Retrospective: Želimir Žilnik

“This small retrospective is dedicated to the mammoth career of the pioneering and radical Yugoslav-Serbian filmmaker Želimir Žilnik. From entering the world stage during the controversial Yugoslav Black Wave in the 1960s, through his innovative and interventionist methods exercised on Yugoslav state television in the 1980s, to his uncompromising, independent work in cinema of the 21st century, Želimir Žilnik is an iconoclast and a true elder statesman for an internationalist film practice.”
—Greg de Cuir Jr.

Throughout October at the Wexner Center, we will present a broad selection of works by Žilnik that span multiple decades and varying formats. The series culminates in an appearance by Žilnik during Unorthodocs, the Wex’s documentary film festival.

This series is organized by Greg de Cuir Jr. and is part of a larger cross-country tour for the artist, including visits to the Harvard Film Archive, Berkley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, and Columbia University, among others. 

Greg de Cuir Jr. is cofounder and artistic director of Kinopravda Institute in Belgrade, Serbia. He has organized programs at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London; the National Gallery of Art, Washington; and Anthology Film Archives, New York, among others.

IMAGE CAPTION
Left to right: Marble Ass, The Old School of Capitalism, Logbook Serbistan, all courtesy of the filmmaker.