将摄影机对准导演自己或亲人、朋友，聚焦于私人故事的“私纪录片”，正在全世界的纪录片领域悄然回温。其中，由海外华人导演创作的私纪录片作品，近年来在全世界各大电影节、电影展和其他场景中不断涌现，成为一种渐成趋势的文化现象。海外华人的私纪录片蕴含着关于身份认同的张力。本文采用视听文本分析、深度访谈、参与式观察、文本分析的研究方法，探索了海外华人私纪录片的身份认同问题。本文发现，在影像文本的视听表征方面，对自传契约、私人档案和拾得影像三类典型元素的使用成为海外华人私纪录片在视听元素方面的特征，以“记忆”和“故乡”为基础的故事母题和人物驱动的故事驱动类型成为海外华人私纪录片在故事模式方面的特征，沉浸、诗意和实验性成为海外华人私纪录片在形态风格方面的特征；在影像文本的表达策略层面，借他者实现的主观性表达、以业余性修饰的专业性表达、以公共性包装的个体性表达成为其主要的表达策略；在影像文本的身份认同层面，集体记忆的远景化和私有化、身份政治框架下社群认同的“退场”、亲密关系的反思与重建、纯粹个体性认同的确立成为其主要的特征。本文发现，在影像实践的实践语境方面，家庭主导了创作者关于个人成长经历的叙述，而对家庭创伤的追问和反思、对“记忆饥荒”的补偿成为创作者展开私纪录片创作的关键驱动力，专业训练和跨专业启示对创作者展开私纪录片创作的影响极大；在影像实践的创作模式方面，无意识素材积累与有意识创作相结合，以及自我主导的创作观念，成为这些导演展开私纪录片创作的最主要特征。本文发现，在影像传播方面，传播路径呈现出基于互动交流的小圈子传播特征，而互动形态则呈现出以专业认可和个体情感连接为核心的特征。依据上述三个维度的分析和发现，本文指出，海外华人的私纪录片构建出了一种聚焦于“自我身份认同”的扁平身份认同形态，这种身份认同形态将自我身份认同与群体身份认同剥离，表现出一种“身份游牧”的特征。结合对当代全球社会和文化语境的讨论，本文认为这种身份认同形态一方面限制了提升海外华人群体可见性的政治潜力，另一方面则代表了当代跨文化影像实践潜在的发展趋势和未来方向。
"Self-documentaries", which focus on personal stories by targeting the camera at the director himself or his family, relatives or friends, are gradually reviving in the field of documentaries around the world. Among them, self-documentaries made by overseas Chinese directors have been emerging in major film festivals, film exhibitions and other occasions around the world in recent years, becoming an important cultural phenomenon and trend. Self-documentaries made by overseas Chinese contain tensions about identity. This paper explores the issue of identity in overseas Chinese self-documentaries using the research methods of audio-visual text analysis, in-depth interviews, participatory observation and text analysis. This study finds that in terms of the audio-visual representation of film texts, the use of three typical elements, namely, autobiography pacts, private archives and found footage, characterizes the audio-visual elements of overseas Chinese self-documentaries. The story motif based on "memory" and "hometown" and the character-driven type characterize the story mode of overseas Chinese self-documentaries. Immersion, poetry and experimentation characterize the audio-visual style of overseas Chinese self-documentaries. In the terms of expression strategy of film texts, subjective expression realized by others, professional expression modified by amateurism and individual expression packaged by publicity become the main expression strategies. In the terms of the identity expression of film texts, the spectacularization and privatization of collective memory, the " withdrawal" of community identity within the framework of identity politics, the reflection and reconstruction of intimate relationships, and the establishment of purely individual identity become the main features. This study finds that in the terms of practical context of film practice, family dominates the directors’ narratives about their personal growth experiences, while the inquisition and reflection on family trauma, and the compensation for "memory famine" become the key driving forces for the directors to make self-documentaries. Meanwhile, professional training and cross-professional inspiration have a significant impact on directors‘ self-documentary creation. In terms of the creative mode of film practice, the combination of unconscious material accumulation and conscious creation, as well as the self-leading creative concept, become the most important characteristics of these directors‘ self-documentary creation.This study finds that in the terms of film communication, the dissemination path is characterized by a small circle based on interactive communication, while the interaction pattern presents a characteristic centered on professional recognition and individual emotional connection.Based on the analysis and findings of the above three dimensions, this paper points out that self-documentaries made by overseas Chinese have constructed a flat form of identity that focuses on "self-identity". This form of identity separates self-identity from group identity, showing a characteristic of "identity nomadism". Combined a discussion of the contemporary global social and cultural context, this paper argues that this form of identity limits the political potential to enhance the visibility of overseas Chinese communities on the one hand, and represents the possible development trend and future direction of contemporary cross-cultural film practice on the other hand.
