Date of Award
Spring 5-27-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Film and Media Studies
First Advisor
Michael Gitlin
Second Advisor
Martin Lucas
Academic Program Adviser
Kelly Anderson
Abstract
Our House is a documentary short film about the role personal archives play in our lives and how they are used to remember lost loved ones. Kevin Volk lost his father, Ernest, when he was just three years old. For years, his questions about Ernest were greeted with platitudes such as, “He would give the shirt off his back,” but very little substance. The film explores how family artifacts have given a window into the man who died of a heart attack at 46 years old and how it helped his son deal with the grief. The things we collect and discard are extensions of our memories both happy and sad. How the Volk family has dealt with personal items over the generations speaks to how each member handles loss of all kinds.
Recommended Citation
Mogollon-Volk, Alina, "Our House" (2021). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/755