Mike Leigh on the East End Communist Who Brought World Cinema to the UK
- A new British Film Institute season is celebrating Contemporary Films and its founder Charles Cooper, who introduced sophisticated international cinema to the UK.
- Established in 1951, Contemporary Films initially distributed short films for the film society sector.
- Reflecting on his arrival in London, Mike Leigh described the cultural landscape of the era.
A new British Film Institute season is celebrating Contemporary Films and its founder Charles Cooper, who introduced sophisticated international cinema to the UK. Filmmaker Mike Leigh, whose feature directing debut Bleak Moments was picked up by the distributor in 1971, spoke about the profound impact of the company on British viewing habits.
Celebrating a Pioneer of International Cinema
From Short Films to Auteur Masterpieces
Established in 1951, Contemporary Films initially distributed short films for the film society sector. It soon moved into features with the 1952 Japanese film Children of Hiroshima. The company popularized foreign-language auteur cinema in the UK, bringing works by directors such as Ingmar Bergman, Satyajit Ray, Andrzej Wajda, and Yasujiro Ozu to British audiences.
Mike Leigh on Discovering World Cinema
Reflecting on his arrival in London, Mike Leigh described the cultural landscape of the era. I saw only Hollywood and British movies. So when I came to London, world cinema suddenly presented itself. I have recollections of seeing Russian films, Italian neorealism, you name it. It was all going on, and Contemporary was very much at the centre of that,
he noted.
Political Convictions and Wartime Deportation
Founder Charles Cooper was an East End Jew and the son of a butcher from Ukraine. A committed communist who viewed cinema as a way to build awareness, Cooper brought Soviet films to the UK prior to the Second World War via Kino, the film section of the Workers’ Theatre Movement. He subsequently spent the war years in New York running a film section for the International Workers Order before being deported from the United States in 1950.
Expanding the Arthouse Catalog
Upon returning to Britain, Cooper supplied films to an estimated 200 film societies across the country. His catalog expanded to include international arthouse titles, such as Miloš Forman’s A Blonde in Love, Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, and Jack Hazan’s David Hockney documentary A Bigger Splash.
Looking Ahead to the 75th Anniversary
Contemporary Films saw its marketplace influence decline during the early 1990s due to shifting industry practices. Despite those changes, the company remains active and is preparing a 75th-anniversary screening series to highlight its historical catalog.