it can be summarized in a single wedding” he says.

Matrimania follows the photographer across the country during the wedding season to meet and get to know a part of India that is rarely seen in the West. Traditions, patriarchy and social classes, local and global perspectives: in a pure observational manner Matrimania continues Mahesh’s approach of presenting contemporary Indian culture, lightyears from orientalist cliches.

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Digital Diaspora Family Reunion

Digital Diaspora Family Reunion is a touring Roadshow that travels across the African Diaspora to uncover the hidden treasures in family photographic archive. Individuals are invited to explore the rich and revealing historical narratives found within their own family photograph albums and share their stories with the world.

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