Behind the Torchlight

Directed by Emily Drummer

Behind the Torchlight creates a transhistorical space - a place neither here nor there - that reflects the missing history of "the usherette" in early American cinemas. Constructed using found and original footage shot at an abandoned movie theater in Brooklyn, NY, the film abstracts historical temporality. At once on display and concealed by the partial darkness of the theater interior, usherettes served as objects of fantasy for moviegoers and were themselves spectators.