Between 2013 and 2015, A Nos Amours presented in London a complete retrospective of the films of the celebrated film-maker Chantal Akerman, the only complete retrospective given to date. Rights and screening copies turn out to be widely scattered and incredibly difficult to access. The research needed to present this retrospective is offered in this book so that others may more easily follow suit.
Also included are the texts, journalism and blogging that was offered to the audience as a means to engage with film-works that are at once radical, wildly varied in style and content, and surprisingly often, on account of their rarity, little known. The book aims to be accurate and a reliable source of detailed information about the films. The book is intended to serve as an Akerman companion and a key reference work.
Many texts are included to provide invaluable insights, from the likes of Raymond Bellour, Richard Brody, Ivone Margulies, Marion Schmid and Ginette Vincendeau.
Laura Mulvey (whose phrase 'the male gaze' has revolutionised film theory) has written the foreword, surveying Akerman's achievement, making use of this book as an aide-m moire for what stands as one of the astonishing bodies of work in all cinema:
"As a collage of writing of many different kinds, the Handbook crucially bears witness to the effect that Akerman has had on the film community, from her earliest movies until her last... The high quality of the texts included in the book are all a reminder of the way that her 'cinematic' qualities have advanced our understanding of film."
A Nos Amours was founded in London by Joanna Hogg and Adam Roberts, to present screenings, events and art shows.