80 SUBVERSIV
Messages about freedom
In the universities of Cluj, video clips with subversive messages capture attention. They are inspired by letters sent clandestinely to Radio Free Europe during the dictatorship. The three video works, which combine dissenting testimonies with images from the '80s, were created by Franco-American filmmaker Jean Christophe Couet, director Ioana Păun, and the production house Numa Film. They are initially presented at the Faculty of Theatre and Film and the Faculty of Political Science, where stories about women, teenagers, and security officers who chose to speak openly are brought to the attention of students and professors through screens in the halls.
The project traverses images of the '80s, from gangs of British skinheads to Soviet correctional schools, leagues of Milanese students, American high schools, or Tokyo gaming halls. The rapid change in facial expressions reflects the artists' desire to connect with the spirit of insubordination, a persistent motif in the letters sent to Radio Free Europe.
For the creation of the video clips, filmmakers Patricia Sas, Andrei Siran, Horațiu Curuțiu, Ion Indolean, Daria Gîzdavu, as well as actresses Ioana Flora and Bianca Temneanu contributed.
The project was supported by the Ministry of Culture, through the funding program for the National Culture Day.