Poster

Synopsis
An immersive marvel of sonic ethnography, Expedition Content draws on audio recordings made by recent college graduate and Standard Oil heir Michael Rockefeller as part of the 1961 Harvard-Peabody Expedition to Netherlands New Guinea that set up tents among the indigenous Hubula (also known as Dani) people.
In their nearly imageless film, Karel and Kusumaryati document the strange encounter between the expedition and the Hubula people. The work explores and upends the power dynamics between anthropologist and subject, between image and sound, and turns the whole ethnographic project on its head.
Reviews
Critic's Pick! "Startling and fascinating... builds to a shattering climax." -Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
"Advances the possibility of a purely sonic cinema."
-Leo Goldsmith, The Brooklyn Rail
"A sonic journey... that interrogates how images are produced and who produces them." -Slant Magazine
"What Expedition Content does so adeptly is to make audible and legible those voices that have been silenced through omission."
-Stephanie Spray, Non-Fiction Journal
Press Materials
High Res Stills & Press Kit
Press Release
Where to watch
In Theaters
Playdates
Jan 7: Anthology Film Archives - New York, NY
Jan 14: Lumiere Cinema/Acropolis Cinema - Los Angeles, CA
Jan 27: Duke University Rubenstein Arts Center - Durham, NC
Jan 14: Lumiere Cinema/Acropolis Cinema - Los Angeles, CA
Jan 27: Duke University Rubenstein Arts Center - Durham, NC
Mar 18: National Gallery of Art - Washington, DC
April 8 & 10: Harpur Cinema Series - Binghamton, NY
April 15-24: Harvard Film Archive - Cambridge, MA
April 15-24: Harvard Film Archive - Cambridge, MA
Festivals & Awards
Official Selection - Berlin International Film Festival
Official Selection - Art of the Real
Loridan-Ivens/CNAP Award, Special Mention - Cinéma du Réel