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Contribution short abstract:

Do desktop multi-modal documentary forms need decolonising? In February 2022 I shared the website www.falaminhairma.org with selected audiences in Mozambique, including content co-creators, participants and collaborators. The curated pop-up screenings and youtube channel were better received. Why? You can view the film here https://festival.raifilm.org.uk/film/sing-my-sister/

Contribution long abstract:

Speak My Sister (www.falaminhairma.org) is a web documentary based around a series of seven musical portraits of Mozambican women who draw on their creative voice to bring about social change. The portraits were researched, filmed, edited and exhibited in collaboration with filmmakers, musicians, exhibitors, activitsts and students from the Higher Institute of Art and Culture in Mozambique’s capital Maputo. In addition to these portraits there are musical performances, illustrated podcasts and short films from behind the scenes that explore participant's perspectives on their research and filming process, editing and exhibition. Together, through personal testimony, poetry, music and dance, the 20 short films offer a Mozambican reflection on the representation of women and the role of women in forming Mozambican cultural identity. During the workshop I will share some of my choices in the authoring of the website and play selected clips to illustrate the potential for dialogue between the films. The feedback I received in Mozambique from test audiences and content creators however has driven me to look further into ideas around multi-modality and 'polyphony'. I am currently exploring these within an i-Docs Polyphonic Documentary research group and will share extracts of work in progress of an alternative multimodal re-working of the 'Speak My Sister' material based on these new ideas. By bringing my experience and uncertainties to this work-in-progress workshop, I hope to provoke discussion around audience reception of multi-modal authoring, especially within the global context of decolonial content production and reception.