FILM SERIES
Artists, Amateurs, Alternative Spaces
Artists, Amateurs, Alternative Spaces: Experimental Cinema in Eastern Europe, 1960—1990
Amid postwar disillusionment in the system and waves of enthusiasm for socialism, experimental filmmaking in Eastern Europe flourished from the 1960s through the 1980s. Defying genre conventions despite the risk of censorship, artists used alternative spaces such as amateur film clubs, festivals, and funded studios to create independent work and experiment with early video practices.
This series showcases two features and five shorts programs that illuminate the creativity and spirit of the Eastern Bloc filmmakers, highlighting the contributions of renowned figures like Dusan Makavejev and Jonas Mekas as well as the legacies of lesser known artists within this collaborative community.
Organized by the National Gallery of Art. Series co-curated by Joanna Raczynska and Ksenya Gurshtein.
Presented with promotional support from the Polish Cultural Institute New York.
See every film in this series with an all-access pass.
GENERAL ADMISSION: $30
CINEMA CLUB MEMBERS: $20
Makavejev’s nuanced history combines documentary and propaganda footage.
A moving chronicle of displacement from one of the godfathers of US avant-garde cinema.
This program charts the evolution of non-fiction film in the period of de-Stalinization.
Public space takes on politically charged significance in this collection of short films.
A showcase for one of the most aesthetically adventurous bodies of work in Polish cinema.
This collection of short works demonstrates new frontiers in video from the 1960s onward.
This program showcases genre-busting collaborations among artists in Eastern Europe.