The project is dedicated to outlining the aesthetic and political contours of a »Cinema of Care«. It interweaves historical, socio-political, and film-theoretical perspectives and critically reactivates radical and transformative film practices from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s—all the way to the present day (for example in the contexts of feminism, so-called Third or Fourth Cinema, and present day’s radical film). These practices concern not only filmmaking itself but also, for instance through ciné-clubs, the creation of new forms of public spheres. While moving images proliferate today, »cinema« as a cultural practice appears to have entered into a crisis and become nearly obsolete. It is precisely here that the dimension of care intervenes, subjecting the institutional history of cinema—not only its blind spots, but also its violences and injuries, such as segregation and racist or sexist regimes of spectatorship—to a therapeutic rereading.

Brigitta Kuster is Professor at the Department of Cultural History and Theory and Media Studies, as well as at the Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies at Humboldt UniversityBerlin. She holds a doctorate in Philosophy from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Her research focuses on film and gender studies, postcolonial theory, migration and European border regimes, with particular attention to the political and aesthetic dimensions of moving images. Kuster’s work combines critical theory with artistic and curatorial practice, engaging questions of representation, archives, mobility, visual culture, and forms of political cinema. Alongside her academic activities, she has collaborated on numerous artistic, curatorial projects, and research-based projects in international contexts. She is a member of European Institute for Progressive Cultural Policies (EIPCP) and of the publication platform transversal texts.