- Soviet History, Culture in the Soviet Union, Russian & Soviet Art, Soviet Film, History of Communism; Soviet; Post-Soviet; Russia; Eastern Europe, Soviet Visual Culture, and 15 moreThaw-era Soviet Union, Cinema of the Soviet Union, Soviet Science Fiction, Amateur Film, Amateur Films, Pre-WWI, non-theatrical, educational cinema, Archives, Cinema Studies, Cultural History, Social History, Media Archaeology, Late Socialism, Industrial Film, Popular Science Film, and Science Filmedit
- Film and media historian specializing in the study of Soviet film culture, especially nonfiction, archival and epheme... moreFilm and media historian specializing in the study of Soviet film culture, especially nonfiction, archival and ephemeral films. Occasional curator, collector and producer. Current project: “On the Public Rails: A History of Soviet Amateur Filmmaking (1957-1991),” book manuscript in progress. Supported by fellowships from American Council of Learned Societies and National Endowment for the Humanities.edit
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The Berliner Schule can be called a minor new wave of German cinema. Minor since the impact of more recent “waves” does not reach the scope of the “waves” of the 1960s and 70s, most notably, la Nouvelle Vague in France and Das Neue Kino... more
The Berliner Schule can be called a minor new wave of German cinema. Minor since the impact of more recent “waves” does not reach the scope of the “waves” of the 1960s and 70s, most notably, la Nouvelle Vague in France and Das Neue Kino in Germany. And still, it has most of the features associated with the earlier “waves:” it emerged in a turbulent period of time (late 1980s – early 1990s), and in many ways in opposition to the current mainstream cinema. The Berliner Schule has its aesthetic programme expressed on the pages of Revolver magazine, emphasizing the importance of creating a platform for exchange of ideas over academic-style theorizing. It cannot be called a movement in a strict sense, as the current range of filmmakers associated with the Berliner Schule is diverse enough to disagree upon many points expressed in Revolver or each other’s films. There are two “generations” commonly associated with the Berliner Schule. The first generation mainly includes three directors, namely Christian Petzold, Angela Schanelec and Thomas Arslan. Directors such as Valeska Grisebach, Matthias Luthardt, Maria Speth, Benjamin Heisenberg, Christoph Hochhäusler, Ulrich Köhler, Henner Wickler, Maren Ade, Elke Hauk, Sylke Enders and some others are associated with the second generation. Films made by these directors feature a lot of elements associated with the “waves,” such as use of long shots, casting non-professional actors, and attention to the issues of history and memory. Yet, the notion of auteur is revised, and team work gains more importance than it did in the earlier relevant films. The Berliner Schule appears to be a vivid example of how the ideas grounded in the 1960s are manifested and transformed in today’s cinema.
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This essay outlines the development of technological and material base that stimulated and shaped the development of Soviet amateur film culture, and highlights the impact of planned economy on this process. It focuses on two periods: the... more
This essay outlines the development of technological and material base that stimulated and shaped the development of Soviet amateur film culture, and highlights the impact of planned economy on this process. It focuses on two periods: the 1920s and early 1930s when various Proletkult organizations, most notably the Society of Friends of Soviet Cinema (ODSK) and its efforts to develop filmmaking as a new proletarian art, and, second, the decade between 1957 through the late 1960s when advocacy by a group of enthusiastic professional filmmakers focused on creation of a parallel infrastructure for amateur filmmaking. Abandoning the earlier ambition to erase the difference and eliminate the hierarchy between amateur and professional cinema, this later effort was instrumental in organizing domestic production of small-gauge film equipment and supplies, and marked the beginning of a large-scale amateur film movement in the Soviet Union. The essay also discusses the role of the “economy of favors” in this process.
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This essay discusses the most popular but least understood modes of experimental cinema that developed in the Soviet Union in the period between the late 1950s and early 1990s. It focuses on two officially sanctioned types of film... more
This essay discusses the most popular but least understood modes
of experimental cinema that developed in the Soviet Union in the
period between the late 1950s and early 1990s. It focuses on two
officially sanctioned types of film production, popular science and
amateur cinema, each produced within specially designated film
studios. My paper discusses the ways in which these studios could
act as creative environments that nurtured experimental film
culture. The paper argues that in the Soviet context, visual arts
community and the unofficial art circles were not the only domain
of experimental art and filmmaking and highlights the role of
science-technological intelligentsia in artistic experimentation.
of experimental cinema that developed in the Soviet Union in the
period between the late 1950s and early 1990s. It focuses on two
officially sanctioned types of film production, popular science and
amateur cinema, each produced within specially designated film
studios. My paper discusses the ways in which these studios could
act as creative environments that nurtured experimental film
culture. The paper argues that in the Soviet context, visual arts
community and the unofficial art circles were not the only domain
of experimental art and filmmaking and highlights the role of
science-technological intelligentsia in artistic experimentation.
Research Interests:
Blog Post: Orphan Film Symposium 2014. Description by Dan Streible: The Soviet amateur film Na odnoi Zemle / On the Same Earth (1976) screened at the 9th Orphan Film Symposium in Amsterdam on April 1, 2014, concluding the ninety-minute... more
Blog Post: Orphan Film Symposium 2014.
Description by Dan Streible: The Soviet amateur film Na odnoi Zemle / On the Same Earth (1976) screened at the 9th Orphan Film Symposium in Amsterdam on April 1, 2014, concluding the ninety-minute program “When Workers Leave the Factory: Amateur Filmmaking in the Eastern Bloc." Sight and Sound magazine's report on Orphans 9 called it "a stand-out session" whose films "gave a wonderfully nuanced picture of life under Communism." At that session, NYU PhD candidate Maria Vinogradova delivered remarks she entitled "Soviet Amateurs Are So Serious." Below, as guest blogger, she provides further commentary on this noteworthy short film, uncovered by what Sight and Sound calls her "dogged research."
Description by Dan Streible: The Soviet amateur film Na odnoi Zemle / On the Same Earth (1976) screened at the 9th Orphan Film Symposium in Amsterdam on April 1, 2014, concluding the ninety-minute program “When Workers Leave the Factory: Amateur Filmmaking in the Eastern Bloc." Sight and Sound magazine's report on Orphans 9 called it "a stand-out session" whose films "gave a wonderfully nuanced picture of life under Communism." At that session, NYU PhD candidate Maria Vinogradova delivered remarks she entitled "Soviet Amateurs Are So Serious." Below, as guest blogger, she provides further commentary on this noteworthy short film, uncovered by what Sight and Sound calls her "dogged research."
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Amateur film studio IuG-Film existed in the remote Russian town of Buguruslan for about four decades from 1957. During the years of its existence IuG-Film produced over 15 films, eight of them feature-length. These films were mainly... more
Amateur film studio IuG-Film existed in the remote Russian town of Buguruslan for about four decades from 1957. During the years of its existence IuG-Film produced over 15 films, eight of them feature-length. These films were mainly screen adaptation of Russian classical literature - Chekhov, Paustovsky and Pushkin. Far from the ambitious world of major studio cinema, or from the cultural institutions of Moscow and Leningrad, the community of Buguruslan created their films to express their affection for the classics - a naïve and selfless pursuit that demonstrates the strong presence of the two “most important arts,” literature and cinema, at all the levels of Russian culture. The work of IuG-Film is unusual in that the studio did not rely on trade unions for funding at the time when amateur cinema in the Soviet Union existed on the balance of the huge state-run machine developed to promote amateur arts and filmmaking in particular.
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Film workshops were the most visible part of Soviet amateur film movement that has never been associated with home movies in the first place. Two distinct features of this movement were its high degree of institutionalization and close... more
Film workshops were the most visible part of Soviet amateur film movement that has never been associated with home movies in the first place. Two distinct features of this movement were its high degree of institutionalization and close collaboration with professional film-makers. This article shows the impact of both conditions on the Soviet film workshop movement. It seeks the roots of Soviet amateur film culture in the 1920s avant-garde, and links the development of this culture to historic events and shifts in the Soviet official paradigm. The system of state funding for amateur film workshops created due to the efforts of professional film-makers in 1957 provided support, but was ideologically restrictive. Referring to examples from the 1970s and 80s, such as the studio Lomofilm in Leningrad, lug-Film in Buguruslan, and underground film movements, such as the Necrorealist group, I will argue that that despite the dependence of film workshops on state funding, being on service of state ideology was neither the only choice nor the primary motivation for creation of Soviet amateur film workshops.
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The history of amateur cinema in the Soviet Union is an intricate subject, as is the place of amateur cinema in any culture. Highly valued by some for its freedom from what we conventionally call professionalism, it is also derided and... more
The history of amateur cinema in the Soviet Union is an intricate subject, as is the place of amateur cinema in any culture. Highly valued by some for its freedom from what we conventionally call professionalism, it is also derided and neglected by others for the same reason of the lack of professionalism and ultimate vulgarity. In the Soviet Union amateur filmmaking is a special case: its scale and degree of institutionalization is hardly imaginable in any other country, modern Russia included. The system of amateur film studios that existed in the Soviet Union from the late 1950s until the early 1990s resulted in development of a broad community of amateur filmmakers who had a variety of reasons to take up this occupation: from the desire to document family events to more experimental efforts.
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This paper outlines the cinematic legacy of the Bolshoi Ballet soloist and choreographer Stanislav Vlasov (1933 – 2017). Best known as a master of airy, weightless partner lifts in the world of ballet, Vlasov was also a notable... more
This paper outlines the cinematic legacy of the Bolshoi Ballet soloist and choreographer Stanislav Vlasov (1933 – 2017). Best known as a master of airy, weightless partner lifts in the world of ballet, Vlasov was also a notable participant in the Soviet amateur film circles in the 1950s and 60s with his award-winning films made during the company’s tours of the USA, UK, Japan and Scandinavian countries. The main focus of my paper is on his use of filmmaking as an aid in choreography, and incorporation of cinematic projection in dance performances.
This is an extended version of the paper presented in November 2020 as the Association for Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies Annual Convention.
This is an extended version of the paper presented in November 2020 as the Association for Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies Annual Convention.
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In the Soviet 1960s, suddenly, everyone was a film amateur. Members of tourist clubs packed the newly available lightweight 8mm cameras on their travels, while scientists, factory engineers, urban planners and other professionals... more
In the Soviet 1960s, suddenly, everyone was a film amateur. Members of tourist clubs packed the newly available lightweight 8mm cameras on their travels, while scientists, factory engineers, urban planners and other professionals organized amateur collectives at their workplace. This program highlights 11 films from the 1960s-1980s. Most are amateur works, and one is an advertising film that "cast" cartoon superstars of the 1970s to promote filmmaking to non-professionals. The program concludes with a recent found footage film that demonstrates a powerful way in which an amateur film from the past inspired a new original work. From student shorts to industrial films and experimental works, these reflect the various modes, sensibilities, conditions of production as well as limitations created by the Soviet system of state support.
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Information on the screening of Soviet amateur films at WHS Teatteri Union, Helsinki, on August 12, 2016.