My Ancestral Doll

Synopsis

A private webcam video - never intended to be shared - turned into an emotionally raw video installation. This short film is intentionally unedited, to show the full preparation ritual: the slow and perhaps even banal act of combing the doll’s hair. In this piece, filmmaker Janne Elens works within the lineage of Chantal Akerman, highlighting women’s/AFAB bodies’ under appreciated, yet vital, labour.