Filmmaker Travis Wilkerson (named “the political conscience of American cinema” by Sight & Sound) and critic Victor Guimarães have been engaged in collaborative research examining the “unfinished, unfulfilled project” of the Third Cinema movement, asking “where its emerging forms might still be glimpsed”, in our current iteration of The UNDO Fellowship.
As an extension of this research we’ve invited Travis and Erin Wilkerson (Nuclear Family, 2021) to join us for a weekend to lead us through HOPEFUL REBELLION: SOBER OPTIMISM IN POLITICAL FILMMAKING. A workshop grounded in both hope and pragmatism, envisioning possible futures for political filmmaking and asking what new cinematic forms can best communicate the politics of our time and galvanize resistance.
Sylvia Wynter asserted that we can’t create a different kind of future without first imagining it, an assertion that has inspired Erin’s own film work, tapping into practices of deep listening, essay documentary, feral filmmaking and much more. Erin will guide us through an inquiry into new media practices, how they might respond to the political moment and how we can operate outside of the constraints of systems in place.
Participants will get privileged insight into Travis and Victor’s developing ideas and research as we look back to historical frameworks of resistance cinemas in an effort to understand their successes and learn from their abandoned efforts. From the L.A. Rebellion, to the Yugoslavian Black Wave or the Third Cinema project, we’ll look at how these movements formed and surfaced new cinematic grammar and modes of distribution.
Informed by these lineages, the workshop will address questions like: How do we maintain a sense of hopefulness in times of great political adversity? What have we learnt from past resistance and political cinema movements and how can we apply these lessons to the present day? What tools and networks are at the disposal of contemporary political filmmakers?
We’ll also be joined by an all-star lineup of guests including Billy Woodberry, celebrated director of Bless Their Little Hearts (1984) and a leader of the L.A. Rebellion, and Betty Yu, artist, activist, co-founder of the Chinatown Art Brigade and board member at Third World Newsreel.
Join us for a weekend that encourages resistance over despair, a long view on historical frameworks for political cinema and a sober optimism for the future.
