Grupo Cine Liberación? Essential Guide To The Film Movement

Grupo Cine Liberación was an independent filmmakers’ collective that operated in Argentina during the 1970s.

The group is sometimes known as Grupo CluCine, an acronym for “Cine Liberación de Universidad.”

The group was formed with a political agenda to counter the censorship and repression of the military dictatorship in Argentina at the time.
 

What Is Grupo Cine Liberación?

Grupo Cine Liberación was created by students from the University of Buenos Aires and was active between 1975 and 1977.

The original members were Jorge Polaco, Fernando E. Solanas, Octavio Getino, and Fernando Birri.

The group developed a manifesto entitled “Towards a Third Cinema,” which is considered a cornerstone of Third Cinema film theory.

The group’s films were characterized by their use of Super 8mm film, which offered both an economic advantage over 35mm film and also allowed for quicker production turnaround times, which was important given the rapidly changing political landscape at that time.

The films were distributed through community screenings at schools and universities throughout Argentina instead of commercial theaters.

The work of Grupo Cine Liberación helped define the New Argentine Cinema movement, which had its most important period during this time.

Who Was Octavio Getino?

Octavio Getino was an Argentinian writer, theater director, and cultural activist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Getino is most famous for his work with René Viénet. He was one of the major promoters of the revolutionary theater in Argentina.

Getino was also one of the founders of the Grupo Cine Liberación (Liberation Cinema Group). This group attempted to create a new political cinema that could speak to the needs of the people in Argentina at that time.

Getino’s revolutionary theater took place on stage, but it also included street performances, events and happenings. His work was meant to be shared with as many people as possible and to spread a political message to those who may not be willing to hear it otherwise.

His work reflected many ideas put forth by other avant-garde artists of his generation including those from other parts of South America, Central America and Europe. Getino’s revolutionary theater was very important because it helped spark what became known as the “Theater of the Oppressed.”

This idea combined elements of drama therapy with aspects of social change and revolution. The goal was to use theater to help oppressed groups understand their situation better so they could begin to find ways out of their oppression.

   

History Of Grupo Cine Liberación

The story of Grupo Cine Liberación is rooted in the history of Argentine cinema, which developed a strong documentary tradition during the golden age of filmmaking. 

The name itself was born out of a need to express the freedom that is critical to cinema, and to “liberate” it from its dependency on commercial interests.

Grupo Cine Liberación produced several films in the 1970s and 1980s that are considered among the best examples of the period’s cinematography. 

In 1983, they released La Guerra Gaucha (The Gaucho War), a documentary that follows a group of gauchos who are struggling to gain ownership over their ancestral land, which has been taken over by an American company.

In addition to producing films and shorts, Grupo Cine Liberación also organized several festivals and film events throughout Argentina. 

One such event was a series of screenings in Mar del Plata, an event which eventually propelled them into organizing the first Latin American Cinema Week in 1989. 

This led to their participation in various international documentary festivals at a time when Argentine documentaries were just beginning to be recognized on an international level.

In 2003, Grupo Cine Liberación received support from INCAA (Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales).

Essential Filmmakers Of Grupo Cine Liberación

If you want to make your own movies, you need to be familiar with the tools of the trade. That’s why you should know about Grupo Cine Liberación’s essential filmmakers, who put together the videos that represent one of the most fascinating cinematic movements in history.

Takeshi Murata is a filmmaker, graphic designer and animator who was born in Japan in 1930. He studied art at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and worked as a set designer for NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation).

Murata also worked as an illustrator for various Japanese magazines and contributed to various animated films in Japan, including Dragon Boy and Little Nemo. But he was interested in filmmaking and became a member of the Japan Independent Animation Association where he got involved in countless projects.

In 1965, Murata released his first short animated film which led him to be involved in the experimental movement which occurred between 1964 and 1966 known as “Cinema Júnior.” During this time, Murata made two short animated films: The Tunnel and The Town of Cats.

In 1969, his main job became a professor at Nagoya City University where he taught until 1985. But he continued on making independent animation throughout his life with his most recent work being Blackboard.

Essential Films Of Grupo Cine Liberación

In the 1960s and 1970s, filmmakers in Mexico’s most revolutionary and socialist university group, Grupo Cine Liberación (GCL), brought a new kind of cinema to the screen—one that was committed to the struggles of everyday people. GCL’s films were sometimes banned, but they became a vital part of Mexico’s counter-cultural movement.

The GCL was founded in 1962 at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) by a group of filmmakers who wanted to make documentary and feature films with a leftist political bent. According to its manifesto, “the cinema is an instrument for social transformation.”

GCL made more than 60 films between 1963 and 1980. Some were on political topics like the student movement or supported unions, but others represented a wide variety of styles and subjects.

According to GCL co-founder Sergio Vela, “We only had two rules: that our films be free to express themselves and be free from dogmas.” 

Many GCL members went on to become famous figures in Mexican cinema, including Arturo Ripstein, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, Alfonso Arau, Guillermo del Toro, Carlos Carrera and Alfonso Cuaron.

Los Inundados (1961)

Los Inundados (The Flood) is a 1961 Mexican drama film directed by Luis Buñuel. The film is based on a screenplay written by Buñuel, with the assistance of his friend Jaime Miró.

It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. 

Titicut Follies is a 1967 American documentary film about the treatment of patients at Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, by filmmakers Frederick Wiseman and James Blue.

Cries and Whispers (Swedish: Viskningar och rop; lit. “Calls and cries”) is a 1972 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Sweden around the turn of the 20th century, it is one of Bergman’s most personal films, focusing on death, faith, and the love between four sisters.

Its narrative uses elements of Gothic fiction and explores issues of mortality, spirituality and religious faith through imagery of death and dying as well as dream sequences.

The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed from a screenplay written by Graham Greene.

It stars Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard. It’s frequently cited by critics as one of the greatest films.

A group of Cuban exiles make their way through the Everglades in an attempt to reclaim their land from a ruthless sugar baron.

Importance Of Grupo Cine Liberación

The Grupo Cine Liberación (GCL) was created in 1986. The purpose was to create a space for the creation and appreciation of independent film, as well as to educate the public on the value of cinema. Since its inception, GCL has made great strides in both areas.

In addition to screening hundreds of films every year, they have also produced documentaries on everything from underground filmmaking to the history of Cuban cinema.

The Importance Of Grupo Cine Liberación 

The GCL is a vital resource for indie filmmakers in Mexico City.

It provides them with an open forum for presenting their work and allows them to network with others in their field. It is also an important resource for the general public.

Not only does it show movies that most people would never have access to, but it also provides them with a venue for learning about film and cultivating their own tastes.

The GCL has been especially effective in working with young people who might not have an opportunity to see many movies due to their economic situation.

The GCL offers free screenings for youth groups and other community organizations. This gives students a chance to see movies that they would not otherwise get the chance to view, which can be a great way to cultivate an interest in film among young pupils.\

Grupo Cine Liberación Theory

There are many different theories about what the media is and how it works. The one I’m going to talk about is the Grupo Cine Liberación Theory, which is a Latin American film theory that uses Marxist ideas as a way of understanding media as an industry as well as how it functions in society.

Towards A Theory Of Liberation 

The Grupo Cine Liberación was an organization of filmmakers based in Argentina in the 1960s and 1970s. They were involved with making politically motivated movies, and out of this activism came a theory about how media works, which they called ”Cine-Estrategia”.

Their main idea was that cinema has the potential to be a revolutionary weapon against capitalism. To make their point, they made two very interesting films: La hora de los hornos (”The Hour of the Furnaces”) in 1968 and Hora zero (”Zero Hour”) in 1973.

Both films made extensive use of interviews with people on the street, newsreels and other found footage (as well as some scenes reenacted by actors). The idea was to make a movie that commented on current events without necessarily telling a narrative story.

The End Of Grupo Cine Liberación

“It is with great sadness and frustration that Grupo Cine Liberación must announce that it has come to the end of its journey. This week, we will be closing our final event, Noche de Cine.

Truly, this is a moment in history where many of us would have preferred to continue fighting for our right to express ourselves and create culture without censorship, but the economic and political climate in our country has made this impossible. 

Grupo Cine Liberación began in 1999 as a way to give young filmmakers an outlet to make their dreams a reality.

Over the past 14 years, we have grown from a handful of aspiring producers into the most important independent film movement in Latin America.

We have produced over 50 short films, 4 feature films and have given over 700 young directors the opportunities they needed to grow professionally and creatively.

We have partnered with over 60 film festivals around the world and we are proud to say that we have contributed to the growth of independent cinema in every corner of Mexico. 

In 2012 Grupo Cine Liberación created Otra Mirada Film Festival (OMF) with the intention of being able to share all of our experiences with other young filmmakers around the region.”