Scott MacKenzie 
Film Manifestos and Global Cinema Cultures 
A Critical Anthology

Film Manifestos and Global Cinema Cultures is the first book to collect manifestoes from the global history of cinema, providing the first historical and theoretical account of the role played by film manifestos in filmmaking and film culture. Focusing equally on political and aesthetic manifestoes, Scott Mac Kenzie uncovers a neglected, yet nevertheless central history of the cinema, exploring a series of documents that postulate ways in which to re-imagine the cinema and, in the process, re-imagine the world.


This volume collects the major European “waves” and figures (Eisenstein, Truffaut, Bergman, Free Cinema, Oberhausen, Dogme ‘95); Latin American Third Cinemas (Birri, Sanjinés, Espinosa, Solanas); radical art and the
avant-garde (Buñuel, Brakhage, Deren, Mekas, Ono, Sanborn); and world cinemas (Iimura, Makhmalbaf, Sembene, Sen). It also contains previously untranslated manifestos co-written by figures including Bollaín, Debord, Hermosillo, Isou, Kieslowski, Painlevé, Straub, and many others. Thematic sections address documentary cinema, aesthetics, feminist and queer film cultures, pornography, film archives, Hollywood, and film and digital media. Also included are texts traditionally left out of the film manifestos canon, such as the Motion Picture Production Code and Pius XI’s
Vigilanti Cura, which nevertheless played a central role in film culture.

Cuprins

Acknowledgments



Introduction. ‘An Invention without a Future’

1. The Avant-Garde(s)

The Futurist Cinema (Italy, 1916)

F.T. Marinetti, Bruno Corra, et al.

Lenin Decree (USSR, 1919)

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

The ABCs of Cinema (France, 1917–1921)

Blaise Cendrars

WE: Variant of a Manifesto (USSR, 1922)

Dziga Vertov

The Method of Making Workers’ Films (USSR, 1925)

Sergei Eisenstein

Constructivism in the Cinema (USSR, 1928)

Alexei Gan

Preface: Un chien Andalou (France, 1928)

Luis Buñuel

Manifesto of the Surrealists Concerning L’Age d’or (France, 193)

The Surrealist Group

Manifesto on ‘Que Viva Mexico’ (USA, 1933)

The Editors of Experimental Film

Spirit of Truth (France, 1933)

Le Corbusier

An Open Letter to the Film Industry and to All Who Are Interested in the Evolution of the Good Film (Hungary, 1934)

László Moholy-Nagy

Light*Form*Movement*Sound (USA, 1935)

Mary Ellen Bute

Prolegomena for All Future Cinema (France, 1952)

Guy Debord

No More Flat Feet! (France, 1952)

Lettriste International

The Lettristes Disavow the Insulters of Chaplin (France, 1952)

Jean-Isidore Isou, Maurice Lemaître, and Gabriel Pomerand

The Only Dynamic Art (USA, 1953)

Jim Davis

A Statement of Principles (USA, 1961)

Maya Deren

The First Statement of the New American Cinema Group (USA, 1961)

New American Cinema Group

Foundation for the Invention and Creation of Absurd Movies (USA, 1962)

Ron Rice

From Metaphors on Vision (USA, 1963)

Stan Brakhage

Kuchar 8mm Film Manifesto (USA, 1964)

George Kuchar

Film Andepandan [Independents] Manifesto (Japan, 1964)

Takahiko Iimura, Koichiro Ishizaki, et al.

Discontinuous Films (Canada, 1967)

Keewatin Dewdney

Hand-Made Films Manifesto (Australia, 1968)

Ubu Films, Thoms

Cinema Manifesto (Australia, 1971)

Arthur Cantrill and Corinne Cantrill

For a Metahistory of Film: Commonplace Notes and Hypotheses (USA, 1971)

Hollis Frampton

Elements of the Void (Greece, 1972)

Gregory Markopoulos

Small Gauge Manifesto (USA, 198)

Jo Ann Elam and Chuck Kleinhans

Cinema of Transgression Manifesto (USA, 1985)

Nick Zedd

Modern, All Too Modern (USA, 1988)

Keith Sanborn

Open Letter to the Experimental Film Congress: Let’s Set the Record Straight (Canada, 1989)

Peggy Ahwesh, Caroline Avery, et al.

Anti-1 Years of Cinema Manifesto (USA, 1996)

Jonas Mekas

The Decalogue (Czech Republic, 1999)

Jan Švankmajer

Your Film Farm Manifesto on Process Cinema (Canada, 212)

Philip Hoffman



2. National and Transnational Cinemas

From ‘The Glass Eye’ (Italy, 1933)

Leo Longanesi

The Archers’ Manifesto (UK, 1942)

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

What Is Wrong with Indian Films? (India, 1948)

Satyajit Ray

Buñuel the Poet (Mexico, 1951)

Octavio Paz

French Cinema Is Over (France, 1952)

Serge Berna, Guy Debord, et al.

Some Ideas on the Cinema (Italy, 1953)

Cesare Zavattini

A Certain Tendency in French Cinema (France, 1954)

François Truffaut

Salamanca Manifesto & Conclusions of the Congress of Salamanca (Spain, 1955)

Juan Antonio Bardem

Free Cinema Manifestos (UK, 1956–1959)

Committee for Free Cinema

The Oberhausen Manifesto (West Germany, 1962)

Alexander Kluge, Edgar Reitz, et al.

Untitled [Oberhausen 1965] (West Germany, 1965)

Jean-Marie Straub, Rodolf Thome, Dirk Alvermann, et al.

The Mannheim Declaration (West Germany, 1967)

Joseph von Sternberg, Alexander Kluge, et al.

Sitges Manifesto (Spain, 1967)

Manuel Revuelta, Antonio Artero, Joachin Jordà, and Julián Marcos

How to Make a Canadian Film (Canada, 1967)

Guy Glover

How to Not Make a Canadian Film (Canada, 1967)

Claude Jutra

From ‘The Estates General of the French Cinema, May 1968’ (France, 1968)

Thierry Derocles, Michel Demoule, Claude Chabrol, and Marin Karmitz

Manifesto of the New Cinema Movement (India, 1968)

Arun Kaul and Mrinal Sen

What Is to Be Done? (France, 197)

Jean-Luc Godard

The Winnipeg Manifesto (Canada, 1974)

Denys Arcand, Colin Low, Don Shebib, et al.

Hamburg Declaration of German Filmmakers (West Germany, 1979)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, et al.

Manifesto I (Denmark, 1984)

Lars von Trier

Manifesto II (Denmark, 1987)

Lars von Trier

Manifesto III: I Confess! (Denmark, 199)

Lars von Trier

The Cinema We Need (Canada, 1985)

R. Bruce Elder

Pathways to the Establishment of a Nigerian Film Industry (Nigeria, 1985)

Ola Balogun

Manifesto of 1988 (German Democratic Republic, 1988)

Young DEFA Filmmakers

In Praise of a Poor Cinema (Scotland, 1993)

Colin Mc Arthur

Dogme ’95 Manifesto and Vow of Chastity (Denmark, 1995)

Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg

I Sinema Manifesto (Indonesia, 1999)

Dimas Djayadinigrat, Enison Sinaro, et al.



3. Third Cinemas, Colonialism, Decolonization, and Postcolonialism

Manifesto of the New Cinema Group (Mexico, 1961)

El grupo nuevo cine

Cinema and Underdevelopment (Argentina, 1962)

Fernando Birri

The Aesthetics of Hunger (Brazil, 1965)

Glauber Rocha

For an Imperfect Cinema (Cuba, 1969)

Julio García Espinosa

Towards a Third Cinema: Notes and Experiences for the Development of a Cinema of Liberation in the Third World (Argentina, 1969)

Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino

Film Makers and the Popular Government Political Manifesto (Chile, 197)

Comité de cine de la unidad popular

Consciousness of a Need (Uruguay, 197)

Mario Handler

Militant Cinema: An Internal Category of Third Cinema (Argentina, 1971)

Octavio Getino and Fernando Solanas

For Colombia 1971: Militancy and Cinema (Colombia, 1971)

Carlos Alvarez

The Cinema: Another Face of Colonised Québec (Canada, 1971)

Association professionnelle des cinéastes du Québec

8 Millimeters versus 8 Millions (Mexico, 1972)

Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, Arturo Ripstein, Paul Leduc, et al.

Manifesto of the Palestinian Cinema Group (Palestine, 1973)

Palestinian Cinema Group

Resolutions of the Third World Filmmakers Meeting (Algeria, 1973)

Fernando Birri, Ousmane Sembene, Jorge Silva, et al.

The Luz e Ação Manifesto (Brazil, 1973)

Carlos Diegues, Glauber Rocha, et al.

Problems of Form and Content in Revolutionary Cinema (Bolivia, 1976)

Jorge Sanjinés

Manifesto of the National Front of Cinematographers (Mexico, 1975)

Paul Leduc, Jorge Fons, et al.

The Algiers Charter on African Cinema (Algeria, 1975)

FEPACI (Fédération panafricaine des cinéastes)

Declaration of Principles and Goals of the Nicaraguan Institute of Cinema (Nicaragua, 1979)

Nicaraguan Institute of Cinema

What Is the Cinema for Us? (Mauritania, 1979)

Med Hondo

Niamey Manifesto of African Filmmakers (Niger, 1982)

FEPACI (Fédération panafricaine des cinéastes)

Black Independent Filmmaking: A Statement by the Black Audio Film Collective (UK, 1983)

John Akomfrah

From Birth Certificate of the International School of Cinema and Television in San Antonio de Los Baños, Cuba, Nicknamed the School of Three Worlds (Cuba, 1986)

Fernando Birri

Fe CAVi P Manifesto (France, 199)

Federation of Caribbean Audiovisual Professionals

Final Communique of the First Frontline Film Festival and Workshop (Zimbabwe, 199)

SADCC (South African Development Coordination Conference)

Pocha Manifesto #1 (USA, 1994)

Sandra Peña-Sarmiento

Poor Cinema Manifesto (Cuba, 24)

Humberto Solás

Jollywood Manifesto (Haiti, 28)

Ciné Institute

The Toronto Declaration: No Celebration of Occupation (Canada, 29)

John Greyson, Naomi Klein, et al.



4. Gender, Feminist, Queer, Sexuality, and Porn Manifestos

Woman’s Place in Photoplay Production (USA, 1914)

Alice Guy-Blaché

Hands Off Love (France, 1927)

Maxime Alexandre, Louis Aragon, et al.

The Perfect Filmic Appositeness of Maria Montez (USA, 1962)

Jack Smith

On Film No. 4 (In Taking the Bottoms of 365 Saints of Our Time) (UK, 1967)

Yoko Ono

Statement (USA, 1969)

Kenneth Anger

Wet Dream Film Festival Manifesto (The Netherlands, 197)

S.E.L.F. (Sexual Egalitarianism and Libertarian Fraternity)

Women’s Cinema as Counter-Cinema (UK, 1973)

Claire Johnston

Manifesto for a Non-sexist Cinema (Canada, 1974)

FECIP (Fédération européenne du cinéma progressiste)

Womanifesto (USA, 1975)

Feminists in the Media

Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (UK, 1975)

Laura Mulvey

An Egret in the Porno Swamp: Notes of Sex in the Cinema (Sweden, 1977)

Vilgot Sjöman

For the Self-Expression of the Arab Woman (France, 1978)

Heiny Srour, Salma Baccar, and Magda Wassef

Manifesto of the Women Filmmakers (West Germany, 1979)

Verband der Filmarbeiterinnen

Wimmin’s Fire Brigade Communiqué (Canada, 1982)

Wimmin’s Fire Brigade

Thoughts on Women’s Cinema: Eating Words, Voicing Struggles (USA, 1986)

Yvonne Rainer

The Post Porn Modernist Manifesto (USA, 1989)

Annie Sprinkle, Veronica Vera, et al.

Statement of African Women Professionals of Cinema, Television and Video (Burkina Faso, 1991)

FEPACI (Fédération panafricaine des cinéastes)

Puzzy Power Manifesto: Thoughts on Women and Pornography (Denmark, 1998)

Vibeke Windeløv, Lene Børglum, et al.

Cinema with Tits (Spain, 1998)

Icíar Bollaín

My Porn Manifesto (France, 22)

Ovidie

No More Mr. Nice Gay: A Manifesto (USA, 29)

Todd Verow

Barefoot Filmmaking Manifesto (UK, 29)

Sally Potter

Dirty Diaries Manifesto (Sweden, 29)

Mia Engberg



5. Militating Hollywood

Code to Govern the Making of Talking, Synchronized and Silent Motion Pictures (Motion Picture Production Code) (USA, 193)

Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America

Red Films: Soviets Spreading Doctrine in U.S. Theatres (USA, 1935)

William Randolph Hearst

Statement of Principles (USA, 1944)

Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals

Screen Guide for Americans (USA, 1947)

Ayn Rand

White Elephant Art vs. Termite Art (USA, 1962)

Manny Farber

Super Fly: A Summary of Objections by the Kuumba Workshop (USA, 1972)

Kuumba Workshop

The World Is Changing: Some Thoughts on Our Business (USA, 1991)

Jeffrey Katzenberg

Full Frontal Manifesto (USA, 21)

Steven Soderbergh



6. The Creative Treatment of Actuality

Towards a Social Cinema (France, 193)

Jean Vigo

From ‘First Principles of Documentary’ (UK, 1932)

John Grierson

Manifesto on the Documentary Film (UK, 1933)

Oswell Blakeston

Declaration of the Group of Thirty (France, 1953)

Jean Painlevé, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Alain Resnais, et al.

Initial Statement of the Newsreel (USA, 1967)

New York Newsreel

Nowsreel, or the Potentialities of a Political Cinema (USA, 197)

Robert Kramer, New York Newsreel

Documentary Filmmakers Make Their Case (Poland, 1971)

Bohdan Kosinski, Krzysztof Kieslowski, and Tomasz Zygadlo

The Asian Filmmakers at Yamagata YIDFF Manifesto (Japan, 1989)

Kidlat Tahimik, Stephen Teo, et al.

Minnesota Declaration: Truth and Fact in Documentary Cinema (Germany, 1999)

Werner Herzog

Defocus Manifesto (Denmark, 2)

Lars von Trier

Kill the Documentary as We Know It (USA, 22)

Jill Godmilow

Ethnographic Cinema (EC): A Manifesto{ths}/{ths}A Provocation (USA, 23)

Jay Ruby

Reality Cinema Manifesto (Russia, 25)

Vitaly Manskiy

Documentary Manifesto (USA, 28)

Albert Maysles

China Independent Film Festival Manifesto: Shamans * Animals (People’s Republic of China, 211)

By several documentary filmmakers who participated and also who did not participate in the festival



7. States, Dictatorships, the Comintern, and Theocracies

Capture the Film! Hints on the Use of, Out of the Use of, Proletarian Film Propaganda (USA, 1925)

Willi Münzenberg

The Legion of Decency Pledge (USA, 1938)

Archbishop John Mc Nicholas

Creative Film (Germany, 1935)

Joseph Goebbels

Vigilanti Cura: On Motion Pictures (Vatican City, 1936)

Pope Pius XI

Four Cardinal Points of A Revolução de Maio (Portugal, 1937)

António Lopes Ribeiro

From On the Art of Cinema (North Korea, 1973)

Kim Jong-il



8. Archives, Museums, Festivals, and Cinematheques

A New Source of History: The Creation of a Depository for Historical Cinematography (Poland/France, 1898)

Boleslaw Matuszewski

The Film Prayer (USA, c. 192)

A. P. Hollis

The Film Society (UK, 1925)

Iris Barry

Filmliga Manifesto (The Netherlands, 1927)

Joris Ivens, Henrik Scholte, Men’no Ter Bbaak, et al.

Statement of Purposes (USA, 1948)

Amos Vogel, Cinema 16

The Importance of Film Archives (UK, 1948)

Ernest Lindgren

A Plea for a Canadian Film Archive (Canada, 1949)

Hye Bossin

Open Letter to Film-Makers of the World (USA, 1966)

Jonas Mekas

A Declaration from the Committee for the Defense of La Cinémathèque française (France, 1968)

Committee for the Defense of La Cinémathèque française

Filmmakers versus the Museum of Modern Art (USA, 1969)

Hollis Frampton, Ken Jacobs, and Michael Snow

Anthology Film Archives Manifesto (USA, 197)

P. Adams Sitney

Toward an Ethnographic Film Archive (USA, 1971)

Alan Lomax

Brooklyn Babylon Cinema Manifesto (USA, 1998)

Scott Miller Berry and Stephen Kent Jusick

Don’t Throw Film Away: The FIAF 7th Anniversary Manifesto (France, 28)

Hisashi Okajima and La fédération internationale des archives du film Manifesto Working Group

The Lindgren Manifesto: The Film Curator of the Future (Italy, 21)

Paolo Cherchi Usai

Film Festival Form: A Manifesto (UK, 212)

Mark Cousins



9. Sounds and Silence

A Statement on Sound (USSR, 1928)

Sergei Eisenstein, Vsevolod Pudovkin, and Grigori Alexandrov

A Rejection of the Talkies (USA, 1931)

Charlie Chaplin

A Dialogue on Sound: A Manifesto (UK, 1934)

Basil Wright and B. Vivian Braun

Amalfi Manifesto (Italy, 1967)

Michelangelo Antonioni, Bernardo Bertolucci, Pier Paolo Pasolini, et al.



10. The Digital Revolution

Culture: Intercom and Expanded Cinema: A Proposal and Manifesto (USA, 1966)

Stan Van Der Beek

The Digital Revolution and the Future Cinema (Iran, 2)

Samira Makhmalbaf

The Pluginmanifesto (UK, 21)

Ana Kronschnabl

Digital Dekalogo: A Manifesto for a Filmless Philippines (The Philippines, 23)

Khavn de la Cruz



11. Aesthetics and the Futures of the Cinema

The Birth of the Sixth Art (France, 1911)

Ricciotto Canudo

Memo from Walt Disney to Don Graham (USA, 1935)

Walt Disney

The Birth of a New Avant Garde: La caméra-stylo (France, 1948)

Alexandre Astruc

From Preface to Film (UK, 1954)

Raymond Williams

The Snakeskin (Sweden, 1965)

Ingmar Bergman

Manifesto (Italy, 1965)

Roberto Rossellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Tinto Brass, et al.

Manifesto on the Release of La Chinoise (France, 1967)

Jean-Luc Godard

Direct Action Cinema Manifesto (USA, 1985)

Rob Nilsson

Remodernist Film Manifesto (USA, 28)

Jesse Richards

The Age of Amateur Cinema Will Return (People’s Republic of China, 21)

Jia Zhangke



Appendix. What Is a Manifesto Film?

Notes

Acknowledgments of Permissions

Index

Despre autor

Scott Mac Kenzie is Adjunct Professor of Fi Im and Media Studies at Queen’s University in Ontario. He is co-editor of The Perils of Pedagogy: The Works of John Greyson (2013) and author of Screening Québec: Québécois Moving Images, National Identity and the Public Sphere (2004).