Counter-Reformation, 16mm, 2024.
In the final session of the Council of Trent in 1563, Vatican theologians uphold the permissibility of the sacred image and icon against Reformation charges of idolatry, leading to an explosion of investment into fine art in Europe. This included, for the first time, the commission of paintings by female artists. Sofonisba Anguissola is the first professional female court painter: she amasses a body of work depicting Europe’s finest nobles and dignitaries. But throughout her career she returned again and again to the subject that fascinated her most: herself.
Counter-Reformation is a non-conventional, essayistic documentary that untangles and retangles threads of politics, religion, history, and the self-portrait, leading the filmmaker to an examination of her own contemporary cinematic practice. A deeply personal mediation on faith and the moving image, Counter-Reformation seeks to place experimental cinema within a theological and religious sphere; an under-explored but urgently fruitful reconciliation.
Made with the support of the CalArts School of Film and Video.
Beijing International Short Film Festival (*World Premiere)
American Documentary and Animation Film Festival (*US Premiere)
Mimesis Documentary Festival
Junk Dump Film Festival at the Museum of the Moving Image
South Sound Experimental Film Festival (Honorable Mention)
Chroma Art Film Festival (*Winner: Best Documentary / Essay Film)
Praise for Counter-Reformation:
“Though we have long come to terms with the mundane and flawed nature of our physical forms, the anxiety and discomfort tied to the pursuit, portrayal, and production of an ideal body never seem to fade. Visual representations are ubiquitous in our daily lives, and the bodies they depict are never merely personal; they are inherently burdened by an edifice of symbols and metaphors. In contrast to the classic portraits of young women in art history, the viral images of "lobotomy-chic" girls on TikTok and Instagram blur our perception of how real human experiences are documented and captured.
"Counter-Reformation" (2024) engages with similar themes of translocation and transformation through the lens of image studies. Director Caroline Johnson's study of Sofonisba Anguissola, the first female court painter, offers a glimpse into the political and religious fabric of the Renaissance. As Johnson's gaze shifts toward Anguissola's self-observation and mastery over her own image, the encounter between director and artist forges a dialogue that is both elusive and ineffable, bridging centuries through resonant connections.”
— BISFF International Competition, 2024: Bodies of Unease