#26b Films About 1968

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by AREA | Published Sept. 17, 2008

Note: Below You Will See Announcements for a Sat. 9/27 Screening at the Cultural Center. All Other Films Listed Are Taking Place At Backstory Cafe in Hyde Park On Sunday Evenings.

Saturday September 27, 2008 2:00 pm
Screening of "Chicago 10" (95min)

at Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St. | Claudia Cassidy Theatre)

Synopsis of Film:
"Written and directed by Brett Morgen, CHICAGO 10 presents contemporary history with a forced perspective, mixing bold and original animation with extraordinary archival footage that explores the build-up to and unraveling of the Chicago Conspiracy Trial.

At the 1968 Democratic Convention, protestors, denied permits for demonstrations, repeatedly clashed with the Chicago Police Department, who waged a week-long terror campaign that resulted in riots witnessed live by a television audience of over 50 million. The events had a polarizing effect on the country." More information here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_10_(film)

Post Film Panel Discussion: WHO'S LENS IS IT? REFLECTING '68
After the film, there will be a discussion with the audience examining the subjective role the filmmaker plays when documenting history. How does the perspective differ when looking through the eyes of race, gender, political persuasion and across generations?

The discussion will feature:
Kevin Gosztola, Student, Filmmaker, Activist
Sam Greenlee, Author, Film producer
Judy Hoffman, Filmmaker
Tracye Matthews, Associate Director, Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture (Moderator)

THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! Co-Sponsored by AREA Chicago, ITVS and The Public Square

Reservations are required and can be made online or by email: events@prairie.org or call 312.422.5580

+ Upcoming Sunday 1968 Screenings @ Backstory Cafe:

(www.backstorycafe.com), 6100 S. Blackstone.
Screenings start at 8pm, with discussion to follow; doors open for potluck dinner beginning at 7.

The series is presented in conjunction with Looks Like Freedom (www.looks-like-freedom.com), and co-sponsored by AREA Chicago (www.areachicago.org).

September 21
Jane: An Abortion Service (Katie Kirtz and Nell Lundy, 1996, 58min)

This fascinating political look at a little-known chapter in women's history tells the story of "Jane", the Hyde Park-based women's health group that performed nearly 12,000 safe illegal abortions between 1969 and 1973 with no formal medical training. As Jane members describe finding feminism and clients describe finding Jane, archival footage and recreations mingle to depict how the repression of the early sixties and social movements of the late sixties influenced this unique group. Both vital knowledge and meditation on the process of empowerment, Jane: An Abortion Service showcases the importance of preserving women's knowledge in the face of revisionist history.

September 28
Two short video pieces courtesy of the Video Databank (www.vdb.org)

Fred Hampton: Black Panthers in Chicago (Videofreex, 1969, 24min)
The Videofreex, a video collective and pirate TV station from upstate New York, traveled to Chicago in 1969 to document events there, including the Weather Underground's actions and the Chicago Eight trial. They conducted this interview with Fred Hampton, Deputy Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, in October 1969, just over a month before he was killed by Chicago police. An astonishingly fresh picture of the political situation in Chicago in 1969.

Jean Genet in Chicago (Frédéric Moffet, 2006, 26min)
A contemporary queer rewriting of the events surrounding the 1968 National Democratic Convention in Chicago from the point of view of French writer Jean Genet, who (denied a visa by the US authorities because of three strikes against him: homosexual Communist, and ex-con) slipped into the country through Canada to take part. Along the way Genet will meet, amongst others, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, the Yippies, the Black Panther Party and the Chicago police force... Ultimately, the video is about the difficulty of aligning political and sexual desires.

October 5
Winter Soldier (Winterfilm, 1972, 96min)

In February 1971, one month after the revelations of the My Lai massacre, an astonishing public inquiry into war crimes committed by American forces in Vietnam was held at a Howard Johnson motel in Detroit. The Vietnam Veterans Against the War organized this event called the Winter Soldier Investigation. More than 125 veterans spoke of atrocities they had witnessed and committed. Though the event was attended by press and television news crews, almost nothing was reported to the American public. Yet, this unprecedented forum marked a turning point in the anti-war movement. It was a pivotal moment in the lives of young vets from around the country who participated, including the young John Kerry. The Winter Soldier Investigation changed him and his comrades forever. Their courage in testifying, their desire to prevent further atrocities and to regain their own humanity, provide a dramatic intensity that makes seeing Winter Soldier an unforgettable experience.