Yesterday’s class discussion raised some provocative issues about how to understand cinema from the “New Europe,” and I think that many of you offered some excellent insights about the films from Latvia and Lithuania and about transnational media. I particularly enjoyed hearing your readings of the two films, and having you engage in debates about their possible metaphoric and political meanings (or lack thereof).
One question that we talked about briefly at the end of class that I would like to explore further is whether this framework of transnationalism is useful when considering American documentaries. Have Iordanova’s ideas changed the way you consider the American documentaries you’ve seen? Why or why not? For the filmmakers in the class, do you see her formulations of transnational cinema as potentially useful to your own practice? Why or why not? What do you think are the advantages and the disadvantages of examining documentaries through a transnational lens?
