A Critical History of Health Films in Central and Eastern Europe and Beyond
by Victoria Shmidt and Karl Kaser (Routledge 2024)
accompanied by a projection of film fragments:
Stín ve světle (The Shadow in the Light, by Josef Kokeisl, 1928, Czechoslovakia)
Ikina sudbina (Ika’s destiny, by Kamilo Brössler, 1933, Yugoslavia) & discussion on the legacy of health films and approaches to its recognition.
In memoriam Karl Kaser
Participants:
Dominik Gutmeyr-Schnur (SEEHA)
Victoria Shmidt (Centre for the History of Science, UNI Graz)
Matěj Strnad (Národní filmový archiv, Prague)
Lucija Zore (Croatian State Archives, Zagreb)
Moderation: Heike Karge
Victoria Shmidt and Karl Kaser elaborate the long “echo” of the discursive practices introduced by health films within public health propaganda, as well as the attempts to negate and deconstruct such practices by rebellious filmmakers. A wide range of methods, including the analysis of the sociological biographies of filmmakers, the historical reconstruction of public campaigns against diseases, and an investigation into the production of health films, contextualizes these films along a multifaceted continuum stretching between the adaptation of global patterns and the cultivation of national authenticities. The book is aimed at those who study the history of film, the history of public health, Central and Eastern European countries, and global history.
The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 International license and financial support of The Austrian Science Fund (FWF)