Videograms of a Revolution

This 1992 film by Harun Farocki and Andrei Ujică builds what happened in Bucharest in December 1989 out of images. Broadcasts from state television and video shot by amateurs are shown in sequence. The argument is that the revolution took place on television. The crowd seizes the broadcasting building and transmission continues without a break; the narrative reconstructs the order of events by tracking when each image was shot. Commentary is sparse and the voiceover only states the source of each recording. The same moment is shown from several cameras; the question of who could see what sits at the centre. Some of the material was brought together here for the first time. Who it's for: those curious about documentary form and media history. Who it's not for: viewers who do not know the background; the film does not explain the context and includes footage of an execution.