Abstract

Can cinema mediate an awakening of cultural identity and a processing of grief? This is the question I explore in my cinematic research-creation, A Hundred Years From Now. This project delineates how an awakening of my roots and heritage as a Bengali - Canadian informs a cultivation of visual and auditory memories of my late mother. Through an exploration and audiovisual celebration of Bengali cinema, poetry and literature, I trace the roots of my heritage and uncover my cultural identity. This process became much more poignant given the passing of my mother, and as a result, this cultural rediscovery is heavily intertwined with grief. This journey of self-discovery through cultural works - specifically the works of filmmaker Satyajit Ray and poet Rabindranath Tagore - ultimately brings me to making connections between these works and the memory of my mother. Is it grief that leads me on this path to self-discovery? Or does this self-discovery allow for a mediation of my grieving process? I explore these questions in a thirteen-minute non-narrative experimental short film that blends animation and live-action with an immersive sound design. Additionally, I aim to cinematically render cultural and personal memory as embodied and haptic, from my Bengali - Canadian perspective.