Anarchists And Film

YBCA presents Anarchists And Film
Guest curated by Pietro Ferrua, founder of the International Center for Research on Anarchism

Fridays, May 13, 7 & 9 pm • Screening Room
$8 regular, $5 YBCA members, seniors & students

In an era of accelerating global capitalism, where constant upheaval of every kind – political, social, economic, cultural, environmental – is the rule, the search for a social system that brings prosperity with justice has never been sought by so many people. The history of anarchism, which dates back to mid-19th century France and Russia, is based on “utopia,” the ideal of mutual aid and voluntary cooperation, in lieu of control by the state or private concentrations of power.

Perhaps better known for the means (or failures, in achieving its goals) rather than the ends desired, anarchist philosophy nonetheless lies at the heart of numerous activist causes (left and right) worldwide, and has shaped our popular and political culture in countless ways. Yet for a broader public, the spectrum of anarchist ideals remains outside the confines of common understanding, ignored as outmoded, equated with failed Marxism-Communism, thought to be the dangerous (i.e. terrorist) passion of the underclass, or simply the nihilism of the young. But the continuing inquiry of writers, historians, artists, activists and filmmakers into the subject suggests that its relevance to our globalist present continues. We hope this series offers insight into the revolutionary desire for a better world.

Kafka
by Steven Soderbergh
(1991, 92 min, 35mm)
Fri, May 13, 7 pm
Franz Kafka is a clerk in the labyrinthine bureaucracy of the Workers and Accident Association insurance company in Prague. He spends his spare time writing stories. He becomes concerned when co-worker Eduard goes missing and later turns up murdered. His attempts to learn what happened lead him to a co-worker who was having an affair with Gabriela. Gabriela draws Kafka into the company of a group of revolutionary anarchists, but then she too goes missing. After being attacked by an insane disfigured killer, Kafka decides he must illicitly enter the all-powerful castle that overlooks the town and seek the truth amid the sinister experiments being conducted there.

Rebellion in Patagonia
by Héctor Olivera
(1974, 107 min, Beta SP)
Fri, May 13, 8:45 pm
A classic of Latin American cinema, Rebellion in Patagonia recounts a brutal chapter in Argentine history: the military’s bloody suppression of a series of agrarian strikes in the 1920s. Set within a richly detailed social context, Olivera’s story pits the anarcho-syndicalist of the workers movement against the ruthless commanders who realize too late that they are merely tools of the wealthy landowners.