Anthology Film Archives Shows Avant-garde Films from Former Yugoslavia
Although it has originated from alternative and avant-garde film movements of the 1950s and 1960s, this important American institution in its programme Avant-garde Cinema from Former Yugoslavia, 1950s-1980s, taking place 6-8 March in New York City, decided to screen films made by Croatian avant-garde directors of the 1960s. In addition to Croatian directors, the same programme will screen Slovenian and Serbian films from the same period.
As they claim on their official website, this critically important area of avant-garde cinema in USA is quite neglected, even though many filmmakers from former Yugoslavia have long been part of the American film sphere. As examples, they mention the Belgrade-based filmmaker Dušan Makavejev, Slovenian filmmaker Karpo Ačimović Godina, and Želimir Žilnik, as a kind of envoys of experimental film movement of outstanding richness, innovation and uncompromised political commitment.
The programme Avant-garde Cinema from Former Yugoslavia, 1950-1980s screens films by Croatian, Slovenian and Serbian directors. On 7th March, Croatian Avant-garde Films and Filmmakers from the 1960s shown eight titles: Encounter by Vladimir Petek (1963, 5 min, 35 mm, b/w), The Forenoon of a Faun by Tomislav Gotovac (1963, 8 min, 16 mm, b/w), Straight Line (Stevens-Duke) (1964, 10 min, 16 mm, b/w) and Circle (Jutkevich-Count) (1964, 12 min, 16 mm, b/w) by the same director; followed by I’m Mad (1967, 5 min, Super 8 mm-to-16 mm) and Focus (1967, 7 min, 35 mm, b/w) by Ivan Martinac and People (in Passing) II (1967, 11 min, 35 mm, b/w) and Afternoon (Gun) (1968, 15 min, 35 mm, b/w) by Lordan Zafranović.
All these filmmakers were one way or another connected with the Croatian Film Clubs’ Association, whose archive keeps their amateur and professional films. With the support of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the archive made new film copies and co-organised their American presentation. This is the first in a series of such presentations and so far the most important presentation of Croatian avant-garde in USA and Canada. After NYC, the entire programme will be hosted by Pacific Film Archive in Berkley (11-19 March) and Cinémathèque Québécoise in Montreal (in April). A Seattle visit is also planned for the end of May.
The curator of Anthology Film Archives programme and the coordinator of the American presentation of Yugoslav film avant-garde is film critic and programmer Jed Rapfogel. The Croatian programme was selected by Croatian Film Clubs’ Association’s curator Diana Nenadić and it was also backed by the Zagreb-based Tomislav Gotovac Institute.
Anthology Film Archives is an international centre for conservation, research and exhibition of films and videos, with a special focus on independent, experimental and avant-garde films. Seated in New York City, it was established in 1970 by Jonas Mekas, Jerome Hill, P. Adams Sitney, Peter Kubelka and Stan Brakhage, and today it focuses on the preservation and protection of film material in danger of being lost or ignored.
Details about this avant-garde film institution are available on this link, and the screening schedule of former Yugoslav films can be found here.
The entire programme was made in association with the Slovenian Cinematheque, Croatian Film Clubs’ Association and Academic Film Centre Belgrade.
Title illustration taken from: www.anthologyfilmarchives.org.