Wizardry on a Shoestring : Čaroděj and Experimental Filmmaking in Late Socialist Czechoslovakia

Abstract

This chapter discusses the films of Čaroděj, an influential Czechoslovak underground filmmaker who not only created experimental films but also built a community of engaged and like-minded viewers around them between 1979 and 1986. This chapter highlights the performative character of late socialist Czechoslovak underground film culture, within which the entire process of filmmaking, from production to presentation, was construed as a creative public act. In addressing this reality, it additionally explores the role of the filmmaker’s community in turning experimental films into the focal points of the creation of a second public sphere. Finally, the study delves into how the film technology available to Čaroděj and his collaborators shaped the films’ multimedia aesthetics.