Memories from the Department of Amnesia

1989, 12:50 min, b&w and color, sound

Memories from the Department of Amnesia is a deeply personal reflection upon the loss of a parent — specifically, Tanaka's mother. Memory is at the core of this poignant work, in which Tanaka transforms the autobiographical into the universal. Stages of mourning — evasion, fear, grief, denial and remembrance — are rendered as a series of evocative visual metaphors. Transfigured through Tanaka's characteristically lush image processing, haunting images are complemented with a collage of photographs, voiceover and text, which together recount a personal history of her mother's life.

Producer/Director: Janice Tanaka. Script: Janice Tanaka, Eric Ryland, Jonathan Treat. With: Joseph Cseh, Peter Cseh, Rebecca Gallardo, John Hopkins, Eric Manabat, Janice Tanaka. Camera: Janice Tanaka, Bret Mann, Jason Taubman. Editors: Janice Tanaka, Marilyn Wulff, Jason Taubman. Music Composer: Paul Kern.