A FEW SMALL ACTS OF REVOLUTION: FILMS BY NICK MACDONALD
Saturday, June 9 at 8 PM
Doors 7:30 pm; $5 admission.
Nick Macdonald made seven political, essay films from 1970 to 1975. These films have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and various university and leftist forums. Made on extremely low budgets with a homemade quality to them, his films don’t rely on documentary footage but, instead, use photographs and guerrilla skits, often taking place within his apartment. In 2015, MoMA accepted all his films for their archives and they are currently being processed by the museum.
Macdonald’s book, In Search of La Grande Illusion, on Jean Renoir’s classic film, was published in 2014 by McFarland & Co. FILMMAKER IN ATTENDANCE!
Program:
No More Leadershit (1971) — 3:34 minutes
A collage of photographs featuring leaders in different fields, removed by the filmmaker to show that all leaders need to be viewed with skepticism.
The Liberal War (1972) — 32:52 minutes
Set in the future of an anarchist utopia, a look back at the Vietnam War during the JFK years — and beyond. Shot in 1972, in the filmmaker’s apartment, without documentary footage of the war, as metaphors are created through animation of images and objects, and through guerrilla skits. By rejecting the authority of traditional documentary footage, the anarchist spirit of individual responsibility is established. History from one person’s point of view, rather than a definitive proclamation.
Still Attica Remains (1975) — 14:48 minutes
Shot in New York City on September 13, 1975, which was the 4th anniversary of the massacre at the Attica prison in upstate New York. The narration presents a case that the brutal assault was cold-blooded and senseless, causing an avoidable horror.
Our Common Senses (1976) — 6:08 minutes
A short film with actors, demonstrating the importance of true common sense in relationships.
Acts of Revolution (1976) — 6:16 minutes
A short film with actors, on certain daily acts (like listening to others), which are light-heartedly seen as revolutionary.