From the Baltics to the Balkans, Eastern Europe is a region rich with diverse cultures, histories and creative voices. Kino Koło Notts is helping Nottingham audiences discover the stories behind the stereotypes, bringing together film screenings, workshops, food and conversations that celebrate the people and traditions of the region. We spoke with the team about community cinema, challenging perceptions and their vision for a more connected cultural landscape in Nottingham.
Kino Koło Notts is about bringing Eastern European cinema to Nottingham audiences. What's something about the region that people here are consistently surprised to discover through these films?
The vast diversity of the region! When you realise it stretches from the north in the Baltics right down to the Balkans and Mediterranean, it becomes obvious just how much there is to explore, but when condensed down to an acronym it can be difficult to visualise that. I think there’s also still a historic focus on communism and socialism that we attempt to unpack a little - it simply doesn’t define the region, so we choose themes that aren’t too obvious, and challenge misconceptions too.
The Balkans are often portrayed through conflict or politics in mainstream media. How does this programme challenge those stereotypes?
It is difficult to speak about the Balkans not in the context of conflict, given geographically it’s been caught between empires for centuries; it’s a complex, deep-rooted part of the region's identity that can’t be ignored. But with this programme we really are championing the creativity of the region, the rich cultural heritage, and pure joy that communities bring to their everyday lives. There is awareness of the past, of course, but it isn’t defining. We’re proud to be presenting films from younger generations and students, directly supporting the new talent and voices of the region.
Nottingham has a growing and diverse Central and Eastern European community. How important is it that these stories are being shown here, rather than only in major cities like London?
It’s incredibly important! We really look up, or rather down to London for inspiration. There are so many incredible organisations there like Balkanism, Mostovi, and Rethinking Eastern Europe to name but a few that are doing amazing work, and are really happy to offer advice and encouragement. To offer a small slice of that in Nottingham is huge. There are sizeable communities here, and we should all have the opportunity to see ourselves on screen, in cultural life. We also have plenty of Brits come along, and we love the feedback we receive about our events - I think the best recent feedback was from a Hungarian film; no one was really expecting such a bizarre psychedelic folk tale, with a complimentary cherry pasty too!
The screenings aren't just films; they include workshops, Q&As, food, and storytelling. Why was it important to make these events about more than sitting in a dark room watching a screen?
There's nothing wrong with a simple film screening, but to offer a little immersion is just great fun! It also allows everyone to interact quite naturally too; we find it helps with that engagement and nurtures conversations that often continue into the pub afterwards!
The collaboration with Tenx9 feels like a natural fit. What connects oral storytelling and cinema in your eyes?
Well, it’s simply the same thing but a different format, right? There’s maybe more unsaid in cinema, an opportunity to rely on the visual aids, but at their core they’re the same thing. They both evoke an emotional response in some way. We love to eavesdrop at the bar during the interval and hear how people are responding to the films and stories, sometimes finding really surprising threads and themes we haven’t even considered during the programming.
Community cinemas have become increasingly important in recent years. What role do you think organisations like Kino Koło Notts play in keeping Nottingham's cultural life fresh and diverse?
We’re community-led and driven, and that just gives us a little insight that is maybe sometimes absent from larger organisations. There is definitely a shift to more community-led programming, but when we’re working with live feedback as opposed to data-driven, it’s just a much more personable approach. We really do listen to what people tell us, and it can be a really small thing, but it goes a long way in informing what we do. After each event we have a little team debrief, and it’s always surprising what people say, always something new that we just wouldn’t even consider. The diversity of Nottingham’s community cinemas is great too; there's just so much to experience. Rambling Cinema takes you across the whole world; Fortune and Glory take the lead when it comes to big laughs; we’re really spoilt for choice in Notts
Looking beyond this summer programme, what's your long-term ambition? If we spoke again in five years, what would you love Kino Koło Notts to have achieved in Nottingham?
We would love to be self-sustaining so we can run regular, monthly screenings both in Nottingham and North of the County too. We have ambitions to strengthen our partnerships abroad, and I think it would be really valuable if we can find a way to bring filmmakers from the region here to experience Nottingham and all it has to offer - these things should be a two-way exchange, right? We’re always a little smitten with animation from the region; a film festival would be a real dream come true for the team
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