Playing Utopia, Performing Nostalgia? The Contemporary Appeal of Space Race Science Fiction Cinema

During the Space Race, space science fiction cinema on both sides of the Iron Curtain was often a tool for articulating visions of the future; today, this cinematic subgenre is a site of – often nostalgic – memory. Soviet science fiction cinema is an especially interesting case in point. Once a prophecy of ‘great things to come’ under the auspices of the Soviet state and its space program, it is now a reminder of a state that no longer exists, a Space Race that was not won by that state, and of the naiveté of that state’s future projections. This talk explores how popular cultural production, communities of practice (e.g., online fan communities), and media industries in the post-socialist space negotiate the imaginary of the past and future of space exploration.