Videoheaven

Blessed are those who remember the times of video rental shops – both local ones, where you had to wait for one copy of the newest films, and chains which allowed unlimited access to Hollywood blockbusters. In his latest documentary, American independent filmmaker, and a festival favorite Alex Ross Perry (the protagonist of a retrospective at 14. AFF) takes us on a nostalgic trip to a land that no more exists, destroyed by the Internet and streaming services. With the tenderness of a cinephile and the care of a chronicler, he dusts off the history of video cassettes – a typical feature of the nineties, which is now a museum-worthy relic of the past. Videoheaven is a dense, chapter-divided lecture on the significance of VHS for culture, collective consciousness, and the perception of cinema. Composed of fragments from such films as Videodrome, Clerks III, Boogie Nights, The Ring, Censor, The Fisher King, and series such as Seinfeld, Friends, or Stranger Things, and narrated by Maya Hawke, the film is a must-see for all lovers of the Seventh Art.