May 12, 2006
Sixth Annual Chicago Anarchist Film Festival
Radical Cinema in the Windy City
This past weekend, May 6th and 7th, marked the occasion of the sixth annual Chicago Anarchist Film Festival, an event culminating the week of May Day celebrations in Chicago on the 120th anniversary of the Haymaket Incident.
Film topics ranged from consumerism and US history to present-day Latin America and New Orleans.
One of this year's organizers, Esperanza, was kind enough to provide Lucid Screening with a short report on the weekend's events.
CHICAGO ANARCHIST FILM FEST
MAY 6TH AND 7TH; ACME ART WORKS
I am glad to report that again, this years Chicago Anarchist Film Fest proved to be worth the effort! Friday night, with Bus 174 as the feature full-length; proved to be a diverse crowd. A family newly arrived from Mexico who spoke no English; and a girl from Austria who was finishing her vacation in Chicago were amongst those in attendance. Undoubtedly, some of our draw came from some of the publicity of the local press; this being due of course, to our fantastic press release compenera. I as a principal organizer enjoyed viewing the viewers as they viewed the end result of some of my committed work. Also I watched to see if the crowd enjoyed the films. Reverend Billy [Preacher With an Unknown God], as I expected was a hit. I took in everyones captivity during Bus 174; as I was captivated during my initial viewing. The viewing brought forth a lot of nervous laughter and outbreaks of disbelief.
Sundays crowd was just a dozen or so short of the number in attendance on Saturday. It was a bit-slower of a build-up, as I expected would happen on a Sunday. I have not seen and did not watch at the film fest Wild Horses, but the audience laughed out loud, a lot!!!! Proving of course it's worthiness as a choice. After Sunday's features a crew of us, including some Seattle based out-of-towners, went to the Handlebar to celebrate.
Overall, importantly, we covered our costs and made a dollar or two to spare. Which is always a good thing. It is satisfying work for me to establish connections between the anarchist community in Chicago and the Chicago population at large. It is a time to see familiar faces and meet new ones. It is satisfying to play films with visions of a different society or the struggle against within it. If I am still around, come this time next year, you may very well see me again welcoming you to the 7th annual Chicago Anarchist Film Fest.
In solidarity,
Esperanza
THE WEEKEND's LINE-UP
Anarchism In America
(1982, 75 min, Director Steven Fischler and Joel Sucher)
Anarchism In America is a provocative survey of anarchism which attempts to dispel popular misconceptions and to trace its development. It contains rare archival footage of significant personalities and events in anarchist history.
Works By Grupo Alavio
For more than 10 years, this activist media collective has been participating in working class struggles in Argentina. Currently, Grupo Alavio is working with Argentina's recuperated enterprises: filming documentaries and organizing screenings for workers to reflect on their practices of worker self-management.
Pirates and Emperors
(2004, 4 min, Director/Producer/Writer: Eric Henry.)
Pirates and Emperors is an animated short that is long on laughs (history lesson inspired by Noam Chomsky in the style of School House Rock).
Preacher With an Unknown God
(2005, 18 min, Director: Rob Van Alkemade)
This Sundance 2006 award-winner follows anti-corporate activist/performance artist Reverend Billy and his Church-of-Stop-Shopping as they exorcize Big Box Stores and cash registers acroos the country.
BUS 174
(2002, 120 min, Director/Producer: Jose Padilha)
Bus 174 documents a June 2000 bus hijacking in Rio de Janeiro. The riveting narrative of Bus 174 explores the life of the young hijacker and how social inequities in Brazil, and the capitalist system in general, induce violence and crime.
Common Ground
(2005, 12 min, submitted by CAT of bmedia)
Common Ground is about solidarity in New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina, and also features Black Panther veteran Malik Rahim. (http://commongroundrelief.org/)
New Orleans Public Housing and Black Panthers...Oh My!
(2005, 9 min, Director: Fluxrostrum of Fluxview Productions: www.fluxview.com)
Oh My is a conversation with Black Panther veteran Malik Rahim about free food programs, the housing project and police raids.
Wild Horses
(1995, 122 min, Director: Marcleo Pinevro)
A kinetic social satire: an elderly Argentine man robs a bank to recover his life savings, only to meet up with a young employee who coughs up four times what he was asking for--and then offers to be his hostage!
