Anger is an Energy: Cinema of Protest is set to run from August 4th -31st at the IFI with a selection of feature films and events, from a range of time periods and national cultures, to examine how some of cinema’s most creative and daring directors have tackled and responded to socio-political dissent.
Different approaches to the subject of protest are explored – some are immense in scale and feature huge casts and elaborate choreography, as in Eisenstein’s innovative early Soviet propaganda film Strike and Pontecorvo’s masterpiece on the brutal struggle for Algerian independence The Battle of Algiers; while other works such as Kurosawa’s critique of Japan’s pre-war expansionism No Regrets for Our Youth, Ji?í Menzel’s story of sexual and political awakening at a train station in German occupied Czechoslovakia Closely Observed Trains and Godard’s chamber piece, La Chinoise, about a Maoist cell in a Parisian apartment focus on the ideas behind forces of change and as such become bigger than the worlds they represent.
In the spirit of revolt, many of the films question positions of power and authority by challenging the perceived limitations of cinema itself, by blending fact and fiction, as in Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool which was shot during the Democratic National Convention demonstrations in 1968, inventing ways to disrupt or subvert narrative as in V?ra Chytilová’s seminal feminist film from the Czech New Wave Daisies, or by coming up with radical, new methods of highlighting oppression as in Jafar Panahi’s The Circle, a depiction of the restrictions on women’s rights in Iran, and Sissako’s commanding political work on the ravaging of the African continent Bamako.
Some of the films expose the underlying power structures of society by creating heightened dystopias of familiar settings, such as Lindsay Anderson’s well-known revolt at a British public school If… and Peter Watkins vision of a 1970 where Nixon’s backlash against large-scale protests leads to a vicious repression. Others such as Spike Lee’s drama of escalating racial tension in Brooklyn Do the Right Thing shows community flashpoints that were (and remain) very rooted in reality.
Events accompanying the season include an Artist Film Screening that showcases the work of Rehana Zaman and Jaki Irvine and a special Protest Cinema edition of the IFI’s free monthly film discussion club The Critical Take. The IFI’s monthly From the Vaults screening will focus on work from renowned Irish filmmaker Vivienne Dick capturing her impression of a conflicted Ireland after time in New York. Vivienne Dick will attend the screening. All ages will be involved in the IFI’s conversation about protest, the Wild Strawberries Film Club for the over 55s have selected Erin Brokovich and IFI Family will screen the gorgeous Whale Rider that tells the story of Maori girl Pai’s fight for her chance to become the first female chief of her tribe.
Anger is an Energy: Cinema of Protest – Season Schedule
Strike – Aug 4th 18.30
No Regrets for Our Youth – Aug 6th 18.15
Closely Observed Trains – Aug 9th 16.00
Daisies – Aug 11th 18.30
Artist Film Screenings – Aug 12th 18.30
The Battle of Algiers – Aug 13th 18.15
La Chinoise – Aug 16th 16.00
If… – Aug 18th 18.30
From the Vaults: Visibility: Moderate & Images: Ireland (with guest Vivienne Dick) – Aug 19th 18.30
Medium Cool – Aug 20th 18.30
Punishment Park – Aug 23rd 16.00
Do the Right Thing – Aug 25th 18.15
Wild Strawberries: Erin Brokovich – Aug 26th 11am
The Circle – Aug 27th 18.30
Wild Strawberries: Erin Brokovich – Aug 28th 11am
Bamako – Aug 29th 16.00
IFI Family: Whale Rider – Aug 30th 11.00
The Critical Take Film Discussion Club – 31st Aug 18.30
Tickets are available from the IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477 or online at www.ifi.ie.