Cuyler Ballenger

Boller St

"BOLLER ST" is a film exploring the concept of home through the lens of Jewish migratory history, centered around Boller St, an ordinary thoroughfare in a small southwest German village.

The goal for "BOLLER ST," as such, is to tell both a specific story of immigration as well as a larger story about place, home and identity that extends far beyond Cuyler Ballenger's family story, and connects to millions and millions of Americans who come from all over the world. His artistic goals for this project are consistent with his previous work — to respond to and advance a speculation of family stories, and to communicate the interrelatedness of phenomena that may not immediately appear to be related.

This work exists in the seams between narrative and social documentary, exploring how filmmaking can represent and reflect on daily experiences hundreds of years ago, and today.

Q&A

Fellowship Cohort: Spring 2023

Why did you choose this project?
I have always made short films about my family, or had family members act in the short narrative films not about them. I am combining these two elements of my practice (having family act in a film about family), and adding to this years of historical research about my own ancestors, to create a multi-part film project. I am interested in making a project like this because it allows me to make a feature length film over years, but also has benchmarks along the way in the form of shorter segments. I therefore have the chance to frequently evaluate what I am doing, and assess if I am being faithful to the art making and also the history ... which is a balancing act I am learning along the way.

How was this fellowship meaningful or impactful to you?
Beyond the money, it's the equipment. I have been able to use the RED and Canon Cinema Prime lenses on numerous occasions. The images that can be made from that set-up allow my project to have a production value I would not otherwise have. Further, I am using multiple mediums for this BOLLER ST project - from camcorder video, to 16mm and Super8. Therefore the cinema quality 6K is really pronounced, and gives the project a nice contrast.

What future plans do you have related to this work, if any?
Too many to list...