Jewish Film Heritage

• Applicants: Privatdozentin Dr. Anna-Dorothea Ludewig; Dr. Ulrike Schneider; Dr. Lea Wohl von Haselberg
• Subject Area: Theatre and Media Studies ; General and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies ; Religious Studies and Jewish Studies
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 497126216

Jewish film history is still a young but dynamic field of research; "Jewish film heritage," on the other hand, has so far been a desideratum. It can be conceptualized following the term film heritage, which has been increasingly discussed in recent years, and which, according to Chris Wahl, "does not address films as interpretable texts or results of a specific production process, but rather as a network of relationships consisting of their material condition, their legal possession, and of various actors." The term film heritage thus goes far beyond film history, as it makes visible the conditions under which film history is written. The term can also be used to include audiovisual material neglected by film historiography (such as amateur, industrial, educational, and commercial films). Furthermore, this approach makes it possible to include parafilmic and film-accompanying materials as well as screening locations and performance practices (from DP camps to film events in communities to Jewish film festivals) and to take into account the biographies of Jewish filmmakers.The project aims to develop an academic working definition of the term "Jewish Film Heritage" that is connected to literary studies research on the understanding of "Jewish literatures" as well as to film studies approaches dealing with audiovisual heritage and considerations of the critical heritage studies. The basis for this is a broad mapping of the hitherto unexplored subject of "Jewish film heritage" from the beginnings of the medium of film to the present day by use of a database. This will enable a survey with a focus on German-speaking countries, including films of various genres and formats as well as filmmakers, institutions and actors, including Jewish organizations, private individuals, museums and archives. At the same time, the database is intended to provide links to the field of European "Jewish film heritage" and international perspectives, and to enable further research questions. Two case studies follow on from this fundamental research, proving the and specifying the concept: The first on utility film (Gebrauchsfilm) examines educational and image films of Jewish institutions and organizations as "Jewish film heritage" and takes a look at the conditions of creation and production as well as at the distribution and reception of these utility films. The second results from research on Jewish topics and filmmakers in DEFA film and asks, on the basis of concrete material, whether and to what extent it is possible to speak of a Jewish film heritage of the GDR.Through the planned project, the Potsdam research institutions aim not only to strengthen the research field of "Jewish Film", but also to establish a corresponding collection that will provide films and literature on Jewish film history and film heritage.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2357: Jewish Cultural Heritage