April 25 – April 29 | at Anthology Film Archives | 32 Second Avenue New York, NY 10003

Discussions of climate change tend to foreground the insatiable consumerism of the former “first world” – and the price the “third world” is already paying for it. What gets left out of the conversation is the ecological imaginary of what was once thought of as the “second world” – the countries relegated to the Soviet sphere of influence after World War II. Yet these countries experienced some of the most dramatic transformations, from rapid industrialization to total dereliction, and, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, an especially troubled revival.

This program charts the way Eastern and Central European filmmakers helped audiences process these changes and reimagine their attitudes to the environment and non-human species. It includes cinematic gems rarely or never-before shown in New York that touch on the representability of pollution, radiation, and a nature radically altered by human folly.

The program is co-curated by Lukas Brasiskis (e-flux, Columbia University) and Masha Shpolberg (Bard College) in connection with their new book, “Cinema and the Environment in Eastern Europe” (Berghahn Books, 2023). Each screening will be introduced by film and media scholars who have contributed to the book.

Saturday, April 27th 2024 |at Anthology Film Archives | 32 Second Avenue New York, NY 10003

TENDER SPOTS (CZUŁE MIEJSCA)
by Piotr Andrejew
Poland. In Polish with English subtitles, 1981, 89 min, 35mm-to-DCP

At the end of the 20th century, an ecological disaster has left the air contaminated and exhausted the Earth’s natural resources. Experts estimate that there is enough water and food to ensure humanity’s survival only for another ten years. Against this backdrop, Jan, a TV repairman, tries to win over the glamorous and elusive Ewa.

Presented with support from the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York; Lithuanian Cultural Institute; Czech Film Center; Dovzhenko Film Center; Hungarian National Film Institute; Kyrgyz Film Studio; Liszt Institute; Magnolia Pictures; Meno Avilys (Lithuania); Polish Cultural Institute New York; Slovenian Film Center; Ukrainian Museum; and WFDiF (Poland).