CIMS Students Film Documentary on BU Music Scene
Watch their 8-minute documentary here
As part of the coursework in Prof. Jennifer Cazenave’s Fall 2023 course “Auteur Filmmaking: Céline Sciamma and Sébastien Lifschitz”, students were assigned to small groups to create their own documentary short film focusing on an invisible history around Boston. This project reflected the work of Lifshitz, who was fascinated with the invisible histories of the LGBTQ+ community and relied heavily on archival images and amateur photographs.
When student Zaya Marz (CAS ‘25), a musician herself, transferred to BU she was surprised by the lack of opportunities and people to play music with on campus. She thought Prof. Cazenave’s class was the perfect place to explore this. So she and her group, including: Taylor Walker(CAS ‘24, Sarah Reeves(COM ‘24), Gillian Tobin(CAS ‘24), and Yuheng Deng, made a film documenting and investigating the history behind the music scene (or lack thereof) at Boston University, creating an enlightening and provocative film.
Each brought different skills and experiences to the group that made it. For most, it was their first time making a film. And though it seemed daunting at first, they relied on one another and created something to be proud of. Their project was heavily inspired by Lifshitz and his nonfiction documentary films, specifically The Invisibles, in how the group decided to depict the subjects of their film in their natural environments.
Throughout the completion of their project, the group learned a lot about the music scene at BU. They advocated for institutional support for musicians at BU, in the form of more quality spaces on campus for students to gather and practice.