Discussion between Luc Benhamou and Sonia Wieder-Atherton and musical moments
Chantal Akerman was born in Brussels in 1950. Her parents, originally from Poland, had settled in Belgium in the 1930s. During the war, part of her family suffered deportation and were murdered in Auschwitz. The ensuing silence guided both her work as a filmmaker and her life as a woman.
Sonia Wieder-Atherton and Luc Benhamou wish to share a moment of exchange by questioning Chantal Akerman’s relationship with Judaism. Some of the possible approaches are through her work, but also through her positions on several issues, her relationship to biblical texts and to transmission. Music will also be present through the voice of Sonia Wieder-Atherton’s cello.
LUC BENHAMOU :
Born in Paris in 1959, Luc Benhamou studied cinematography at the Insas in Brussels. He subsequently worked as a cinematographer, authored short films and studied Judaism. He framed and/or lit all Chantal Akerman’s films between 1983 and 1988, among these the notables Les Années 80 (1983) L’homme à la valise (1983), Un jour Pina a demandé (1983), J’ai faim, j’ai froid (1984), Family Business (1984), Golden eighties (1984), Letters Home (1986), Histoires d’Amérique (1988).
SONIA WIEDER-ATHERTON :
Cellist Sonia Wieder-Atherton studied at the Paris Conservatoire, then went on studying further with Natalia Chakhovskaya at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow. She returned home at the age of 25, where she met Chantal Akerman. Their work and personal relation were set to last forever. Their worlds came together in film scores and stage creations. Chantal Akerman also directed several films with SWA, who performed works ranging from Monteverdi to Dutilleux. Their collaboration on the music for “Histoires d’Amérique” gave rise to a recording of liturgical Jewish chants for cello and piano.
Program:
6 pm doors open
6:30 pm start of discussion (approx. 1h30)
8 p.m. end (no drinks)
Credit: Collections CINEMATEK – © Fondation Chantal Akerman
