THE AFTERLIGHT
A Refocus Film Festival Selection
Using footage from hundreds of films over decades of film history, The Afterlight tells a ghost story of sorts that is itself disappearing. This archival film brings together an ensemble cast of actors with one thing in common: each is no longer alive. Together they contend with a fragile existence lived solely through these traces of their work. Recontextualizing these images breathes new life into them, humanizing larger than life performances and forcing the viewer to examine the act of viewing. Intentionally leaving the film elements untouched visually, The Afterlight also serves as an affirmation of the biases inherent in the archive and what we deem important enough to preserve.
There exists only a single 35mm print of the film. No digital copies. Touring around the world, director Charlie Shackelton's archival film is meant to deteriorate over time. As the film erodes with each projection, it will succumb to the same fate as those in it. It will cease to exist entirely.
Official Selection: 2021 BFI London Film Festival; 2022 CPH:DOX, Prismatic Ground film festivals