The Portrait at 24 Frames Per Second

The portrait has a storied history in visual art, but how does this art form carry over into movies? 

In this four-week class, we’ll watch some of the great works of film portraiture–from Agnes Varda’s playful collaborations with Jane Birkin to a close study of soccer player Zinédine Zidane–and collaborate on a working definition of a “portrait film.” Along the way, we’ll explore the gaze, the politics of representation, the artist-subject relationship, unconventional storytelling modes, and what a portrait reveals versus what it leaves out.

Films:

3/5: JANE B. BY AGNES V. (1988, 105 min)

3/12: PORTRAIT OF JASON (1967, 105 min)

3/19: SHORTRAITS: A selection of shorts from the International Portrait Film Festival.  This class is presented in collaboration with the IPFF.

3/26: ZIDANE: A 21ST CENTURY PORTRAIT (2006, 90min)

This class is taught by MMU Instructor Anna Weltner, whose previous classes include The Wonders and Bellissima.

Each class will begin with a short lecture, followed by a screening of the film(s), after which an instructor-led discussion will take place. 

Class size will be limited to 18.

Email us at education@moviemadness.org if you have any questions.