Film & Media: First Look - Eastern European Cinema

We will look at key movements historically, in particular the New Polish Film School Movement of the 1950s (and its enduring influence) and the Czechoslovak New Wave of the 1960s as well as diverse works from across the region since the 1990s, including film-makers like Jirí Menzel, Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieslowski, and Emir Kusturica, on the background of socialist film-making and the Russian avant-garde.

This course is for those interested in film. It is open to those new to film studies and Eastern European cinema as well as those who already have experience. Part of an occasional series of ‘film studies day schools’ it is intended to give participants a first introduction to the cinema of the region as a basis for further study and exploration.

The session will focus on post World War II Eastern European Cinema from 1945 to now. During our session, we will look at selected clips from a range of films and discuss them. It isn’t a prerequisite to watch all of the films in their entirety for this course. Background on the historic, social, economic, and cultural context, the directors and films will be provided as will resources on further viewing and reading afterwards.