Professor Karl Nussbaum shares experimental films and family inspiration at the Film Forum

Assistant Professor of Film, Karl Nussbaum has shared his expertise teaching in the classrooms of Montclair State University for 15 years. But on March 15, he presented his experimental films and his story as the child of a Holocaust survivor on the screen of the presentation room of the School of Communication and Media.

Open to all, the Montclair State Film Forum invites talented film and video professionals to showcase their work and talk about their artistic process. As a “band-man” who writes, shoots, and edits projects for display in specific locations, such as Germany, France, and Italy, Nussbaum had a lot of wisdom to impart in his Q&A parts. led by Professor Roberta. Fridman.

The event kicked off with a screening of Nussbaum’s “Ghost Dance for America, 1890,” which was originally presented at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Named after a Native American movement made in response to colonization, this film explores how the beginnings of our nation and the violence that occurred in the 1800s culminated in the political climate we find ourselves in today, tackling topics such as Manifest Destiny and the Civil War as scenic imagery, serene music and sounds of nature filled the room.

“Ghost Dance for America, 1890” set the tone for the evening’s lineup, as Nussbaum says the unifying theme of his works is that they’re all “ghost stories.”

“They were about death, about dead people and ghosts from the past, about memory, time and what’s left,” Nussbaum said. “I tell these ghost stories because my German Jewish family was murdered in the Holocaust. I try to remember them and honor them and their lives. It got me thinking about other tragedies and the trauma, death, and generations of legacy that resulted from slavery in America and the destruction of Native Americans in our country. All of these tragedies lead to generations of transmitted trauma. We need to examine and explore these traumas for all of our peoples to heal. »

Karl Nussbaum visited the Film Forum on March 15.
Julian Putnam | The Montclairon

With his father and aunt being the only ones to survive, as well as his father having been arrested several times and put in a camp for a time, Nussbaum translates this knowledge into his projects.

“This traumatic family background has inspired just about all of my work,” Nussbaum said. “It’s something that’s always in the background and influences both my art and my view of the world.”

Following this theme is his film “Phantasmagoria, 1945”, presented in the castle in which German Nazi politician Joseph Goebbels and his family stayed, located in Rheydt, Germany, also the birthplace of Nussbaum’s father. The project uses a variety of elements, from Goebbels’ propaganda ideas and anti-Semitic cartoons to modern clips of Black Lives Matter protests, White House riots and heartbreaking segments of children in detention.

“Phantasmagoria, 1945” was shown in the castle where German Nazi politician Joseph Goebbels and his family stayed.
Photo courtesy of Karl Nussbaum

‘Ghost Dance, 1890’ and ‘Phantasmagoria, 1945’ are just two of many films shown at the Film Forum before the event culminates with Nussbaum’s most recent work, ‘Psychedelic Ode to Sunshine’.

Although still inspired by his family background by paying homage to his late aunt who had survived the Holocaust, this film is different from the others. He linked the idea that his aunt had lived as a Christian missionary in Angola, Africa, to his keen interest in brightly colored African wax prints and early, upbeat African music, the two main defining elements” Psychedelic Ode to Sunshine” and help set this film apart from previous ones, according to Nussbaum.

“So when I put those two ideas together, it seemed like I could create a movie that was both fun, but also had an emotional core and a story,” Nussbaum said. “And then I realized that this was the first time I could combine the sadness and darkness of the Holocaust with the beauty and exciting, colorful energy of life in one of my films. This total contrast is exciting and acts as a necessary sense of balance.

The final screening and the films that preceded provided viewers with something to come back to.

Sophomore film student Charlie Martin agreed with Nussbaum’s process of how he creates films and uses images organically.

“I love the way he thinks about experimental films,” Martin said. “How he’s, kind of like, ‘Oh, that’s not a mistake. That’s something I can use later. And I like that kind of thought process, and I kind of want that. for myself.

Sophomore film student Charlie Martin agreed with Nussbaum’s process of how he creates films and uses images organically.
Megan Li | The Montclarion

Katharine Flynn, a junior film student, left the presentation with a deeper interest in Nussbaum’s type of work creating installations.

“I haven’t had much experience with the type of film he does where he’s projected onto the walls and everything,” Flynn said. “And now I really want to delve into that because it’s kind of cool.”

Junior film student Katharine Flynn left the presentation with a deeper interest in Nussbaum’s type of work.
Megan Li | The Montclairon

Nussbaum’s visit to the Film Forum achieved what he shared his purpose to be, which is to have a conversation with the public and to present his work to others so that they can be affected enough to form their own thoughts. and feelings.