The Vasulka Effect

  • 85'
  • Iceland
  • 2019

The opening of The Vasulka Effect couldn’t be more apt: Steina Vasulka addresses her husband Woody through various TV screens. He does the same and replies. A perfect image of the relationship between the free-spirited, groundbreaking pioneers of video art. After meeting in Prague in the early 1960s, they relocated from Czechoslovakia to New York, where they later founded The Kitchen, their legendary art and performance gallery.

Now retired, living in Santa Fe and in huge debt, the Vasulkas seem largely forgotten by the contemporary art world. However, they are busy with their legacy: conserving and archiving their videos, in the same DIY fashion as before. Gunnarsdóttir’s documentary reveals the impact their experiments had. Judging from the current media landscape, it’s clear they were far ahead of their time in the 1960s. The renewed interest is more than deserved.

Director
Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir
Countries of production
Iceland, Czech Republic
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
85'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Vasulka áhrifin
Languages
Icelandic, English, Czech
Producers
Margret Jonasdottir, Radim Procházka
Production Companies
Saga Film, PRODUKCE RADIM PROCHÁZKA
Sales
Juno Films, Inc
Screenplay
Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir
Cinematography
Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir, Arnar Thor Thorisson
Editor
Jakob Halldorsson
Sound Design
Vaclav Flegl
Music
Hugar
Director
Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir
Countries of production
Iceland, Czech Republic
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
85'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Vasulka áhrifin
Languages
Icelandic, English, Czech
Producers
Margret Jonasdottir, Radim Procházka
Production Companies
Saga Film, PRODUKCE RADIM PROCHÁZKA
Sales
Juno Films, Inc
Screenplay
Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir
Cinematography
Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir, Arnar Thor Thorisson
Editor
Jakob Halldorsson
Sound Design
Vaclav Flegl
Music
Hugar