The Dark, Debra‘s Dina Yanni is inspired by Michael Robinson’s The Dark, Krystle (2013) and tells the story of a woman who is struggling with her inner turmoil and has become reclusive. Using digital editing and image manipulation, the protagonist of the original work, Debra Paget, is transformed into the sole character of this new narrative. This experimental film blurs the lines between fiction, remake, supercut, and music video. The Dark, Debra challenges the audience to rethink their preconceived notions about Debra Paget’s Hollywood persona and to question traditional ideas of identity, intention, and subversion, ultimately creating a more ambiguous and complex representation.

«From childhood on, I loved old Hollywood movies and really delved into the whole atmosphere of the charismatic stars and the glamour associated with them. When I later decided to study Political Science I was basically a human archive of pop culture. I started to learn how power operates and how it can be subverted»

(Dina Yanni)

Paget retired from acting in the 1960s, but her legacy as a talented actress and iconic figure of the 1950s continues to live on. She remains a beloved figure in the entertainment industry and a symbol of the glamour and elegance of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Paget retired from acting in the 1960s, but her legacy as a talented actress and iconic figure of the 1950s continues to live on. She remains a beloved figure in the entertainment industry and a symbol of the glamour and elegance of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Paget appeared in a number of successful films during her career, including Broken Arrow (1950) and The Ten Commandments (1956), among others.

Classical Hollywood Cinema, with its invisible editing, star system, studio system, simplistic moral classification, and happy endings, proved to be a cage for experimentation and expressive freedom in cinema. Debra Paget, an icon and representation of Hollywood, has found new cinematic expression thanks to the creativity of contemporary directors who infuse new life into her figure.

The art of film editing is a delicate balance of technical skill and creative intuition, and it plays a crucial role in the storytelling process.

In this way, contemporary artists and filmmakers are challenging traditional ideas about Hollywood iconography and the role of women in film. While Paget’s career may have been limited by typecasting and limited opportunities for challenging roles during her time, her legacy continues to inspire new forms of artistic expression in the present day.

«By combining two representable elements, we create a notation of something that is graphically unrepresentable… and this is film editing!»

(Sergej Michajlovič Ėjzenštejn)

The power of editing archival footage lies in its ability to bring the past to life and make it relevant to contemporary audiences. Archival footage can be a powerful tool for exploring historical events and uncovering hidden narratives that may have been overlooked. Through skillful editing, an editor can transform raw archival material into a cohesive and engaging story that resonates with viewers.
By piecing together fragments of the past in a thoughtful and meaningful way, editors can help us understand the present and shape our collective memory of the past. Whether it’s a documentary or a fictional narrative, archival footage can add depth and richness to a film, and skilled editing is essential to unlocking its full potential.

«The remix of an existing work contradicts the idea that the meaning of this work is fixed forever and can only exist in one context. Instead, remix films circulate alternative narratives of popular works, all the while being suspicious of conventions and authorities»

(Dina Yanni)

Dina Yanni is a video artist and researcher whose work is heavily influenced by popular culture, digital image manipulation, and critical theory. She uses existing footage to create compilations that challenge and reframe power structures found within the original materials. Through experimental editing and data corruption, Yanni strives to reveal new perspectives on the politics of visual representation. Her work has been showcased at experimental film and video art festivals around the world.

«My process of film/video-making involves the work with existing materials. By changing and re-arranging existing works, a new work emerges with its own rhythm and new history. The remix also contradicts the idea that the meaning of a work is fixed forever and can only exist in one context. Instead, remix-films circulate alternative narratives of well-known works all the while being suspicious of conventions and authority. They work with aikido-like methods, taking the codes of their source and directing them against their original meaning. By the way, the video remix has its roots in Hip-Hop. Both types of the remix are sample-based and critical of the status-quo»

(Dina Yanni)