There was a time when the retro mood in motion pictures was induced by grainy, black-and-white, 8-milimeter film material. Nowadays, this purpose is increasingly often attained with the help of analogue video with its unmistakable picture imperfections, noise and shifted wealth of colours. An entire generation of filmmakers and cinéphiles has been raised on visiting video shops and recording films off television, which slowly matured into movie relics. One of this year’s special programme sections is a skittish tribute to the VHS medium and simultaneously an attempt to tell its story from different and sometimes surprising perspectives.

A triplet of documentary films that review the VHS phenomenon from production as well as broader cultural viewpoints will be complemented by film classics produced by the legendary Cannon Films studio. To enhance the nostalgia of viewers’ experience, we shall screen the films from original videotapes.

Pavel Smejkal

Curator of the section