Article Previews Doc Fest: Disco and Atomic War November 3, 2009

An autobiographical documentary set in the 70s and 80s Disco and Atomic War shows Cold War Estonia as a country that, due to its proximity to Finland, had become the frontier of Western influence in the eastern-bloc. The director tells his story of a child living in a world of subversive family and friends who partake in anti-Soviet activities such as watching Dallas, Knight Rider and Finnish instructional videos on disco dancing.

Between reconstructed scenes of childhood activity ranging from schoolboy fun to receiving smuggled television receiving equipment, and in a wonderfully nostalgic landscape of casual sportswear and defunct car brands, are interviews with some of the fascinating characters behind the period. We meet the former head of Estonian state television, who finds himself held responsible for the Estonians’ failure to enjoy national TV; a sociologist commissioned by the authorities to undertake research into the national character and the effect that western propaganda was having; and an eccentric inventor whose powerful home made mercury receiving equipment blocks out the communication at a nearby nuclear missile facility.

Overall the film paints a compelling picture of the common cultural experience, not by attempting to critique the value or ‘truth’ of each type, but simply through its sensitive understanding of popular culture. Small references – like talking to a car with your watch or the notably increased national birth rate Emmanuelle was broadcast – demonstrate the complexities of the media. In a sense, you can begin to see the rationale of blocking foreign signals as a possible means of corrupting minds, but at the same time, the reception of foreign media is taken in wonder and fascination - a window into another world entirely.

 

Director: Jaak Kilmi

Country: Estonia, Finland

Premiere:

Dates: 06 November, 21:40 Showroom 3. 08 November, 12:35 Showroom 2

Watch for: Retro glasses, Soviet Disco Moves, Mullets