Printed Matter

consists entirely of images of contact prints and photographic negatives made by the father of the filmmaker. André Brutmann was a freelance press photographer who closely tracked the news in the Middle East over a period of two decades for local and European newspapers. His extensive collection has become a visual chronicle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Brutmann's photos give a new twist on the familiar images of social protest, armed violence, mourning, and politicians from Israel and the occupied territories: here, private lives and geopolitics are brought together on a single roll of film. After Brutmann became a father in 1983, he often returned home after a hard day's work and finished off the roll by taking pictures of his family. So, everyday scenes alternate with historic events on these contact prints. The first and second intifada and the murder of Yitzhak Rabin are followed by images of family members reading, or the birth of his daughter. In voice-over we hear Hanne Foighel, the filmmaker's mother and a freelance journalist, recollecting and taking a journey back in time - into political history as well as the intimacy of family life. Produced by Auguste Orts, a small production and distribution company for audiovisual art projects.