Z archipelagu „utopii”. O filmach Roberta Flaherty’ego i Wojciecha Staronia
From the “Utopia” Archipelago. About the Films of Robert Flaherty and Wojciech Staroń

Summary/Abstract: The author compares selected aspects of the work of two directors who are separated by a considerable time distance: Robert Flaherty and Wojciech Staroń. The American classic travelled with the camera to distant places to find the Other, to save from oblivion and to promote the values that the Other was a carrier of. Contemporary film-makers are increasingly travelling to distant areas to protect themselves and to find themselves again. Both authors refer to the utopia of the place. Like in an “educational” utopia, the most important goal of staying outside one’s own civilization circle seems to be education or re-education. Especially Staroń’s "Argentinian Lesson" inspires reflection on the educational aspect and dimension of films and documentaries of both directors, which refer to the search for authenticity, an aspiration present in Western culture since the Enlightenment.

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