My Mother Laughs, Akerman Chantal

First published in France in 2013, My Mother Laughs is the final book written by the legendary and beloved Belgian artist and director Chantal Akerman (1950-2015) before her death. A moving and unforgettable memoir, the book delves deeply into one of the central themes and focuses of Akermans often autobiographical films: her mother, who was the direct subject of her final film No Home Movie (2015).
With a particular focus on the difficulties Akerman faced in conjunction with the end of her mothers life, the book combines a matter-of-fact writing style with family photographs and stills from her own films in order to better convey the totality of her experience. Akerman writes: With pride because I believed at last in my ability to say something that Id had trouble saying. I told myself, I am strong for once, I speak. I speak the truth.
Chantal Akerman (1950-2015) was a Belgian film director, screenwriter, artist and professor. She is best known for her film Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975), which was dubbed a masterpiece by the New York Times. During her 42 years of active filmmaking, Akermans influence on queer, feminist and avant-garde cinema remains unmatched, her films highlighting a near-physical passage of time. Akermans films have been shown at the Venice Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, among many others.