Irina Margareta Nistor’s VCR

Origin
Irina Margareta Nistor is a Romanian translator and film critic. During the repressive Communist rule under President Ceausescu, free expression was banned. Western movies became popular on the black market for showing the luxuries still available in the West, such as public affection, religious worship and even plentiful food. Irina was approached by a radio station broadcaster to dub American films in Romanian to sell them to the people. She initially agreed just to see new movies rather than take a symbolic stance against the government. During the regime’s rule, Irina dubbed over 5000 illegal VHS tapes, from children’s shorts to action flicks. Watchers recognized her voice occurring so often across different films, that she became one of the most recognized voices in the country.

Effects
Inserting any tape will add a new, unrelated chapter to its contents. The addition will feature footage that has either been banned from public consumption or locked away due to the sensitive material recorded. Most of the films shown are actual recordings, but some fictional accounts occasionally appear. All dialogue and written words appear in Romanian, regardless of the original language was.