Last Century Zinesters (Márcio Sno, 2010)
This video is comprised of conversations with the Brazilian zinsters of yesteryear. Now in their 30 to 50s, these zinesters beam with enthusiasm and love for the art of the zine. I don't know if it was conscious or not, but there wasn't a lot of Brazilian specificity or regional history. Not even names of specific fanzines are included. Most of it was passionate testimonials to the universal awesomeness of zinedom: zines lose money, they're a real pain to put together, they rey on the postal system, and they cause you to bond, in a unique way, with strangers all ever the country and the world. They talk about gluing stamps to save on postage and the obsessive flyer exchanges that used to occur in zine trades both of which I remember well.
I wouldn't say that his film was "like a zine" just because it was a lot of thoughts spliced together or because it was made on no budget, or because it used a typewriter font for its titles. I think Mike Hoolboom's films are like zines. I think Alan Zweig's films are like zines. Sadie Benning's films are like zines. There are film-centric visual strategies that make films as exciting and free and passionate as zines can be when their at their best. But to say Last Century Zinesters was like a zine is like to suggest it's like a zine because it was kind of cheap and lazy. If that's what's meant than yes, it was kind of like a zine (because most zines are crappy as a rule). But! I did enjoy it for its content. And further I'm glad that it didn't adopt the terrible documentary cliché's that pollute films like American Hardcore or Blank City. You know someone in the US is going to make some glossy film about the Rise and Fall of zines and it's going to make us all want to throw up in our mouths.
But until that happens I will take this moment to plug an event that the Toronto Zine Library are putting on as part of our continued International Zine Month, uh, celebratory extravagonza!
Toronto 24 Hour Zine Challenge an annual event held across the world in which people gather in a public space and set to work on making a zine from start to finish in 24 hours.
This year's event will take place on Wednesday, July 20 at the Tranzac from 5:00pm to close. We're moving it downstairs to the Tiki room to accommodate more people. The Tranzac is located at 292 Brunswick Ave (South of Bloor).
RSVP here.
I wouldn't say that his film was "like a zine" just because it was a lot of thoughts spliced together or because it was made on no budget, or because it used a typewriter font for its titles. I think Mike Hoolboom's films are like zines. I think Alan Zweig's films are like zines. Sadie Benning's films are like zines. There are film-centric visual strategies that make films as exciting and free and passionate as zines can be when their at their best. But to say Last Century Zinesters was like a zine is like to suggest it's like a zine because it was kind of cheap and lazy. If that's what's meant than yes, it was kind of like a zine (because most zines are crappy as a rule). But! I did enjoy it for its content. And further I'm glad that it didn't adopt the terrible documentary cliché's that pollute films like American Hardcore or Blank City. You know someone in the US is going to make some glossy film about the Rise and Fall of zines and it's going to make us all want to throw up in our mouths.
But until that happens I will take this moment to plug an event that the Toronto Zine Library are putting on as part of our continued International Zine Month, uh, celebratory extravagonza!
Toronto 24 Hour Zine Challenge an annual event held across the world in which people gather in a public space and set to work on making a zine from start to finish in 24 hours.
This year's event will take place on Wednesday, July 20 at the Tranzac from 5:00pm to close. We're moving it downstairs to the Tiki room to accommodate more people. The Tranzac is located at 292 Brunswick Ave (South of Bloor).
RSVP here.