Introduced by Charlotte Procter

Cinenova is a volunteer-run organisation dedicated to preserving and distributing the work of feminist film and video makers. It was founded in 1991 in London following the merger of two feminist film and video distributors, Circles and Cinema of Women, both established in 1979. Cinenova currently distributes over 300 titles that include experimental films, narrative features, documentaries and educational videos made between the 1910s and the early 2000s. The thematics in these works include oppositional histories, post- and decolonial thought, representation of gender, race, sexuality, and other questions related to social inequalities, and, importantly, the relations and alliances among these different struggles. The Cinenova Working Group, founded in 2010, oversees the ongoing work of preservation and distribution, as well as special projects that seek to question the modes of functioning of the organisation itself.

This screening presents a selection of recently digitised 16mm experimental films from the Cinenova collection. Produced between 1974 and 1992, these works explore a range of themes, including intersectionality, anti-nuclear activism, environmental concerns and the body. The filmmakers employ various techniques – collage, poetry and performance – to engage with these issues both directly and in the abstract. Several of the filmmakers featured in the programme, such as Jeanette Iljon and Sandra Lahire, were prominent members of Circles, the predecessor organisation to Cinenova, while others are represented in the collection by a single film. Through this selection, the programme underscores the interdependent relationships that shape feminist experimental filmmaking communities, each contribution offering a distinct approach while remaining in dialogue with each other.