Filmmaker examines her relationship to her mother, reminiscences of childhood, and the story of three daughters who struggle to find common ground as they help their mother transition from the family home to assisted care.
Dorothea Braemer is a media artist originally from Germany and
currently residing in Buffalo, NY where she currently is the executive
director of Squeaky Wheel/Buffalo Media Resources.
What inspired you to make this piece?
Real life ... The fact that me and my sisters were having these e-mail fights about my mother moving into an assisted living situation. I used to get very angry when I got e-mails from my sisters, but after I decided to make a video about this whole situation I stopped getting as angry and started looking at the e-mails as material for the video.
Briefly tell us about how you made your film or video: what camera and format did you use to shoot your piece, and what system did you use to edit it? What is your working process? Did you use any special techniques to make this work?
I used a mini dv camera. I already had digital photographs of a lot of my mom's belongings and old slides transferred to cd, which I also used. I used masks to represent my family members.
Do you have any interesting behind-the-scenes stories about the making of this particular work?
I was nervous about showing the video to my family, but surprisingly everyone liked it.
What is the relationship between your work as a video/filmmaker and life in the New York metropolitan area?
I live in Buffalo, NY - a great city which everyone should visit. I used to live in New York and still have friends there.
What films/videos and makers have inspired you or influenced your work? And why?
I love the work of Chantal Akerman and Ulrike Oettinger. I also am inspired
by Juan Downey and Agnes Varda.
If viewers are interested in obtaining copies of your work for rental or purchase, whom should they contact and at what address and phone number?
They can contact me at
dorothea@termite.org or call me at 716-884-7172
