In-progress excerpt – animation loop
The Kathy Project (in progress) is an essay film on memory and photography and also tells a personal story of friendship, obsession, and loss. The film interrogates organized religion and homophobia during the 1970s & 80s. After growing up together, one friend (Kathy) joins the military, becomes a stripper, survives an abusive relationship and finally becomes a born-again Christian. The other friend (the filmmaker) attends a vocational drafting program, becomes an art student, feminist, lesbian, punk, and finally a filmmaker. The friendship did not survive the homophobia of the born again Christian faith.
After 20 years of estrangement, the filmmaker decides to contact and visit Kathy. This experience informed the strategies of the film. Visual storytelling is found through archival footage, re-enactments, hand drawn and painted animations, and photography. This autobiographical work uses animation and non-narrative filmmaking and is the first iteration of a project that will become a live performance. The project calls into question many things, including the nature of photography and its powerful role in shaping memory and even identity.