Fernando Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts - Audiovisual and Objects , 1951-2010

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2022

Collection Overview

Title:	Fernando Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts - Audiovisual and Objects
Date range:	1951-2010
Creator:	Birri, Fernando
Extent:	24 Linear Feet 19 record center boxes, 57 reels of film, 3 shoeboxes, 1 clamshell box
Abstract:	Audio recordings, films, videos and objects created and collected by Argentinian filmmaker Fernando Birri during the course of his career. This is Subgroup 3 of the Fernando Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts. The other subgroups are Subgroup 1: Escritos, Subgroup 2: Fotos, and Subgroup 4: Pinturas.
Language of materials:	Spanish; Castilian
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.2010.050.audiovisualobjects

Scope & content

This is Subgroup 3: Audiovisual and Objects and contains audio recordings, films, videos and objects created and collected by Fernando Birri. Birri organized his files, photographs, documents, and films in broad categories. He created the system based on how he worked and the major projects that occupied his time. He was not always consistent in the way he applied the categories to items and many naturally belong to many different categories. He chose the one most applicable. To see all the materials related to a particular topic, film, or art project the researcher is advised to consult each of the 4 Subgroups. See the Arrangement page to get an overview of his classification scheme and links to each Subgroup. Subgroup 3: Audiovisual and Objects is divided into 11 Series based on Birri's classification system. Series A: Audio – The materials here represent music that Birri simply liked, music and sounds he may have used in his films or as inspiration, and recordings of Birri reading his writings or giving a lecture. They are recorded mostly on audio cassettes Compact Discs, or LP records with a few mini audio cassettes and one digital audiotape. Series F: Films – These are originals and copies of films. The format of the films is 8mm, 16mm, or 35mm. Birri assigned a classification code to each of his films. For example, one of the copies of Los Inundados has been given the classification code F-1/4-3 where F-1 means it belongs to Series F1: Films de Fernando Birri, it is title 4 and copy 3. Brown University did not receive his entire library of films therefore the researcher will notice gaps in the sequence of the classification codes for the films. Some of Birri's films are only represented by a video copy located in Series V: Videos. To see a copy of Birri's original handwritten inventory for his films click here.

• Series F1: Films de Fernando Birri – arranged chronologically
• Series F2: Films con Fernando Birri - NONE
• Series F3: Films sobre Fernando Birri - NONE
• Series F4: Films de autores varios - There is only one film in this collection by another film maker.

Series V: Videos – The videos are on U-Matic, Betacam, VHS, DVD, Digital Betacam, one Laserdisc, and one MiniDV. Birri assigned a classification code to each of his videos. For example, one of the copies of Los Inundados has been given the classification code V-1/7-20 where V-1 means it belongs to Series V1: Videos de Films de Fernando Birri, it is title 7 and this is copy 20. Brown University did not receive his entire library of videos therefore the researcher will notice gaps in the sequence of the classification codes for the videos. To see a copy of Birri's original handwritten inventory for his videos click here for Part 1 and click here for Part 2.

• Series V1: Videos de films de Fernando Birri – Arranged chronologically, these are video copies of the flms created by Birri.
• Series V2: Videos con Fernando Birri – Arranged alphabetically, this series contains videos in which Birri collaborated on the production of the film or he is an actor, lecturer, or interviewee.
• Series V3: Videos sobre Fernando Birri – Arranged alphabetically, these are videos about Birri and his films produced to honor him or highlight aspects of his career.
• Series V4: Videos de la Escuela de Tres Mundos:America Latina y el Caribe, Africa y Asia (Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV, Cuba (EICTV)) – Arranged alphabetically this seires contains videos produced by students at this film school which was founded by Birri and Gabriel García Márquez.
• Series V5: Videos de autores varios – Aranged alphabetically, these are films that Birri collected for his own personal use or were given to him by students and colleagues as presents or with a request that he provide a critique of their work. The letters and notes from the individuals presenting the video have been kept with the video.

Series O: Objects - This series contains prizes and awards earned by Birri, mementos from events he attended, and presents given to him by friends and colleagues.

Access Points

Subject Topics

• Motion picture industry
• Motion pictures -- Political aspects -- Latin America
• Film festivals
• Motion pictures -- Social aspects -- Latin America
• Motion pictures -- Study and teaching -- Cuba
• Motion pictures -- Study and teaching -- Argentina

Document Types

• Compact discs
• Videocassettes
• Film
• Awards
• Motion pictures (visual work)

Arrangement

The arrangement of the Fernando Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts follows the classification system created by Fernando Birri. It contains 4 Subgroups. This portion of his collection is Subgroup 3: Audiovisual and Objects. To see the inventory for another Subgroup click on the name of that Subgroup below.

• Subgroup 1: Escritos
• Subgroup 2: Fotos
• Subgroup 3: Audiovisual and Objects
• Subgroup 4: Pinturas

Subgroup 3: Audiovisual and Objects is divided into 11 Series based on Birri's classification system. The materials within each Series are arranged alphabetically with the exception of Series F1: Films de Fernando Birri and Series V1: Films de Fernando Birri which are arranged chronologically. Two of the Series are empty because no items were included with the materials sent to Brown University by Birri. The empty series are identified with the word "NONE." Series A: Audio Series F: Films

• Series F1: Films de Fernando Birri – arranged chronologically
• Series F2: Films con Fernando Birri - NONE
• Series F3: Films sobre Fernando Birri- NONE
• Series F4: Films de autores varios

Series V: Videos

• Series V1: Films de Fernando Birri – arranged chronologically
• Series V2: Films con Fernando Birri
• Series V3: Films sobre Fernando Birri
• Series V4: Videos de la Escuela de Tres Mundos:America Latina y el Caribe, Africa y Asia (Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV, Cuba (EICTV))
• Series V5: Films de autores varios

Series O: Objects

Biographical / Historical

Film director and theoretician Fernando Birri (Santa Fe, Argentina, 1925), who Colombian novelist and Nobel Prize recipient Gabriel García Márquez calls Gran papá del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, is one of the founders of the new Latin American film movement, often described as a form of revolutionary or Third Cinema.

Before entering the world of cinema, Birri worked in poetry, theater, and puppetry. In 1950, he traveled to Italy, the Birri family's native land, and studied filmmaking at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia di Roma where he was greatly influenced by the style of the Italian Neorealists and in particular the work of Vittorio de Sica and Cesare Zavattini, for whom he worked as assistant director in his film Il tetto ("The Roof"). In 1951, he shot his first documentary film Selinunte in Sicily. Upon returning to Argentina in 1956, Birri was determined to create a national cinematic style based on a more realistic portrayal of the fringes of Argentine society. In his native Santa Fe he began teaching a class in experimental film that later evolved into a complete cinema school – the Instituto de Cinematografía de la Universidad del Litoral. There he filmed the documentary Tire dié (1954), and a neorealist feature film Los inundados (1961). Both films centered on the Argentine lower social classes and denounced their conditions. In the early 1960s, Birri was forced to flee Argentina due to his political views and controversial work. He lived in Brazil for a few months until the government fell under a similar military regime. He eventually ended up settling in Italy until the late 1970s when he returned to Latin America and resumed his teaching career in Mexico and Venezuela. In 1982 he founded the mobile poetic film school Laboratorio Ambulante de Poéticas Cinematográficas in the Universidad de los Andes in Venezuela. In 1984, he was elected honorary member of the Committee of Filmmakers of Latin America. In 1986, he co-founded, with Gabriel García Márquez, the Escuela de Cine y Televisión de Tres Mundos (EICTV) in San Antonio de los Baños, near Havana, Cuba. In the same year he directed Mi hijo el Che ("My Son Che"), a film portrait based on an interview with Che Guevara's father, Don Ernesto Guevara Lynch. Two years later, in collaboration with García Márquez, he filmed Un señor muy viejo con unas alas muy grandes ("A Very Old Man with Very Large Wings"), which premiered in the United States at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 1995, Birri produced a documentary film for German television entitled Süden, Süden, Süden ("South, South, South"), followed in 1998 by El siglo del viento: un noticiero latinoamericano ("The Century of the Wind: A Newscast from Latin America"), a film based on Eduardo Galeanos's trilogy Memoria del fuego.

Birri continues his cinematic career in the 21st century. In 2007, he filmed a documentary entitled Elegía Friulana, homage to his grandfather, Giambatista, anarchist bricklayer, peasant and miller who left Italy in search of a better life in South America. He is presently working on a new feature film that will be shot on location in the pampa litoral region of Argentina — El Fausto criollo, an adaptation of the poem by Estanislao del Campo from 1856. He is also developing two new productions — Mal d'America, co-written with the famous Italian novelist Vasco Pratolini, and Gaucho Pampa, a mito-film (mythical film).

Fernando Birri has authored numerous books on film theory and poetry. He is also a prolific artist working in a wide range of media from pencils, watercolors, and collage to computer graphics. He is a founder of the Fundación del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano and a Member of Honor of its Executive Board. He was a Tinker Visiting Professor at Stanford University in 2001-2002, and a visiting professor at Tufts University in 2009. Birri has been and continues to be honored at numerous film festivals around the world. He is married to Carmen and has no children.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access for non-digital materials, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested. Advance notice is required to view born-digital records. Born-digital materials in this collection have not been reformatted yet. Researchers may request access to copies by contacting the John Hay Library with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. Access to original physical digital media is restricted.
Use of the materials:	Researchers are advised that express written permission to reproduce, quote, or otherwise publish any portion or extract from this collection must be obtained from the Brown University Library. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Fernando Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts, Ms.2010.050, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Donated by Fernando Birri in 2008.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Karen Eberhart.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-10-26.
Descriptive rules:	Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Additional Information

Alternative guide:

The arrangement of the Fernando Birri Archive of Multimedia Arts follows the classification system created by Fernando Birri. It contains 4 Subgroups. This portion of his collection is Subgroup 3: Audiovisual and Objects. To see the inventory for another Subgroup click on the name of that Subgroup below. Subgroup 1: Escritos Subgroup 2: Fotos Subgroup 3: Audiovisual and Objects Subgroup 4: Pinturas

Inventory

---