This second screening taking place in the context of de Appel’s current exhibition and research project, Every Act of Struggle: Inclusion and Assembly, zooms in on two particular events relating to cultural boycotts and resistance to violent regimes of apartheid: in South Africa and Palestine.

The exhibition Every Act of Struggle deals with the ways in which cultural institutions in the Netherlands navigate questions of historical violence and systemic injustice in the context of their colonial history. Artists have employed various strategies to urge these institutions to address these issues, often merging activism with their artistic practice. While some actions have brought these matters to public attention, much of the discourse continues to unfold in private, with many institutions adopting cautious or noncommittal stances. This current dynamic recalls earlier moments in history, namely the debates sparked by the cultural boycott of South Africa and the anti-apartheid movement of the 1960s through the 1980s in the Netherlands, when cultural institutions faced similar pressures to critically reflect on their roles.

Before Dawn (1988) by Maarten Rens
Language: English, subtitles: Dutch
In December 1987, 500 South African artists performed and discussed the cultural future of South Africa in Amsterdam's main theatres. This documentary, which was broadcast on Dutch television by VARA in 1988, follows the CASA conference that took place in Amsterdam, where South African artists met, 51 many of whom were living in exile. The film reflects the dynamics of culture through a multitude of performances and debates the role of culture, the cultural boycott and the role of the press. Director Maarten Rens will introduce the film.

The Wanted 18 (2014) by Amer Shomali
Language: Arabic, English, Hebrew, subtitles: English
Filmmaker Amer Shomali was six years old when the First Intifada began in 1987. The inhabitants of Beit Sahour village jumped at the opportunity to fight the Israeli occupation when they got the chance to buy 18 cows, because it meant they could boycott Israeli milk. It was the first step on the road to self-sufficiency. The Wanted 18 is a stop-motion animation that gets us better acquainted with a herd of cows, and also presents archive material, interviews, and reconstructions.

Tickets will soon be available through Kriterion's website.