A new series kicks off this week, spotlighting film editor Claire Atherton’s 40-plus-year career alongside some of her most notable collaborations. It runs October 1–10.
Atherton will be in person to introduce screenings during the series’ opening weekend programs. This series at the Walker celebrates Atherton’s long career through a selection of films she made with Chantal Akerman, together with highlights from her work with other filmmakers, including Éric Baudelaire, Luc Decaster, Bani Khoshnoudi, and Maria Kourkouta.
For more than 40 years, Claire Atherton has approached editing not simply as a technical task of assembly but also as a creative collaborator with filmmakers. Drawing on 1980s political feminism and her study of Chinese philosophy, Atherton does not set out to simply tell a story but rather aims to create open-ended spaces where viewers can create their own connections.
Atherton’s most significant creative relationship was with Chantal Akerman, whom she met through actress Delphine Seyrig in 1984, a meeting that led to collaboration on many films, culminating in ‘No Home Movie’ (2015), as well as more than 20 moving-image installation works.
Among the screenings is Akerman’s ‘D’Est’, from the Walker’s collection. The program also includes ‘When There Is No More Music to Write, and Other Roman Stories’ by Éric Baudelaire.
