Renovation and Present of Film Clubs in the City of Buenos Aires

Abstract

In times of audiovision and fragmented attention, the non-commercial projection of cinema rediscovers its facet of promoting sociability. By renewing its invitation to physically gather people in spaces not traversed by commercial logic, it enables exchanges through meetings and discussion. To analyze this phenomenon, we carry out a characterization of cinephilia from a historical perspective and propose a first approach to some experiences that recover and renew the tradition and practice of filmclubbing in the city of Buenos Aires. Within the framework of the studies on circulation, reception and consumption of films, we highlight that the life of a film is not limited to its exhibition in commercial cinemas but it rather experiences different survivals by means of its exhibition in spaces and alternative supports that favor the conformation of a cinematographic culture shared between different actors inside a community. Since the end of the 1920s, in Argentina, different groups have carried out cultural projects around filmclubbing, related to divulgation, characterized by cinephilia, amateur criticism and erudition. This tradition, which had its peak between the 40s and the 60s, experienced different forms, possibilities and limitations over the years. The political contexts, the transformation of urban circuits related to entertainment, the evolution of reproduction technologies and access to films or generational changes are some of the variables that have affected and affect the various forms assumed by film clubbing. Based on these premises, we analyzed some current experiences that retrieve and recreate the filmclub format as a way of producing a collective encounter in different urban spaces and an experience of relevant cultural consumption.