Festival and critical intervention

Cultural Public Sphere

Uncritical Populism Radical Subversion Critical Intervention

Arts Festivals
Trigger genuine experience both
emotional and intellectual

As local events, they often transform

everyday settings into unique places

Imply a specific way of consuming

culture: not just as spectators, but also as participants

Our case studies

Avignon Theatre Festival Cannes Film Festival (1968) Sarajevo Film Festival (1992) Days of Sarajevo in Belgrade (since
2007)

Festival as regeneration project

Avignon
Avignon is also a state of mind: the city
is an open air form where festival-goers discuss the shows and share experiences as spectators. For a month, every one can have access to a contemporary and living cultures (the festival website)

How does it work in practice?

French National Cultural Policy Focused on democratising access to art

(since 1950s and General de Gaulle)

1980s-- Jack Lang followed with

campaigns that promoted art

Still, high-brow art remained elitist Sarkozy seem to favour popular cultural
forms and seems more inclined to fund them

Festival Born out of a utopian dream

Avignon festival: founded by Jean Vilar Vision/ belief: Public service is an
essential component of public life

Festival as a space of debate Spectator/ participant

Unique status in French cultural history

strong association between state policy
of democratising art and the artistic/curatorial vision of theatre/festival as a vehicle of public discourse

Avignon
perceived as a European event, rather
than a world event

attracts educated audience

Curators/ artistic directors Board appoints a new artistic director

each year -- a leading international theatre artists (in 2012 Simon Mcburney)

The artistic director has a complete

freedom and autonomy in making the selection

paradox between audience loyalty and

artistic autonomy

Audiences
professionals, highly educated, uppermiddle class

celebrate common values: hostility to

the entertainment business, scorn of the star system, belief in democratic effects of theatre experience

Concept
Leading works Debates, post show talks, and other
forms of discourse between theatre makers and audience as important as the shows

Paradoxes and transgressions

Living Theatre in Avignon 1968 Cancellation of the festival due to the
strike of actors and technicians in France (2003)

Jan Fabers selection for the 2005

Festival

Audience loyalty
spectator as pilgrim spectator as critic

Cannes Film Festival

Started in 1940 World event Attended by approx. 5000 journalist French stage for the presentation of the
entire world cinema

Transgression: May 1968

Sarajevo Film Festival 1993

Founded by director Haris Pasovic Context: downfall of Yugoslavia and the
Sarajevo siege (1992-1995)

General conditions

Vision
MESS = umbrella organisation (film
festival + theatre production)

aim: to maintain the cultural life of the

city and to foster international cultural relationships

To think about:
Why was it politically and culturally
important to stop the Cannes film festival in 1968, and way was it important to found and maintain the Sarajevo Film Festival in 1993?

Reconciliations
Days of Sarajevo in Belgrade: Started in 2007 in May in
commemoration of the beginning of the Sarajevo siege

Initiated by the Youth Initiative for

Human Rights

Supported financially by both cities

 To foster reconciliation through culture,

dialogue and cultural co-operations

Aims and features

Sarajevo

theatre, film, music, visual art from

Discussions and debates (include
participants from other regions of former Yugoslavia)

Topics: Identity? What was Yugoslavian

collective identity

Questions for discussion:

How do festivals contribute to shaping
of local and national identities?

How do they contribute in developing a

post-national form of cultural citizenship?