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Filmmaker Blends Doc and Improv to Explore Trauma
15 Mar
Summary
- Filmmaker directed her own journey of vulnerability and self-discovery.
- The film explores intergenerational trauma and challenges stereotypes.
- A trauma-informed approach was prioritized throughout production.
Rachel Taparjan, a filmmaker and academic from North East England, is set to world premiere her debut feature, 'Something Familiar,' at CPH:DOX. This unique film intersperses a personal journey with actresses playing the filmmaker's absent mother, exploring themes of family bonds, absence, and trauma.
The documentary follows a woman searching for her birth mother in Romania, drawing the filmmaker into her own family's history and a painful legacy. Taparjan discusses the challenges of being both director and subject, emphasizing a trauma-informed approach to filmmaking to support individuals involved.
'Something Familiar' delves into the concept of intergenerational trauma and the power of reclaiming narratives. Taparjan aimed to counter stigmatizing Western media portrayals of Romanian orphans, injecting poetry and playfulness into her storytelling to offer a more complex human perspective.
