Małgorzata Jakubowska offers the first monographic approach in Poland to the phenomenon of the self-portrait in film. The author juxtaposes the classic rules of self-portraiture with discussions on selfie culture, placing this documentary genre against the background of contemporary culture. From the point of view of the recipient – a layperson, critic or researcher – she provides insight into the creative process embedded in life. “The Reconnaissance” situates the self-portrait primarily in the educational perspective (showing the organization of workshops on self-portrait making), documentary and therapeutic. The artistic and documentary nature of the undertaking allowed for the indication of genre forms of film self-reflection: documentary observation of the self-portraitist, self-observation, interview with oneself, impression, video clip, staging, essay and performance. – Elżbieta Durys PhD, professor of the University of Warsaw

The publication is part of the research project Self-portraits carried out at the PWSFTviT in Łódź. The authors of the films are: John Burgan, Basia Pawlik, Alejandra Cabrera, Anne Sophie Liban, Andrew Ballantyne, Monika Zamoyska, Agnieszka Ładomirska, Gert Verbeeck, Noémi Korthals Altes, Reine Chahine, Anantha Krishnan, Lindsey Zasada, Vera Sofia Mota.

Małgorzata Jakubowska – film expert, professor at the University of Lodz. Her interests include philosophy as a rebellious thought and film as a form of feeling. Author of books and essays on the philosophy of cinema, narrative theory, and the film works of W. J. Has, L. Majewski, P. Greenaway, D. Lynch, W. Herzog, P. Almodóvar.

Publication co-financed by the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz.

The book is available in the online bookstore: ksiegarnia.filmschool.lodz.pl/strona-glowna/328-autoportret-filmowy-rekonesans