Georg Koszulinski

Black River Reflections

in
the
black

water, reflections.

ancient cypress inversion forests
oscillate like magnetic rattles in votive
pit palimpsests, paper thin, broken only by
cypress lunglike knees under cloudless rims.

Contrary to popular belief, films don't have to tell stories, strictly entertain, or engage historical reality in the documentary tradition. Filmmaking can also be used as a means of keeping a diary, observing the world around us in a more contemplative way, or as an extension of our own audio-visual perceptions, keeping a record of what we see and hear. 

It's not simply to say cinema can be non-industrial, but also that it can be deeply personal and reflective. The images in my films rarely say 'this is how the world is' but rather, they say something like 'here is an image of the world, what do you make of it?' Such a question seems inherent to more contemplative film practices, or a deeper understanding of social reality, where the world is understood through a series of frameworks, like language and ideology. 

I hope Black River Reflections invites the viewer to reflect on how all things are connected, how the river is the trees, is the sky it reflects, is an image of the world transformed into light on a computer screen. But like any reflection, the interpretation changes with each individual who looks into it.

Georg Koszulinski

Georg's award-winning films & videos have been presented at hundreds of universities and film festivals around the world. Many of his documentaries and experimental essay films are also available through Fandor. He has two feature documentaries forthcoming this year: White Ravens: A Legacy of Resistance bears witness to survivors if inter-generational trauma in the wake of Canada's Indian Residential Schools (1876-1996) and the cultural resurgence taking place among the Haida People on Haida Gwaii. America is Waiting documents the direct actions and mass protests that occurred in Inauguration Day 2017 in Washington, D.C. Georg is an Assistant Professor of Film Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he teaches filmmaking.

More on Georg Koszulinski's work can be found on our Links page.