Cinema's Alchemist - The Films of Péter Forgács

There are filmmakers who have created a documentary opus of great significance and have thereby deepened our understanding of the past. Peter Forgacs, Hungarian filmmaker and media artist, is such a man. He composes films as if they were musical compositions—by using found material." from Erasmus Prize Laudatio, 2007
"Peter Forgacs is indeed an alchemist, as this insightful compendium of essays proclaims: his extraordinary process transforms ordinary home movies into works of profound and sometimes mysterious beauty. This volume brilliantly articulates the qualities that make his work so distinctive and important, not only as acts of cinematic archaeology but as transformative art. Michael Renov's concise appreciation of Forgacs's devastating reimagining of pre-Holocaust Jewish family movies in The Maelstrom, and Bill Nichols's and Scott MacDonald's revealing interviews with the filmmaker, are among the gems to be discovered." --Peter L. Stein, executive director, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker
Pher Forgics, based in Budapest, is best known for his award-winning films built on home movies from the 1930s to the 1960s that document ordinary lives soon to intersect with offscreen historical events. Cinemas Alchemist offers a sustained exploration of the imagination and skill with which Forgics reshapes such film footage, originally intended for private and personal viewing, into extraordinary films dedicated to remembering the past in ways that matter for our mture.
Contributors: Whitney Davis, Laszlo F. Foldenyi, Marsha Kinder, Tamas Koranyi, Scott MacDonald, Tyrus Miller, Roger Odin, Catherine Portuges, Michael S. Roth, Kaja Silverman, Ernst van Alphen, and Malin Wahlberg.
Bill Nichols is, professor of cinema at San Francisco State University.
Michael Renov is associate dean of academic affairs and professor of critical studies in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.