I – 8 – The experience is embedded in our cells

Experience is embedded in our cells—

Experimental artist and filmmaker Chantal Akerman filmed passersby waiting for a bus in Russia. In doing so, she uncovered a double secret. “Knowledge lies in every one of my cells,” Akerman said, “even though my mother never told me about life in Auschwitz.” In the East, Akerman not only rediscovered her mother’s story within herself, but in her film “D’Est” she also captured the reality of the oppressive sphere of a totalitarian ideology that resided within the very people she was filming. In her work, she depicted how people create the space of totalitarianism—an atmosphere of utter powerlessness resulting from the totalitarian regime, which continues to linger within their bodies.

https://nofilmschool.com/2015/10/5-lessons-indie-director-chantal-akerman-can-teach-about-filmmaking