First person political

Invited to represent the area of first person film studies in this “state of the field” compendium collection, "First Person Political" carves out new territory by defining ‘the political’ in first person film. Originally first person documentary was viewed with suspicion not only for its subjective stance, in direct opposition to the purported objectivity of the documentary, but also for its personal character, undrestood initially as an apolitical or even reactionary position. This essay argues otherwise, by using intriguing examples both historical and contemporary that demonstrate that although first person filmmaking can indeed by self indulgent, there are many cases in which the self is invoked as a subsitute or representative of larger collectivities and indeed political struggles.