Sheffield Film Co-op (Reino Unido) 1973-1991 In the 1970s and ‘80s, film collectives flourished throughout the UK, in places such as Cardiff, Leeds, Sheffield or London. Some of them sought to document the lives of women- and more specifically working class women. Thanks to their links to community organizations and the feminist movement, groups such as the Sheffield Film Co-op were able to experiment with non-hegemonic political representation and collective or cooperative approaches to the process of film making, distribution and screening.
La Commune 354 min. (Francia) Dir. Peter Watkins, 1999 The revolution in Paris in the springtime of 1871 has always been (and still is today) a symbol for all those committed to the struggle for social justice and collective utopian ideals of a better world. That commitment inspired this (nearly 6 hours long) film, a historical re-enactment in the style of a documentary, shot in just 13 days in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Paris, with a cast of mainly non-professional actors. The film tries to do justice to the story of the communards’ rebellion, one of the most important- and less well-known- uprisings in the history of the working classes.
Colectivo Chto Delat , Moscú/San Petesburgo The Chto Delat (“what is to be done?”) platform unites artists, philosophers, social researchers, activists, and all sorts of cultural workers engaged in collaborative projects in the fields of art, education, activism, and critical and independent research and publication. All of the platform’s initiatives are based on the principles of self-organization, solidarity and collectivism, as manifested through the political coordination of working-groups. Chto Delat organize and support mutual assistance networks with all grassroots groups who share the principles of internationalism, feminism, and equality.
