Out of the Past: Representations of Communism and Post-Communism on Screen

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

The period of post-communist transformation initiated after 1989 came to an abrupt end, first with the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and then a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, ushering new questions about the region's future as well as its postwar history. These events have coincided with the last generation born under communism reaching the peak of its artistic and professional activity. For those born in the 1970s and 1980s, reckoning with the communist and post-communist legacy is essential for determining their nation's collective identity. We see a reflection of this phenomenon in the film and television production of recent years, with directors and screenwriters revisiting the region's pre-1989 past to find parallels with or develop a better understanding of the present moment. This panel examines the multi-faceted nature of these returns and poses questions about the historical vision they collectively present us with.

Sub Unit

• Cinema, Television, Electronic Media

Chair

• Jose Alaniz, U of Washington

Papers

• PRL Noir: History and Postmemory in Contemporary Polish Crime Film and Television - Lukasz Wodzynski, U of Wisconsin-Madison

• From Posthumanism to Nationalism: 'Fairy' and 'Anna’s Feelings' by Anna Melikyan as a Reaction to New Digital Media and Medical Technologies - Amy Kennedy

• Postmemory in the Post-Yugoslav Drug Film: Siniša Cvetić’s 'Usekovanje' - Ryan Hoaglund, U of Michigan

Discussant

• George Z Gasyna, U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign