“Echo” recalls childhood and the native home of the filmmaker through image, song and text. This self-portrait hints at the fragments, the pieces, the painful and repressed shards that the self contains, and through which it strives to piece together and illuminate its mysterious gaps. “‘Echo’ by Izabella Pruska-Oldenhof boldly explores homesickness and cultural yearning through visual imagery, song and text. In this atypical self-portrait, the artist has created a photogram of her body that acts as a travelling matte through the countryside of her native land as she mouths an old Polish immigrant’s song; the original recording pierces like an arrow through the distance of time.” – Andréa Picard, Toronto International Film Festival The photogram piece used as a matte for this film is ideally presented in the venue as a companion piece. Please note that the first 6 min. of the film are silent. Selected screenings: Wavelengths Programme, Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto, ON, 2007
