For Videograms of a Revolution Andrei Ujică and Harun Farocki collected amateur video and material broadcast by Romanian state television after it was taken over by demonstrators in December 1989. The audio and video represent the historic first ever revolution in which television played a major role. The film’s protagonist is contemporary history itself. (Harun Farocki, Andrei Ujică, Romania, 1992, 106 min.) In Romanian and English with English Subtitles
“We get all of the broadcast glitches, unedited feeds, powergrabbing chaos, and epochal please-stand-by ellipses; as civilians literally defend the TV station with combat rifles, unidentified counter-revolutionary snipers hole up in massive and empty high-rise buildings the dictator had built and then abandoned. The sense of exhilarating liberation and history made as we watch is consistently leavened by the weird distance, between citizens and their own revolt, occupied by TV cameras and monitors. By the end of the week, and the Ceausescus’ executions, nothing is real – or historical – until it is seen on television.”– Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
The Romanians: 30 Years of Cinema Revolution
A retrospective initiated by the Making Waves Film Festival & Cinema Projects
Originated at Film Forum New York (Nov 15-26, 2019)
Produced by Corina Șuteu and Oana Radu
Curated by Mihai Chirilov, Corina Șuteu, and David Schwartz (Cinema Projects)
The U.S. Tour is made possible by the support of Adrian Ghenie, Șerban Savu and Galeria Plan B, Moebius Gallery, Alexandre Almajeanu and Gentica Foundation, Dacin Sara, and numerous individual donors
