Projectionism

First we invented the moving-image camera. Then we used the new camera to record the world around us. But it was only when the moving image was finally seen on screen by its very first audience that cinema truly began. Air, speed, the world at 24 fps: the modern world in forward motion. Or that's what we thought.

Today a virus has disrupted the smooth momentum of our shared world. The continuum that cinema promised is one of the virus' many casualties. From time to time essential quarantines shut the doors on communal spaces. When that happens it's up to us, the audience, to play our part: to keep the space of cinema open.

Projectionism was made for the ICO's Cinema of Ideas project and was made possible by the East Anglian Film archive who generously shared the wealth of their archive. The film was made in response to an open call for cinema memories from the cinema workers, makers and thinkers who keep film culture alive in the UK. The response was terribly inspiring, making collaboration possible in a time of separation.

Director: Sarah Wood. UK, 12 mins, 2022, video

Film available here