NYSFERATU: Film & Writing Workshop at Queens Museum

On our last NYSFERATU Workshop at Queens Museum we talked about the many different journeys we have taken, both big and small. We discussed the purpose of the journey, the journey itself, the expectations and ultimately the reception. What was waiting on the other side? The participants shared their very intimate stories of traveling from a long journey within New York City, a scenic train ride through Montreal, a destination vacation to Iceland, a serendipitous trip to the hospital to visit an old friend, and more. Each of these movements were guided by a specific set of motivation and preparation but ultimately created unexpected and varying experiences. We related these trips to the journeys of Hutter and Orlok on their way to Wisborg for differing reasons. After our lively discussion, we screened Act 4 and reflected on the key moments in this part of the film. We discussed and studied the language and reactions to the Plague announcement and Proclamation seen in Act 4. For our writing activity we drafted our own versions of the contemporary “plague” and the proclamation that will come with it. We had a very topical and interesting conversation surrounding the plague and our contemporary moment. We celebrated our last session by continuing our conversation on Nosferatu and NYsferatu and shared our own reflections on the workshops. Everyone is looking forward to seeing the final film at the park!

Text by: PJ Gubatina Policarpio