Foyer Conversations, a new podcast series from Cinema of Commoning, aims to capture the spirit of those probing, freewheeling and inspiring discussions we have immediately before and after a film screening.

Cinemas, especially those with long, complex histories, can become potent vessels for collective memory within the communities in which they operate. However, shifting geo-politics, unstable economic circumstances and the threat of gentrification mean that independent cinemas often also operate under a constant threat of demolition, as architecture becomes an instrument of ideology. 

In Cinema, Memory and Demolition, we examine the stories of two cinemas which, when threatened with demolition, became the site of public protest and resistance amongst the local community. 

As the case studies of Emek Movie Theatre and Kino Lumbardhi suggest, the struggle to save a cinema can serve as a symbol for a wider struggle - a fight for representation, for heritage, for history. For this episode we wanted to bring together these two cinemas with first hand experience of this kind of collective struggle, alongside Natalia Kvitkova, an academic, who researches the role of architecture in community creation and erasure. 

Our conversation explored the collision between cultural heritage and capitalist values, and also touched upon the aftermath of both successful and unsuccessful attempts to save a much loved cinema from demolition.

Natália Kvítková was born in Piešťany, SK and fled with her parents to Canada as political refugees shortly before the Velvet Revolution. She is an independent researcher and writer, working at the intersection of urban sociology, cultural history and post-war architecture. She currently holds the position of xxx at KU Leuven in Belgium.

Fırat Yücel is a member of Emek Bizim İstanbul Bizim (Emek is Ours, Istanbul is Ours), an initiative which was formed in 2009 to demonstrate against the demolition of the Emek Movie Theater in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. Video and sound recordings of the demonstrations, organized by activists involved in the resistance movement were turned into the documentary Audience Emancipated: The Struggle for the Emek Movie Theater (2016). Even though the cinema was demolished in 2017, the group have continued to raise public awareness about the demolition demolish, most prominently through their online platform, emeksinemasi.blogspot.com. 

Ares Shporta is a cultural worker, producer and researcher situated between Kosovo and Albania. Since 2015, as co-founder and director of Lumbardhi Foundation, he has been leading the institutional transformation of Prizren’s iconic Kino Lumbardhi, a cinema and arts space located in the historic center of Prizren, Kosovo. Established in 1952, the cinema was saved from demolition and privatization after two civil initiatives in 2007 and 2014, and is now run by the Lumbardhi Foundation.

Foyer Conversations is a podcast series from Cinema of Commoning.

Episode Five was initiated by Gülsen Namıduru.

It was presented and produced by Eirini Fountedaki, Gülsen Namıduru and Rachel Pronger.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Foyer Conversations, a podcast series from Cinema of Commoning, aims to capture the spirit of those probing, freewheeling and inspiring discussions we have immediately before and after a film screening.

The word ‘transnational’ represents what flows across national borders. Oftentimes, cultural activists become smugglers of shared experiences and solidarity around the globe. When bodies and physical items are unable to move from one nation to another, ideas and information can flow in their place. A social cinema can host transnational exchanges to reveal the importance of relating to others beyond the borders of one’s home. 

In our fourth episode, Foyer Conversations: Transnational Solidarity, we have gathered together curators and collectives who are seeking to explore transnational solidarity in their work. This conversation offers an insight into their practices and touches upon the ways in which cinemas and programs of artistic exchange can serve as a tool for building solidarity between different global political movements.

For this conversation we are joined by Nataša Prljević from Hekler Collective, independent curator and writer Nasrin Hamada, and Svetla Turnin and Ezra Winton from Cinema Politica.

Nataša Prljević is an artist, cultural worker and organizer committed to social inquiry, ecologies of conflict and transnational feminist solidarities. Using collage and assemblage principles, Prljević focuses on a transformative potential of polyvocality that arises through a range of modalities, media, and community. She writes, makes collages, videos, installations, and facilitates social and educational environments. In 2018, together with Joshua Nierodzinski and Jelena Prljević she initiated HEKLER, a transnational collaborative platform and community that fosters experimental examination of hospitality and conflict. Nataša currently lives and works between Mexico City (Mexico) and Užice (Serbia) where she is from.

Nasrin Himada is a Palestinian curator and writer. Their practice is heavily influenced by their long-term friendships and by their on-going collaborations with artists, filmmakers and poets. Nasrin’s recent project, For Many Returns, experiments typifies their current curatorial interests, which foreground desire, transformation, and liberation through many forms. Nasrin currently holds the position of Associate Curator at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University in Kingston.

Cinema Politica is non-profit media arts organization dedicated to supporting the work of independent, political filmmakers in Canada and beyond. The organization is made up of an alternative exhibition network, dedicated distribution arm, and a Video On Demand platform for cutting edge, socially engaged cinema.

Foyer Conversations is a podcast series from Cinema of Commoning.

Episode Four was initiated by Abisola Oni..

It was presented and produced by Eirini Fountedaki, Abisola Oni and Rachel Pronger.

Artwork/photography credits:

Nasrin Hamada Headshot. Photo credit: Clea Christakos.

Nataša Prljević Headshot. Photo credit: Joshua Nierodzinski.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Foyer Conversations, a podcast series from Cinema of Commoning, aims to capture the spirit of those probing, freewheeling and inspiring discussions we have immediately before and after a film screening.

The rise of streaming platforms creates an illusion of limitless content, but the reality is that most digital distributors offer access to only a very narrow selection of films. Certain kinds of cinema - especially historical work and films made outside of western commercial channels - remain underrepresented online, while a few large, profit orientated streaming giants dominate the digital space.

In our third episode, Foyer Conversations: Alternative Digital Distribution we speak to representatives from three streaming platforms, each of which is transforming the digital space by offering access to thoughtfully curated, sustainably sourced and geographically diverse films.

For this conversation we are joined by Róisín Tapponi (Shasha Movies),Rehana Esmail (Cinelogue), Jota Salazar (Cholo Plus).

Founded in 2020 by Róisín Tapponi, Shasha Movies is the independent streaming service for South-West Asian and North African (SWANA) cinema. They aim to formalize the space for artist film in and around the region, and present a carefully-curated selection of exclusive films to a global audience. Shasha Movies was owned and operated completely independently, by a small team of women from SWANA. All films are available in their original language with English subtitles. Films are available to watch by all, anywhere in the world.

Cinelogue provides a collaborative space for film curation, global streaming, and critical dialogue around cinema, and politics by presenting cinema by the Global Majority (people from formerly and currently colonized geographies, who make up over 80% of the world’s population). They are committed to showcasing critical and compelling independent cinema from countries and communities within Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. 

Cholo Plus is an online streaming service based in Ecuador, which provides access to Ecuadorian cinema to viewers across the country. Founded and run by Jota Salazar, the platform has a particular focus on independent locally made films and smaller releases which otherwise would not be available to audiences in the region.

Foyer Conversations is a podcast series from Cinema of Commoning.

Episode Three was initiated and presented by Eirini Fountedaki and Rachel Pronger.

It was produced by Eirini Fountedaki, Gülsen Namıduru and Rachel Pronger.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Foyer Conversations, a new podcast series from Cinema of Commoning, aims to capture the spirit of those probing, freewheeling and inspiring discussions we have immediately before and after a film screening. In our second episode, Foyer Conversations: Occupied Cinemas we bring together three cinemas who, within their own unique national and political contexts, have each found a way to reclaim urban space through cinema.

Salaam Cinema is a community-based cinema and arts project run by a team of artists and creatives and based in Baku, Azerbaijan. This unique building has a remarkable history, having formerly been used as a Molokan temple, a radio station and a teahouse, before being occupied and turned into a culture space. Salaam Cinema is also a Cinema of Commoning 2 partner, and you can read a more in depth interview with Leyli Gafarova about the cinema’s history and mission here.

In 2019, an activist group called Cinéma La Clef Revival Collective began occupying the building of La Clef in Paris, a former independent cinema which had recently been shut down and put up for sale.

The group ran screenings and events from the building for three years, until they were evicted in March 2022. After a long struggle and fundraising effort, La Clef Revival finally raised enough money to buy the cinema in June 2024. Their mission now is to guarantee that La Clef will remain a collectively-run independent movie theatre, protected from real estate speculation and freely run by its members.

Berger Kino in Frankfurt am Main, is a former independent cinema which closed due to bankruptcy in 2020. The building stood empty for years until, in March 2024, it was occupied by a group of feminist and queer activists who wanted to revive the space as an alternative cinema for the local community. The activists are in ongoing negotiations with the building’s owners to reopen the cinema longer term.

For this conversation we are joined by Leyli from Salaam Cinema, Héléna and Thibault from La Clef Revival and Orlando from Berger Kino.

Episode two is now available to listen and download worldwide on Spotify, Deezer, and Podcast Index.

Foyer Conversations is a new podcast series from Cinema of Commoning.

Episode two is initiated and presented by Eirini Fountedaki and Rachel Pronger.

It was produced by Eirini Fountedaki, Gülsen Namıduru, Abisola Oni and Rachel Pronger,

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every cinema lover knows that the best conversations take place in the foyer! With our new podcast series Foyer Conversations, we hope to capture the spirit of those probing, freewheeling and inspiring discussions that we have immediately before and after a film screening. Each podcast episode will take on a different idea related to the past, present and future of alternative cinema exhibition. We will speak to film practitioners, curators, academics and organizations from around the world who are engaging with these questions everyday in their work. We’ll also include speakers working across urban planning, architecture, history, sociology and visual art, to expand the conversation about how cinema fits into and shapes the wider lived realities of our lives. 

Our first episode, Foyer Conversations: What is the Commons? offers an introduction to the history and practice of commoning. Our guest, Stavros Stavrides, is an architect and academic who has written extensively on this subject, with a particular focus on the connection between urban space, commoning and political organizing, in both Europe and Latin America. 

If you enjoy this conversation, it’s worth noting that Stavros Stavrides will be joining us as a keynote speaker at our Cinema of Commoning Symposium in Berlin in July 2024 - you can find more information about the program from our website www.cinemaofcommoning.com.

Stavros Stavrides is an architect and activist, and Professor at the School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens, Greece, where he teaches graduate courses on housing design (social housing included) and urban design, as well as a postgraduate course on the metropolitan experience. He is currently the head of NTUA Lab for Architectural Design and Communication. He has done extensive research fieldwork in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico focused on housing-as-commons and on urban struggles for self-management. He has lectured in European, North and South American Universities on urban struggles and practices of urban commoning. https://stavrosstavrides.com/.

Foyer Conversations is a podcast from Cinema of Commoning, a project initiated by bi’bak which brings together a network of alternative cinema initiatives from around the world to share knowledge and ideas. 

Episode One is presented by Eirini Fountedaki and Rachel Pronger.

It was produced by Eirini Fountedaki, Rachel Pronger and Gülsen Namıduru.

To find out more about Cinema of Commoning visit www.cinemaofcommoning.com, or follow us on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.