Hello and welcome back to Rep Cinema International. My name is Herb Shellenberger and I’m the founder and editor of this newsletter, which returns after an unplanned hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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I started Rep Cinema International in January 2021 to chronicle the inspiring, thought-provoking and boundary-pushing repertory and archival film programming happening at festivals, museums, archives and cinemas around the world. It was and is still the case that only a small handful of festivals or venues (mainly those in large cities) receive any press or attention for these types of programs which generally require a significant amount of research, funding, thoughtfulness and dedication to get to the screen.

But once things unfolded the way they did in early 2020—with an unprecedented situation making even the somewhat anodyne (or is it) act of going to the cinema a practical impossibility—there was a flowering of options for cinephiles online from streaming platforms to the new possibilities being explored by cinemas, archives and distributors.

However, in dealing with my own personal response to the pandemic, in addition to the pressures of everyday life and work, I didn’t feel that Rep Cinema International was the place to comment on these projects or new ways of exhibiting film. That isn’t to say I didn’t find those new (or renewed) outlets incredibly exciting, but it wasn’t what I wanted to invest time in with this newsletter. Thus, the pause in publication.

While we are still in the lingering uncertainty of the present, it has become possible in some areas of the world to safely resume in-person film screenings. I’ve been fortunate to attend a number of them over the past five months (always masked and with as much distance as possible between fellow viewers) and it does feel like things are rolling back to a level of activity which makes me want to again gather links, have conversations with others across the field and resume publication of this newsletter.

All that said, the past 1.5 years have also unmasked some of the most vicious responses from senior managers, executives and boards of trustees at film and arts institutions internationally. In response to the pandemic, in response to historic protests for black lives, in response to climate crisis, in response to workers’ rights: there are innumerable ways in which film and arts institutions have created irreparable damage when faced to choose between profits and people. An essential read—just one story out of many—is Dana Kopel’s account of their time unionizing while on staff at the New Museum, "Against Artsploitation".

In this wake, many took action, through fundraising and advocacy groups like the Cinema Workers Fund (NYC) and Chicago Cinema Workers Fund, through arts venues opening their doors to protestors, through unionization efforts (like the ongoing FLC Union campaign), through strikes like the 7-week strike at Tate Modern and Tate Britain (which I was privileged to be involved with) and soon-to-commence IATSE strike, to ongoing protests at whatever-the-f is happening at SFMOMA. Through all this turmoil, efforts to bridge workers and create solidarity across different departments, institutions, roles and fields is heartening.

Read Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire @JoshuaPotash

Idk if you remember that video of sanitation and the NYPD throwing out $10,000 worth of food. But people raised over $13,000 for Diana, the vendor. So before you argue about “human nature” consider what’s really our nature, and what’s the nature of the people and systems in power

I don’t want this newsletter to continue to perpetuate the greatness of film and arts institutions. My stance is pro-worker, pro-union, pro-solidarity and I will report on the positives and negatives. That said, we all need to work and it would be unfair to punish those working at these places for their bosses’ wrongdoings. In this regard, I found this recent column by The White Pube (“I’ve Been Offered a Job at an Arts Institute with a Dodgy Reputation. Should I Take It?”) useful and have recommended it to someone concerned about stepping into a role with an institution whose reputation has (rightly) taken a recent hit for wrongdoings.

I will continue to follow my instincts as to who and what to cover while remaining steadfast to my political commitments and orientation. That said, I also invite comment, critique and analysis in response to whatever I may post as well.

I look forward to resuming publication of news updates next week and interviews soon after. Thanks for sticking around!

Endnotes

Featured images in this newsletter: (1) a photograph (date unknown) by Lithuanian artist Algirdas Šeškus, whose photos “are like a hidden film you have to activate.” //
(2) Protest at SFMOMA on July 24, 2021, photo by Sharon Beals via Hyperallergic
Send repertory cinema-related job listings to me at RepCinemaInternational@gmail.com. They’re one of the more popular parts of these newsletters but hard for me to research!

Thanks for reading! Subscribe if you’re coming to this on the website and please share with friends or colleagues if you find this useful. While the main channel is this Substack page, you can also find Rep Cinema International on Twitter @RepCinemaIntl and on Instagram @RepCinemas. I’ve also made a list of mentioned films on Letterboxd.

Questions, comments or other inquiries: RepCinemaInternational@gmail.com.

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