Music/Folklore paper by Gáti, Sally
Traditions for Sale
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
Traditions for Sale (1996) is a 50-minute documentary directed and edited by folklorist and filmmaker Sally Gati, focusing on some very special folk artists living in an area of Hungary known as Matyó. Hungary had already been looking westward when the Berlin Wall fell in l989, so for the traditional arts, Hungarian capitalism signaled the loss of government support. The village folk artists realized they would have to be entrepreneurial and sell the work themselves. It was not such an easy transition, but they did it. You will meet some very talented folk artists. We talk to a woman who creates the designs. We see older women who make the detailed embroidery goods to be sold in souvenir shops in their own town and in Budapest. We meet a woodcarver who makes furniture to sell overseas, and we watch his son paint the colorful flowers that will decorate items to be sold in their folk art store. We also hear lively Hungarian folk music as young costumed men and women put on a wedding for tourists. Spurred on by the marketplace, we see the dynamics of folklore and the revival of cultural traditions. It is a document with historical roots as well as present-day significance.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Sally Gáti received her Master of Arts degree from the Ethnographic film program at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1969. She was a language instructor at City College of San Francisco until her retirement in 2012. Sally Gáti's documentary video productions include Traditions for Sale (1996), STARTING OVER IN AMERICA: The Story of the Hungarian 56ers (2003), BAY CITY LUV: Singin’ ‘n Livin’ on the Edge (2005), DAN CYTRON: One Artist’s POV (2011), ABOUT MY FATHER Sam Cytron: A Life in Music (2013). http://gatiproductions.blogspot.com/