The Postcolonial Studies Initiative (PCI) - Utrecht University

9th PCI Film Series

The Postcolonial Studies Initiative is happy to announce its 9th film series with a selection of films, shown monthly, that draw on a variety of different contexts in our postcolonial world. The series is organized annually and invites all interested in our European postcolonial present and the representation of its political, cultural and aesthetic realities and challenges. Each film will be introduced briefly by scholars connected to the PCI and international guests and filmmakers. This series will include presentations with filmmakers and Q&As. We are very happy that this series will be opened by Pravini Baboeram who will present “The Uprising”, a music documentary that tells the story of resistance against racism in Europe. Please join us for our first screening:

The Uprising with Q&A with director (dir. Pravini Baboeram, 2019)   About the film:  Musician and activist Pravini Baboeram presents “The Uprising”, a music documentary that tells the story of resistance against racism in Europe. With commentary and experiences from academics and activists, the Dutch-Indian singer/songwriter offers a decolonial perspective on the anti-racism movement in the Netherlands, UK and France. She not only provides an analysis of the history and legacy of colonialism, but also a vision on strategy for the future of the movement. This documentary zooms in on collective challenges of communities of color. In 9 self-written songs Pravini connects the fight against Blackface, the struggle for the recognition of colonial crimes that the Netherlands has committed in Indonesia, the fight for the liberation of Palestine and the struggle in the political field for an inclusive society. “The Uprising” offers a unique view of the resistance against racism in Europe through the eyes of people of color. Pravini's documentary has been selected for the international film festival DocuDonna in Massa Marittima, Italy. This festival focuses predominately on female directors who focus on societal issues in their work. For more information click here. To see the trailer click here. Practical information Date: 14 October, 2019 Time: 17:15-19:00 Location: Entrance at Muntstraat 2A, MCW-LAB (Grote zaal KNG20) Web: https://www.pravinimusic.com/ Admission is free of charge. However, due to safety regulations, maximum capacity of the room is 80 people. Because the screening is part of the postcolonial studies minor, seating for non-UU students is limited.

Cold War (dir. Pawlikowski, France, Poland, UK, 2018,1.28 min)   Introduced by Sandra Ponzanesi (Utrecht University, Media and Culture Studies)  Love Without Borders Set against the background of the Cold War in the 1950s in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris, the film depicts an impossible love story in impossible times. Over and over, the hero and heroine of the film are separated by borders and ideologies, but they remain fatefully drawn to each other.  On November 9, 2019, the pictures of the fall of the Berlin Wall are celebrating their 30th anniversary. On November 25, the PCI is screening Cold War by acclaimed filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski to mark the event. The film is an ode to love at the time of the Iron Curtain, and the tragic divisions caused before the Peaceful Revolution of 1989. Paweł Pawlikowski follows his Oscar-winning Ida with the stunning Cold War, an epic romance set against the backdrop of Europe after World War II. Shot in luminous black and white, it’s a wistful and dreamlike journey through a divided continent – and a heartbreaking portrait of ill-fated love. Paweł Pawlikowski won the best director award at Cannes in May 2018, the European Film Prize in five categories (best film, best director, best actress, best scenario, best editing) and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards and for two BAFTA Awards. Polish-born Pawel Pawlikowski started as a documentary filmmaker in British television. His second feature, Last Resort (2000), about an east European woman and her young son, washed up here in an unbelievably grim seaside holding area for asylum seekers, earned him international critical acclaim at numerous festivals, including Toronto and Sundance, and won the 2001 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award. Official website: https://www.curzonartificialeye.com/cold-war/ Official website: https://www.curzonartificialeye.com/cold-war/ Practical information: Date: 25 November, 2019 Time: 17:00-19:00 Location: Entrance at Muntstraat 2A, MCW-LAB (Grote zaal KNG20) More info:  www.postcolonialstudies.nl Admission is free of charge. However, due to safety regulations, maximum capacity of the room is 80 people. Because the screening is part of the postcolonial studies minor, seating for non-UU students is limited.

Paris is Burning (dir. Jenny Livingston 1990)   Introduced by Zerrin Cengiz (Utrecht University) and Milica Trakilović (Utrecht University) The legendary documentary Paris is Burning (Jenny Livingston, 1990) about the New York Underground drag queen and transgender culture. A new restoration of Paris Is Burning has been released. The timing couldn’t be more apt: this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which arrives at a fraught time in queer visibility. It’s no wonder that in addition to being cherished and debated over the years, Paris Is Burning has often been taught in colleges and beyond, an urtext for debates about the meanings of gender, race, class, and sexuality.  Over the past decade, Jennie Livingston’s landmark 1990 documentary “Paris Is Burning” has had a renaissance of sorts, thanks in no small part to the popularity of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” If you’ve never seen “Paris Is Burning,” you’re only getting half of what “Drag Race” has to offer, so a new restoration and theatrical re-release of the film courtesy of Janus Films is the perfect opportunity to catch up. Practical information Date: 13 January, 2019 Time: 17:00-19:00 Location: Entrance at Muntstraat 2A, MCW-LAB (Grote zaal KNG20) Admission is free of charge. However, due to safety regulations, maximum capacity of the room is 80 people. Because the screening is part of the postcolonial studies minor, seating for non-UU students is limited.