Ciné-tracts

In 1968, the official views of the governments in Washington, Paris and Bonn were undermined especially through films. Light 16mm film equipment and synchronous sound allowed the protest movement to produce militant films as a medium for arriving at and conveying common viewpoints. In the whirl of events, anonymous collectives learned how to use the camera and edit; the lack of money was countered with improvised forms of creativity. When original footage was unavailable, newspaper pictures were used. As a result, the artistic identity of the filmmakers themselves, their professional privileges, and the relations of production in the film industry were at stake in 1968. For a brief moment in time, the question of revolution and of solidarity with the European workers' movement was also posed as a question of filmic representation. Amongst the best known examples of this collective filmic/political practice are the Ciné-tracts. These short agitational documentary films were produced in 1968 by an anonymously operating team of French filmmakers in collaboration with Chris Marker, Jean-Luc Godard and Alain Resnais. With their silent pamphlet-like image and sound montages they were equivalent to the revolutionary posters that appeared on building walls in Paris in May of 1968. The roughly 50 produced Ciné-tracts were shown at demonstrations and assemblies as well as in factories. The 6th Werkleitz Biennale presents a selection of individual Ciné-tracts on a video monitor.