LAUNCH OF THE BOOK "FOR THE IMPERFECT CINEMA: TEXTS AND MANIFESTOS OF THE THIRD CINEMATOGRAPHY"
FOR THE IMPERFECT CINEMA: TEXTS AND MANIFESTOS OF THE THIRD CINEMATOGRAPHY
Book launch
Friday, March 21, 2025, at 7 PM
Dokukino KIC
Welcome to the launch of the sixth edition in the Tendency series, a selection of texts and manifestos that belong to the militant film, i.e. the Third Cinema, arising from revolutionary liberation movements. We will be giving away free copies to all those interested.
Speakers:
Hrvoslava Brkušić (film editor)
Karla Crnčević (book editor)
and
Vesna Vuković (translator and series editor)
“The sixth publication in the Tendency series comprises multiple authors belonging to the powerful tradition of the militant cinema, quite invisible and overlooked in our context, nevertheless extremely topical at this moment. This decision follows the idea of international cooperation in cultural production stemming from revolutionary movements, bringing together people in the fight for liberation. As part of this idea, the film line that was born at the end of 1950s, in parallel with revolutionary events, was defined as the Third Cinema by the Argentinian filmmakers Solanas and Getino in a manifesto that opens the publication. It was established in contrast with the traditional cinema that had existed until that time – the first, Hollywood cinema, and the second, European cinema – as well as their counterparts on different continents. It is known, in more broader terms, as militant cinema, and its development has been marked by international collaboration between filmmakers, and by an increase in a number of films made in the 1960s and 1970s, which were financed and distributed in a different way, from Latin America to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, to the alternative film circles in Europe and the US.”
(...)
“Our interest in the important topic of militant cinema stems from our wish to make it visible and relevant in the local context, as an attempt to refocus on rich traditions of non-Western cinematography, which resulted from broader political questions and relations, and to remember that those images, as well as realities in which they were formed, were not so long ago (differently) present in our political daily lives.”
(From the Foreword)
The book launch is followed by the screening of the film “Finally Got the News” (55 min), created in the context of the Black factory workers’ fight in Detroit in the 1960s, which is the subject of the text ''Finally Got the News: making of the radical film'', featured in the book. The screening is organized in cooperation with the Restart Association and Dokukino KIC.
Finally Got the News (dir. Stewart Bird, Rene Lichtman, and Peter Gessner, 1970, 55')
The League of Revolutionary Black Workers was one of the most important radical movements of the 20th century – a movement led by the Black revolutionaries, whose vision of emancipation for all is of utmost importance today. This historically relevant documentary maps the activities of the Revolutionary Black workers inside and outside the car factories in Detroit. Through interviews with the members of the movement, footage of industrial action, leafleting and picketing, the film documents their efforts to build an independent labor organization that would respond to problems such as the assembly line speed-up and inadequate wages. Beginning with a historical montage, from the early days of slavery to the late growth and organization of the working class, Finally Got the News focuses on the crucial role played by the Black workers in the American economy. In addition, it explores the inequality in the educational system and the lack of opportunities for young African Americans, the role of African American women in the labor force, and relations between white and Black workers.
The film will be introduced by the manager of Dokukino KIC Dina Pokrajac.
Edited by: BLOK
Organized by: BLOK and Dokukino KIC
Series Editor: Vesna Vuković
Publication Editor and Foreword Author: Karla Crnčević
Editors in chief: Maja Blažević i Vesna Vuković
Translated by: Karmen Kovačević („Hacia un Tercer Cine: Apuntes y experiencias para el desarrollo de un cine de liberación en el Tercer Mundo”, „Por un cine imperfecto”), Vesna Vuković („Initial Statement of the Newsreel”, „Finally Got the News: The Making of a Radical Film”, „Manifesto of the Palestinian Cinema Group”, „Manifesto of New Cinema in Egypt”), Ksenija Zubković („Beležke o razrednem boju v obzornikih”)
Proofreading by: Jana Pamuković
Design by: Hrvoje Živčić
Layout by: Ian Farkaš
The book was published as part of the ‘Political School for Artists 2024’ project, and its launch is organized within the project ''Congress of artists and cultural workers 2025’, financially supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Southeast Europe. BLOK's annual program for 2025 is supported by the ‘’Kultura Nova’’ Foundation.
