Filming History from Below

Cuevas’ monograph achieves its ambitions. It proves that investigative history can be communicated via documentary film; and it demonstrates this potential, in particular, in the case of microhistorical documentaries. Its analysis of home videos as a suitable source is especially strong, revealing how they can be integrated into film and contextualised without drawing upon expository methods. -- Stuart A. Neave, University of St Andrews * Frames Cinema Journal * Among the many books being published today on film and history, Filming History from Below stands out for the uniqueness of its approach and its excavation of a previously untapped subject. Cuevas shows how microhistorical documentaries significantly broaden our understanding of movements, moments, and people of the past and thus add to the broader discourse of history. -- Robert Rosenstone, author of <i>History on Film/Film on History</i> In Filming History From Below, Cuevas coins the term “microhistorical documentary,” bringing together two disciplines to examine how documentary film can contribute to a radical, more inclusive understanding of the past. He analyzes films by masters such as Jonas Mekas, Rea Tajiri, Péter Forgács, and Rithy Panh to offer a fresh take on the importance of the perspective ‘from below.’ The films’ subjects relate to burning issues like immigration, statelessness, totalitarianism, and genocide, and Cuevas makes a highly persuasive case for why microhistorical documentary matters. A challenging, original, and important book. -- Deirdre Boyle, The New School Cuevas makes a strong and convincing case for the emergence and significance of what he calls the microhistorical documentary. His astute theorization of this category grounds deep, contextualized studies of films by a variety of documentary filmmakers who evince a microhistorical attitude in cinema. This significant, admirably written book will be of interest to anyone concerned with documentary cinema and with representations of history on film. -- Philip Rosen, author of <i>Change Mummified: Cinema, Historicity, Theory</i> Efren Cuevas's erudite and insightful study should prove invaluable for present day aficionados of the documentary and remain an influential touchstone well into the future. * Cineaste *