News from Home
Encyclopedia
News from Home is a 1977 documentary film
directed by Chantal Akerman
. The film consists of long takes of locations in New York City
, set to Akerman's voice-over
as she reads letters her mother sent her between 1971 and 1973, when the director lived in the city.
film director Chantal Akerman moved to New York City. There she took petty jobs, made films and befriended filmmakers such as Jonas Mekas
and the cinematographer Babette Mangolte
, who would become one of her recurring collaborators. According to herself, Akerman spent the period living "like a vagabond". Principal photography for News from Home took place in the summer of 1976, after the director had moved back to Belgium since three years, during which she had achieved critical success with the 1975 film Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
. Locations chosen for News from Home correspond to the areas where Akerman had used to take walks, which include the Times Square subway station and Hell's Kitchen
. None of the sound was recorded synchronised with the images.
released it through their Eclipse series in 2010, as part of a set called Chantal Akerman in the Seventies. The set included four feature films Akerman directed in the 1970s as well as a number of short films.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Chantal Akerman
Chantal Akerman
Chantal Anne Akerman is a Belgian film director, artist, and professor of film at the European Graduate School. Akerman's best-known film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles , exemplifies a dedication to the ellipses of conventional narrative cinema.-Early life:Akerman was born to...
. The film consists of long takes of locations in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, set to Akerman's voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
as she reads letters her mother sent her between 1971 and 1973, when the director lived in the city.
Production
In November 1971 at the age of 21, the BelgianBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
film director Chantal Akerman moved to New York City. There she took petty jobs, made films and befriended filmmakers such as Jonas Mekas
Jonas Mekas
Jonas Mekas is a Lithuanian-born American filmmaker, writer, and curator who has often been called "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema." His work has been exhibited in museums and festivals across Europe and America.-Biography:...
and the cinematographer Babette Mangolte
Babette Mangolte
-Biography:Mangolte was born and raised in France and moved to New York City in 1970. She was the first woman accepted to L'Ecole Nationale de la Photographie et de la Cinematographie, graduating in 1966...
, who would become one of her recurring collaborators. According to herself, Akerman spent the period living "like a vagabond". Principal photography for News from Home took place in the summer of 1976, after the director had moved back to Belgium since three years, during which she had achieved critical success with the 1975 film Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is a 1975 film by Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman.Upon its release, The New York Times called Jeanne Dielman the "first masterpiece of the feminine in the history of the cinema." Chantal Akerman scholar Ivone Margulies asserts the picture is a...
. Locations chosen for News from Home correspond to the areas where Akerman had used to take walks, which include the Times Square subway station and Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
. None of the sound was recorded synchronised with the images.
Release
The film was released on DVD in France through Carlotta Films on 18 April 2007. The Criterion CollectionThe Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
released it through their Eclipse series in 2010, as part of a set called Chantal Akerman in the Seventies. The set included four feature films Akerman directed in the 1970s as well as a number of short films.