Specters of Home – Prologue

Specters of Home – Prologue is a lyric film essay that follows a transgender woman time traveler as she returns to Jerusalem, the city of her birth, to uncover complex personal and historical truths. Drawing inspiration from Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil, the film explores the intersection of personal identity and historical trauma, weaving together the narrator’s journey of gender transition with an investigation into the events surrounding Israel’s founding in 1948.

Director: Ava Aviva Avnisan

Ava Aviva Avnisan is a multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of image, text, and code. Using technologies such as 3D scanning, AR/VR, and generative AI, Ava creates installations, performances, photographs, and films that challenge dominant narratives through embodied encounters with language. Their work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at Pratt Institute, The Henry Art Gallery, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Ava’s writing and projects have been featured in BOMB Magazine, BRILL, Routledge, and the Electronic Literature Collection. She is an Assistant Professor at San Diego State University and holds MFAs in Poetry and Art & Technology Studies.