Graphic by Betty Smart ‘26
Image description: A vintage photograph framed by a stylized illustration of red theater curtains. The photo within shows two people standing beside an old-fashioned car on the side of a road, with a large, rocky hill or mountain in the background. The scene is set in a dry, rural area under a clear blue sky. The overall design has a warm, retro feel, blending the real photo with the illustrated theater setting.
BY Elizabeth Murray ’26
Global Editor
It was movie night in Gamble Auditorium on Sept. 12, where the Religion, French, Art Studio and Film Media Theater departments held a joint screening of Baba Hillman’s film “Kitâb al-Isfâr: Book of the Journey.” Hillman, who is a Five College professor emerita of film and video at Hampshire College, was present for the screening and later had a discussion with Elliot Montague, assistant professor of film production in the FMT department, who is also her former student. The film recounts Hillman’s experience after surviving a car crash in the Andalusian mountains just outside of Malaga, and how her experiences in the immediate aftermath segued into her travels and learning experiences. Professor Montague said on bringing the film to Mt. Holyoke “As a former Five College Professor who taught film production in the consortium for over 20 years, she had taught at every college except Mount Holyoke. She has however taught several Mt. Holyoke students in the past through her Paris filmmaking course, as well as at Hampshire. We thought this would be a great opportunity for her to show her recent work here and connect with our students.”
“Kitâb al-Isfâr: Book of the Journey” is an experimental film. There is little audio, only recordings of some conversations. The rest of the story is told through text over various images. The text includes Hillman recounting her stories as well as quotes from the Sufi poet Ibn Arabi, who also engaged in extensive travels. The film is a mix of Hillman’s personal photos, establishing shots of the places she is describing and a woman wandering in Malaga, who is meant to represent Hillman and her time in Malaga after the accident. The film is shot on eight and 16 millimeter film, giving the images a dream-like quality.
The film is told over a span of several years. Hillman begins with the days leading up to the accident, describing how she was driving from southern France to Spain during her school break in a used car she had bought, and how her brakes failed as she was driving down the highway. She collided with a truck and was badly injured and hospitalized for three days. She skips over this period in the film but recounts the visions she had. The arc of the film then picks up afterward, as she must stay in Malaga after being discharged, but ends around Jan. 6 right when her journal entries from this time stop. The story continues, showing her finishing her studies and her life throughout the next several decades, ending a few years before the film was made. She recounts her travels to France, Norway, Scotland, Spain and Germany. During these travels, Hillman meets with mentors and peers with the goal of discussing spirituality; these conversations are some of the only sounds in the film.
After the film was finished, Hillman and Montague sat down below the screen facing the audience and began the discussion portion of the evening. Montague asked Hillman how she approached the script, the film’s images and the choice to use text instead of a voiceover. Hillman said that she had never made a film like this before, and she focused on the connection between text and image. The film has two versions; one with English text and another with French text, and she used the same intention for both. She asserted that the film was not scripted and that it started with her revisiting the experience she had at age 19. She also said that she felt the film was an “homage to teachers” and their importance. “I was struck by the part in the film that speaks of a teacher residing in all of us, that everyone has something to offer and teach others. This resonated with me because as a professor, I am always learning from my students, how to be present, how to listen, how to be flexible. I think the more we can be open to seeing what others have to teach us, the more we can grow collectively and collaboratively,” said Professor Montague, who is also Hillman’s former student.
Hillman relayed more of the filmmaking process and explained the decisions made. She explained the actress we see during the Malaga sequence was a former student of hers who she felt was the best choice for this role. She also explained that shots featuring the highway are of the actual road where she had the accident, although it was shot many years later.
When asked what he hoped students would take away from the screening and discussion, Professor Montague said “My hope for students is that they can form their own relationship to the film as well as engage in activating a keen sense of viewership and constructive critique regardless of their major or field of study.”
Kamlyn Yosick ’25 contributed fact-checking.