From Memory to Affective Archives: Documentary as a Prosthesis

This study investigates how documentary film mediates between personal and collective memory, authorship, and historiography, using A Piece of Heaven: Primary Documents (2002) as a case study. Directed by S. Louisa Wei, the 75-minute documentary explores the teaching legacy and personal family history of Situ Zhaodun, a foundational figure in documentary filmmaking and education in the PRC and Hong Kong. The documentary recounts Situ’s relationships with influential figures, including Dutch filmmaker Joris Ivens, set against the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution, and draws on examples such as Chinese cinema pioneer Lai Man-wai, whose works recorded significant historical moments like Sun Yat-sen’s images. The film’s genealogical mapping of Situ’s personal and professional networks situates Wei’s authorship within feminist and diasporic cinematic traditions, showing how A Piece of Heaven expands documentary practice beyond representation, turning it into a tool of pedagogy and historiographical reclamation. This research highlights the tension between memory and archival materials in documentary construction, emphasising how audiovisual media act as “prostheses of memory.” It reflects on how documentaries reconfigure personal recollections and historical narratives, offering a deeper understanding of the ways in which films mediate between subjective experience and collective memory to reconstruct and reinterpret the past. Copyright (c) 2025 AVANCA | CINEMA