Journal of Film Preservation - FIAF

Redaction strengthened, and the alternative movement began to play a
more significant role in Slovenia cultural life. Numerous screenings of
experimental films, art cinema and other kinds of non-official work provided
an important option for audiences and proved the viability of a/a
film as a strong and deeply rooted option for Slovenia film-makers.
This period saw the presentation of several cycles of New German cinema,
as well as retrospectives of Fassbinder, Herzog, Pasolini, Duras,
Rivette, Schmid, McLaren, Jost, Lambert, Warhol and Zilnik. There was
“Hunting a Mammoth,” the retrospective of Yugoslavian alternative film,
and several compilations of Slovene and Yugoslavian a/a production
(Slak, Robar, Virant, Marc, Valentincic, Zdravic, Memon, Zorga, Bibic,
Skvor, Gotovak, Faktor, Petek, Galeta, Jovanovic, Simunic), German,
English, Canadian and French avant-garde shows. We also saw shows
from the Bela Balazs Studio from Budapest, the Millenium Film Center
(New York), films from the Third Reich, Chinese films, films by independents
(Horn, Rose, Petit, Beiserdorf, Greenaway, LeGrice, Fleischer), and
the first organized video projections (Nusa and Sreco Dragan, selected
American and French video art). The Wim Wenders retrospective was an
exceptionally complete project, including a published catalog.
Among the productions originating in the SKuC circle which were
screened during this time, we must cite Kras88 (a group project), Aura
and Aurovision, Slobodan Valentincic’s 805 Hommage, Ej Klanje, La popolazine,
Ona ni ranjena (She is not Hurt) by Davorin Marc, Daily News,
Zemlja Mesec (The Earth and the Moon) and Vaje za kamero (Rehearsals
for the Camera) by Franci Slak, Zakaj si verjel Avgust 83 (Why Did You
Believe August 83) by Janco Virant, Od tod no vecnosti (From Here To
Eternity) by Vasja Bibic, Tiho Zitje (Still Life) and Neboticnic (Skyscraper)
by Bojan Zorga, Cassus beli (Cassus the white) by Marco Kovacic, No fun
by Igor Virovec, MM ali miserij video masohizma (MM or the Mystery of
Video Masochism) by Mojca Dreu, Juvencij Levovnik, Melita Zajc and
Ales Kranjc.
Thus, between 1979 and 1985, the Film Redaction at SKuC formed a
vital part of the cinema culture of Slovenia, presenting the a/a film and
encouraging its production. At that time the first 8mm Slovene feature,
Daily news, directed by Franci Slak, was produced and supported by
Film Redaction at SKuC. Films by Robar, Slak, Slobodan Valentincic,
Davorin Marc and the animation of Eric/Coh were becoming a regular
feature of the independent cinematic landscape. This period could be
said to close with the production of the group project Kras 88, which
can be seen as the aesthetic manifesto of a certain generation. Not only
did this second period of SKuC see the rise of independent a/a production
and the evolution of appropriate production techniques, but this
movement actually had an impact on “professional” film-making in
Slovenia.
The third period (1985-92) saw the Film Redaction at SKuC come into
its own as a production force as well as an exhibition venue. The first
permanent art cinema in Ljubljana, the Krizanke cinema, was the result
of a 1988 initiative of SKuC. If Film Redaction (which changed its name
40 Journal of Film Preservation / 53 / 1996