Tila Chitunda’s Cinema as Autoethnography

Abstract

The trend towards autobiographical reflection has been growing among a young generation of Lusophone filmmakers. We believe that Tila Chitunda is a case of particular interest. In autobiographical documentaries the voice narrating an individual/family story is, at the same time, an expression of broader collective processes. In this sense, the dialogue with the self and its context has points of similarity with the autoethnographic methodology. Our reflection - built on the qualitative analysis of films and empirical material collected in direct contact with the director - proposes to discuss the filmmaker's methodological choices and the place of her work in the affirmation of women as directors.