New Scholarly Volume Examines Experimental Film Across Eastern Europe's Socialist Era
In 2022, Amsterdam University Press released "Experimental Cinemas in State-Socialist Eastern Europe," a 334-page collection edited by Ksenya Gurshtein and Sonja Simonyi. The volume comprises thirteen essays examining film production from the 1950s through the late 1980s across Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. It takes a transnational approach, investigating the dynamics between experimental cinema and state bodies as well as grassroots organizations. Notable sections focus on influential figures such as Gábor Bódy, Józef Robakowski, and Tomislav Gotovac, alongside topics like amateur cinema in Bulgaria and the contributions of women filmmakers in Yugoslavia. This work builds upon a project initiated by the National Gallery of Art during 2013-2014, aiming to advance transnational studies in women's and queer filmmaking.
Key facts
- The book 'Experimental Cinemas in State-Socialist Eastern Europe' was published in 2022 by Amsterdam University Press.
- Editors Ksenya Gurshtein and Sonja Simonyi are both researchers specializing in Eastern European art and culture.
- The volume contains thirteen essays covering film production from the 1950s to the late 1980s in seven state-socialist countries.
- It uses a transnational perspective to address a gap in English-language scholarship on postwar experimental film in Eastern Europe.
- Key theoretical concepts explored include the 'second public sphere' and 'gray zones' of cultural production.
- The book originated from a 2013-2014 web-based project hosted by the National Gallery of Art.
- Specific artists analyzed include Gábor Bódy, Józef Robakowski, Paweł Kwiek, Tomislav Gotovac, and Miklós Erdély.
- A major focus is the role of amateur cinema and its relationship to state institutions and professional filmmaking.
Entities
Artists
- Gabriela Sitek
- Ksenya Gurshtein
- Sonja Simonyi
- Erica Balsom
- Sue Clayton
- Laura Mulvey
- Sanja Bahun
- John Haynes
- Jérôme Bazin
- Pascal Dubourg Glatigny
- Piotr Piotrowski
- Christopher B. Balme
- Berenika Szymanski-Düll
- Beáta Hock
- Anu Allas
- Klara Kemp-Welch
- Gábor Gelencsér
- Gábor Bódy
- Łukasz Mojsak
- Józef Robakowski
- Paweł Kwiek
- Masha Shpolberg
- Wojciech Wiszniewski
- Michał Dondzik
- Krzysztof Jajko
- Emil Sowiński
- Seth Howes
- Jürgen Böttcher
- Tohm di Roes
- A.G. Geige
- Matthias BAADER Holst
- Greg de Cuir, Jr.
- Tomislav Gotovac
- Miklós Erdély
- Sven Spieker
- Marika Kuźmicz
- Patricia R. Zimmermann
- Paulina Haratyk
- Vladimir Iliev
- Katerina Lambrinova
- Aleksandar Bošković
- Petra Belc
- Vukica Ðilas
- Tatjana Ivančić
- Ileana L. Selejan
- Tomáš Glanc
- Čaroděj
- Pavel Veselý
- Katalin Cseh-Varga
- Adam Czirak
- Maciej Maryl
- Piotr Wciślik
- Muriel Blaive
- James Kapaló
- Zsófia Lóránd
- Slobodan Šijan
Institutions
- Amsterdam University Press B.V.
- Ulrich Museum of Art
- Wichita State University
- National Gallery of Art
- Balázs Béla Studio (BBS)
- Workshop of the Film Form (WFF)
- Łódź Film School
- Educational Film Studio (WFO)
- DEFA studio
- Academic Kino Club (Akademski kino klub)
- State Higher School of Visual Arts (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Sztuk Plastycznych)
- Permafo
- Galeria Sztuki Aktualnej (Gallery of Current Art)
- Galeria Sztuki Najnowszej (Gallery of the Most Recent Art)
- Society of Bulgarian Amateur Filmmakers
- Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers
- National Center for Amateur Artists
- Kyupsfilm
- kinema ikon (ki)
- Routledge
- Central European Press
- Palgrave Macmillan
- MIT Press
- Indiana University Press
- Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences
- Bulgarian National Television
- COST Action CA16213 (NEP4DISSENT)
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Bulgaria
- Czechoslovakia
- East Germany
- Hungary
- Poland
- Romania
- Yugoslavia
- Wichita
- United States
- New York
- London
- United Kingdom
- Budapest
- Cambridge, MA
- Łódź
- Belgrade
- Serbia
- Croatia
- Wrocław
- Bloomington
- Rousse
- Soviet Union
- Warsaw Pact
- Europe
- Eastern Europe
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —