Film Screenings / Programs / Series
ECOCINEMA BEYOND THE IRON CURTAIN
April 25 – April 29
April 25-29, 2024
Discussions of climate change tend to foreground the insatiable consumerism of the former “first world” – and the price the “third world” is already paying for it. What gets left out of the conversation is the ecological imaginary of what was once thought of as the “second world” – the countries relegated to the Soviet sphere of influence after World War II. Yet these countries experienced some of the most dramatic transformations, from rapid industrialization to total dereliction, and, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, an especially troubled revival.
This program charts the way Eastern and Central European filmmakers helped audiences process these changes and reimagine their attitudes to the environment and non-human species. It includes cinematic gems rarely or never-before shown in New York that touch on the representability of pollution, radiation, and a nature radically altered by human folly.
The program is co-curated by Lukas Brasiskis (e-flux, Columbia University) and Masha Shpolberg (Bard College) in connection with their new book, “Cinema and the Environment in Eastern Europe” (Berghahn Books, 2023). Each screening will be introduced by film and media scholars who have contributed to the book.
Presented with support from the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York; Lithuanian Cultural Institute; Czech Film Center; Dovzhenko Film Center; Hungarian National Film Institute; Kyrgyz Film Studio; Liszt Institute; Magnolia Pictures; Meno Avilys (Lithuania); Polish Cultural Institute New York; Slovenian Film Center; Ukrainian Museum; and WFDiF (Poland).
Larisa Shepitko
HEAT / ZNOYUSSR (Kyrgyzstan), 1963, 85 min, 35mm-to-DCP. In Russian with English subtitles.
Seventeen-year-old Kemal goes to work on a state farm during the Virgin Lands campaign – and clashes with its authoritarian leader – in this debut feature by the legendary Soviet Ukrainian director Larisa Shepitko.
“While Shepitko’s tilted shots and rapid cutting reveal a debt to Eisenstein, her gently lyrical compositions express an elemental relationship among machines, humans, land, and sky.” –Fred Camper, CHICAGO READERThurs, April 25 at 7:00. Introduced by Viktoria Paranyuk (Pace University).
Jan Schmidt
LATE AUGUST AT THE HOTEL OZONE / KONEC SRPNA V HOTELU OZON
Czechoslovakia, 1967, 77 min, 35mm-to-DCP. In Czech with English subtitles.
The lingering effects of a nuclear war have wiped out most of humanity. A small group of survivors – all women – roam the Earth in search of a male to continue the human race. LATE AUGUST AT THE HOTEL OZONE is a brilliant, underappreciated gem of the Czechoslovak New Wave.
Fri, April 26 at 7:00 and Mon, April 29 at 7:30. Introduced by Barbora Bartunkova (MoMA) on Fri, April 26.
Piotr Andrejew
TENDER SPOTS / CZUŁE MIEJSCA
Poland, 1981, 89 min, 35mm-to-DCP. In Polish with English subtitles.
At the end of the 20th century, an ecological disaster has left the air contaminated and exhausted the Earth’s natural resources. Experts estimate that there is enough water and food to ensure humanity’s survival only for another ten years. Against this backdrop, Jan, a TV repairman, tries to win over the glamorous and elusive Ewa.Sat, April 27 at 5:15. Introduced by Masha Shpolberg (Bard College).
Volodymyr Shevchenko
CHERNOBYL. CHRONICLE OF DIFFICULT WEEKS / CHERNOBYL. KHRONIKA TRUDNYKH NEDEL
Ukraine, 1986, 54 min, 35mm-to-DCP. In Ukrainian with English subtitles.
This documentary was shot by a team of Ukrainian filmmakers in the weeks immediately following the Chernobyl disaster. Part documentation of the clean-up effort and part essay film, it uses the unique tools of cinema as a medium to reflect on this catastrophe of unprecedented scale. The team was aware that spending so much time in the “zone” and filming directly above the exploded fourth reactor could prove fatal, yet felt a duty to do so anyway. The director, Volodymyr Shevchenko, fought a ten-month battle against the Soviet censors and succumbed to radiation sickness shortly before the film was finally released.
Sat, April 27 at 8:00. Introduced by Masha Shpolberg (Bard College).
Almantas Grikevičius
TIME PASSES THROUGH THE CITY / LAIKAS EINA PER MIESTĄ
Lithuania, 1966, 20 min, 35mm-to-DCP. In Lithuanian with English subtitles.
The main protagonist of this film is time itself as it passes through Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Drawing on both the Soviet avant-garde and French cinéma vérité, it peels back intersecting layers of the city’s history. The white horse wandering the streets becomes a poignant symbol of the way streets and buildings retain the memory of ages past.
Kornél Mundruczó
WHITE GOD / FEHÉR ISTEN
Hungary, 2014, 120 min, DCP. In Hungarian with English subtitles.
An allegorical tale in which an abandoned dog searches desperately for his beloved owner. When his search fails, he joins a canine revolt against the dogs’ human abusers. The film, which skillfully blends melodrama, adventure, and a touch of horror to pose questions about contemporary Hungary, was awarded the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes.
Sun, April 28 at 4:30. Introduced by Lukas Brasiskis (e-flux and Columbia University).
Sonja Prosenc THE TREE / DREVO
Slovenia, 2014, 90 min, DCP. In Slovenian with English subtitles.
A family voluntarily isolates themselves in their home, which slowly transforms from a sanctuary into a prison. The drama unfolds from the perspective of a mother and her sons, culminating in a tense climax that reveals the mystery of their seclusion.
Sun, April 28 at 7:45. Introduced by Meta Mazaj (University of Pennsylvania).
