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Szolnok Conference 04: Trans-Europa Express
Eastern European Movies in Spain:
The Unknown Cinema
By Angel Comas

It is obvious, but as it is very useful to remember, I would like to repeat: cinema is not only entertainment. It is the most effective and powerful vehicle to transmit personal and social values. It transmits ways of living, those of the director, and those of his or her society. On making a film the director shows slices of life, ways of being, the idiosyncracies of a culture, a civilisation. Exporting a film is a way of letting others know a lot of things about the country of origin.

Although, by now, television has practically assumed the role of cinema, and even more effectively so, movies are still the basis of fiction in television. So, cinema is even more important than ever.

Exporting ways of living through cinema is, on a second level, exporting ways of consumption, ways of understanding life, ways of living in society.

With the present monopoly of Hollywood cinema, we have changed our habits. We are consuming more North-American products and ideologies. I am not only speaking about Coca Cola and Fast Food. I am speaking about the society of success. I am speaking about the present concept of happiness based on owning objects: cars, houses, swimming pools, second residences. I am speaking about the competitive society, in which gaining a superior social status, and in becoming the first one, has become more and more important. I am speaking of winners and losers. And I would like to repeat, I am speaking about the society of succes. And of course, not all American society is like this but it is the society we see in mainstream cinema.

Remember, before the Second World War these concepts were not European. Now they are, and cinema has its part.

I think that this text on the exhibition of Eastern European films in Spain is a paradigm of the present situation in almost all European countries, especially in the last years. The number of films screened in Spain, since the beginning of cinema up to now, shows the great influence of North-America, the moderate influence of some Western European countries and the almost null influence of Eastern European countries. If Spaniards have to know about ways of living, about the cultures and idiosyncrasies of Eastern European countries through cinema, the reality is that we know nothing. On the contrary, we know everything about North-America.

As a proof, let's go to the facts:

Table number 1: The Market Share in Spain
Notice: Hollywood releases less films than Europe but Hollywood films are seen by a superior audience. And it is increasing. Why? In Spain Hollywood controls the releasing companies and the theatres.

Table number 2: Hungary
Table number 3: Poland
Table number 4: ex-Czechoslovakia
Table number 5: Romania
Table number 6: Bulgaria
Table number 7: Turkey
Table number 8: ex-Yugoslavia

Summing up

All Spaniards that saw the films from the new European countries live in Madrid and Barcelona. They have not been released in any other Spanish city. Of course, film festivals do exist but their influence is rather null.

It's obvious that through these few films it is impossible that we know anything about these countries. Through television it is even worse. And the future is even darker.

The Spanish case is easily exported to the rest of Europe and, I dare to say, to the rest of the world.

I have to make the remark that I'm not against Hollywood cinema on a personal level. I'm against the monopoly. Perhaps my favourite movies, since I was a child, are in general American movies, but I love also movies from other countries, because they give me a multi-dimensional look at the world.

How can we speak about a united European Community if we cannot see our own films? Neither in theatres nor in television?

What to do?

I do not pretend to discover anything new. I only pretend to insist in old concepts. The problem is not in the production but in the exhibition. We have local talents to make films and we have producers who would like to invest in films if they have the release assured.

In Spain 60% of the new directors make only one film in his or her life.

In Spain 20% of the new directors make two films in his of her life. The rest perhaps makes a third film. The reason is that we have only subventions on 'opera primas'. Producers do not risk their money on films with no subvention at all. Now, t rying to find a solution is not only a matter of individual countries but of the entire European Community. First, I think the European Community has to adopt the French formula: movies (and television products) are not industrial products. They are cultural products. We have to support the French way to defend our movies. As you know, for France films are not merchandise, they are culture. Second: the European Community has to improve the chain of theatres devoted to European films only. They are not enough. Third: co-productions must increase. Fourth: there must be an increase of official investment in marketing campaigns. People have to know that European films are different and that, in their difference, they are as good as Hollywood ones.

Well, as you see there is nothing new. We only have one problem. We have to make one important step: to pass from theory to action.

Tables:

1. The Market Share in Spain

2. Hungary
Feature films since 1900: 59
Feature films since 2000: 19 (17 pornographics)
Last film released: Lazos de Sangre (1995) by Pál Erdöss (co-production with Poland and Spain)
Best known directors: István Szabó, Károly Makk, Miklós Jancsó, Zoltán Fábri and Pál Gábor
Director with more films released: István Szabó (10), most of them international productions, like Oberst Redl (1985), Meeting Venus (1991) and Sunshine (1999)

3. Poland
Feature films since 1900: 50
Feature films since 2000: 0
Last film released: With Fire and Sword (1998) by Jerzy Hoffman
Best known directors: Krzysztof Zanussi, Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Alexander Ford, Jerzy Skolimowski, Krzysztof Kiewslowski, Roman Polanski.
Director with more films: Andrzej Wajda (17 films) 

4. Ex-Czechoslovakia
Feature films since 1900: 27
Feature films since 2000: (1 from Czech Republic)
Last film released: Dark Blue World (2001) by Jan Sverák
Best known directors: Karel Zeman, Ján Kadár, Vera Chytilová, Jirí Trnka, Jirí Menzel, Milos Forman.
Director with more films: Milos Forman (4) 

5. Romania
Feature films since 1900: 10
Feature films since 2000: 0
Last film released: Mihai Viteazul aka The Last Crusade aka Michael the Brave (1973) by Sergiu Nicolaescu and the international co-production Callas Forever (2002) by Franco Zeffirelli
Best known director: Ion Popescu

6. Bulgaria
Feature films since 1900: 7
Feature films since 2000: 0
Last film released: Kozijat Rog aka The Goat Horn (1972) by Adnonov Metody

7. Turkey
Feature films since 1900: 7
Feature films since 2000: 1
Last film released: Uzak (2002) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Best known director: Yilmaz Güney with Yol (1981) and Duvar aka The Wall (1983)

8. Ex-Yugoslavia
Feature films since 1900: 54
Feature films since 2000: 0
Last film released: Crna Macka, Beli Macor aka Black Cat, White Cat (1998) by Emir Kusturica
Best known directors: Alexandar Petrovic, Dusan Makavejev and Emir Kusturica

a. The Most Powerful Countries (number of films released)

b. The Old Western Europe

Angel Comas
© FIPRESCI 2004

Lecture given at the Szolnok Conference Trans-Europa Express, Septemer 17-19, 2004.

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