Abstrakt

Justyna Kucharska

Taming the Space „in-between.” Diasporic Cinema in the Context of Canadian Cinematography

The article deals with the development of a new cinematic genre – diasporic cinema, which is a result of works created by representatives of dispersed groups. The signifiers of the genre and a brief survey of diasporic directors’ achievements have been outlined with reference to history and the organizational structure of Canadian cinematography stemming from cultural politics which mirrors ideas of multicultural policies. A brief outline of the history of Canadian cinema includes silent cinema, the turn of 1939, when National Film Board of Canada (NFB) was created, the October crisis of 1970 and trends of Canadian cinematography at the end of 20th century. Apart from the outline of documentary and feature works of Canadian directors the author of the text examines briefly the transformation of the concept of “diaspora” which has considerably broadened its designation at the end of 20th century. Delocalisation brings a new concept of “home” which in the context of migration loses its traditional physical meaning in favour of space being tamed in the country of residence and the process of migration itself. These tendencies are visible in the modern Canadian cinema whose analysis proves that Canada is still struggling to determine its own identity and constructing national cinematography.