Cinema of Commoning is an international project by bi’bak that aims to build a network and share knowledge of alternative cinema practice from around the world. With this blog we hope to support that fundamental mission, creating a living resource that can chart the unfolding conversation, explore the work of community cinema projects internationally and encourage the exchange of ideas.

The Cinema of Commoning project consists of two stages. The first is an ongoing collectively curated film programme, which is currently screening at venues in Berlin, Bangkok, Jakarta, Istanbul, Dubai, Santiago de Chile, Cluj and Luanda. The second, is a symposium which will bring together film professionals, researchers and cinephiles in Berlin for three days (24-26 June 2022) of discussion and exploration. Our blog will support both elements of the programme by publishing a range of texts, including film specific essays, interviews with partner cinemas and extracts from the symposium programme.

Through these texts we hope to create a digital archive for both symposium attendees and the wider film community, and to chart the ideas that emerge through this unfolding conversation. We want to pose questions about the future of cinema and explore how alternative cinema practice might respond to challenges around accessibility, sustainability and artistic freedom. In line with the spirit of the project, we want this blog to be open and accessible, thoughtful and thought-provoking, provocative and inspiring. Most of all, we want it to serve as a testament to the work of the people and organizations who are actively pushing the boundaries of global film culture, advocating for the power of cinema to drive forward public discourse, transnational artistic exchange and ethical innovation.

We hope you enjoy reading these texts and engaging with the Cinema of Commoning.

Eirini Fountedaki & Rachel Pronger
Editors, Cinema of Commoning Blog