They measured our heads 

Pegi Vail, Center of Media, Culture, and History, New York University 

Filmmaker Pegi Vail, an American adoptee and anthropologist, discovers her relatives on Inishbofin, the small Irish island where her biological grandmother was from. She later learns that 13 ancestral skulls were snatched under the cloak of darkness from Inishbofin’s cemetery by a well-known British colonial anthropologist in the late 19th century, locked away in the vaults of Trinity College Dublin for over a century. She finds herself part of an historic campaign begun by cousin Marie Coyne to return the stolen skulls to their rightful place on the island. Vail's personal story opens a window into larger narratives of separation and reunification, colonialism and repatriation, identity and culture.In this panel, Vail will discuss the challenges of making a film with her new found family, trying to dig deep personally while treading lightly as an 'outsider' making a film within the family, community, and country she did not grow up in. Vail will discuss challenges arising during the filmmaking process of unexpected emotional consequences and generational traumas associated with the topic.

Speculative Encounters: Animating Ambiguous Loss

Darcy Alexandra, Institute of Social Anthropology, and History, University of Bern 

Public narratives about adoption are rarely rooted in the experiences of those who live it. As Sisson (2024) argues, adoption narratives prioritize the families that are made through adoption–with scarce accountability toward the families that are separated. As an adoptee, my own family was separated (and established) through adoption. The Woman You Look For, my animated documentary in production–co-directed with animation artist Michaela Mueller–conceptualizes closed adoption as an insidious form of intersectional, state-based violence. Combining expressively painted scenes with animated archival documents and photographs, the film traces the irrevocable loss at the center of adoption and instigates thinking about multiple belongings. In this talk, I will share two sequences from the film, “The Weigh Station” and “The ‘Better’ Family,” to discuss the role of animation in providing accompaniment and imaginative possibilities for speculative encounters.    

Blurred Images: Memory, Responsibility, and Reflective Witnessing in an East German Family  

Laura Coppens, Institute of Social Anthropology, University of Bern 

How did we become what we are today? How do we remember life in order to be able to tell it? What traces do biographies leave behind, and what do they reveal about a country’s history? These are the questions I explore in my new film Sediments, where I delve into my family history, layer by layer, unearthing the interconnections of two dictatorships. The film addresses themes such as speaking and silence, memory and forgetting, political responsibility and lost ideals, ideological misguidance, and late realizations. 

The journey begins with conversations with my grandfather, who, out of fear of memory loss, eventually overcomes his silence. The film moves through various historical layers, illuminating multiple eras of German history—National Socialism, the GDR, and reunification, up to the present day. By exploring my grandfather’s life story, I seek to gain deeper insights into German society. Reflecting on the past not only reveals patterns that help us better understand the present but also uncovers long-standing structures of violence and authoritarian thinking that continue to shape contemporary Germany. 

The danger of romanticizing one’s family history is always present. While memory often shields us from uncomfortable truths, maintaining a healthy distance is essential for engaging in thoughtful analyis. In this talk, I will discuss the concept of "reflective witnessing" and intergenerational responsibility, using excerpts from my film to further explore these questions. Together, we will confront the echoes of silence in family histories and navigate the delicate balance between love and critical reflection.