Tree Identification for Beginners

Directed by Yto Barrada

In the turbulent summer of 1966, the artist’s mother, a 20-year-old Moroccan student-socialist, was one of some 50 'Young African Leaders' invited on a State Department-sponsored propaganda tour of the USA. In this film, Barrada interweaves events of political history with her own family stories and myths. These 'sediments of history' come together here through archives, reports, and journals. The colourful, abstract 16mm stop-motion animation was made with the educational tools that are used for Montessori education.