Chuck Norris vs Communism

In contention for most intriguing title in the programme this year, Chuck Norris vs Communism directs the spotlight on the underground world of the VHS tape in communist-era Romania.

Dir: Ilinca Calugareanu UK/Romania/Germany 2015, 78 mins Cert: 12A*

In contention for most intriguing title in the programme this year, Chuck Norris vs Communism directs the spotlight on the underground world of the VHS tape in communist-era Romania. Smuggled in from the west, tapes featuring the likes of Van Damme, Stallone, and, of course, Chuck Norris, were highly sought after as the strict anti-Western regime clamped down on any kind of communal screenings. As one man supplied a nation with their Hollywood heroes, and one woman dubbed each new tape day after day, together they forged one of the greatest threats to Ceaușescu’s dictatorship through the unlikely power of the humble VCR.