Life and Labour in Socialist Poland – Non-Fiction Films from Enthusiasts: Archive

Wed 15 Apr, 6:00PM

Book Tickets

Enthusiasts: Archive emerged from a series of exhibitions in 2004 as a collaboration between Neil Cummings and Marysia Lewandowska. The artists carried out extensive research on moving image work created by amateur film clubs in Poland during the socialist period and in 2019 brought the works together into an accessible collection, placing them within the public domain. The project has not only brought together a valuable body of under-viewed work but its archive-as-artwork model has also challenged how an archive should be expected to function and how such collections can be reconfigured to become sites of generosity and creative exchange.

This selection of films from Enthusiasts: Archive stretch across the socialist period and cover subjects including the country’s rapid post-war urbanisation, working life in these new cities and the emergence of dissent. A range of formal techniques are employed, including animation, live-action and chemical development. Whilst the influence of Polish film schools and studios in developing filmmakers, including from the Global South, has been the subject of recent academic discussion, these films are a testimony to the diverse amateur film cultures that existed in the country outside of the established industry.

These films are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0, as part of Neil Cummings & Marysia Lewandowska, Enthusiasts Archive, 2004-2018. With thanks to Neil Cummings and Marysia Lewandowska.