Maya Deren's ghost footage finally dances free—52 uncut minutes of possession and poetry.
This intimate ethnographic study of Voudoun dances and rituals was shot by Maya Deren during her years in Haiti (1947-1951); she never edited the footage, so this “finished” version was made by Teiji Ito and Cherel Ito after Deren’s death.
Cinematography
Deren's camera enters the dance—no observer's distance, pure participation.
Editing
Posthumous assembly by her widower; collaboration beyond death.
Sound
Ito's score merges with field recordings—where does music end and ritual begin?
Director
Maya Deren
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Deren returned from Haiti with 18,000 feet of film and 50 hours of audio, then abandoned editing to write a book instead—this 'finished' film is someone else's dream of hers.
Teiji Ito, her third husband, was 18 when they married (she was 44); his score here is also a love letter, completed after her 1961 death from a brain hemorrhage.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
US
