Reflecting on decades of unrest and activism, this program features films and archival footage that represent contrasting forms of protest linked by the universal search for change, justice, and humanity. Including a film of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1967 speech at the U of M, the works presented examine the urgent voices and radical action of those who creatively interpreted pivotal moments of international upheaval since the mid-1960s. Introduced with poetry by Taiyon Coleman.
Postscreening conversation with Valérie Déus (artist and poet), Daniel Bergin (documentary filmmaker and senior producer at Twin Cities Public TV/PBS), and Dr. Taiyon Coleman (poet, essayist, and assistant professor at the College of St. Catherine)
Tickets will be available at the Main Lobby Desk from 6:30 pm the day of the event.
Films:
KSTP_29800: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the University of Minnesota, April 27, 1967
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses a crown of 4000 people at an anti-war rally on the University of Minneapolis, St. Paul campus. Directed by KSTP. 1967, US, 16mm transferred to digital, 18 minutes. Courtesy KSTP and Minnesota Historical Society.
Campaign
Filmmaker Tom Palazzolo collages firsthand scenes with newsreel footage creating an impressionistic view of the clashes during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, featuring appearances by Abbie Hoffman, Allen Ginsburg, former mayor of Chicago Richard J. Daley, Hubert Humphrey, and others. Directed by Tom Palazzolo. 1968, US, 16mm, 12 minutes. Courtesy the artist.
One Document for Hope
The sound from a recording of the Baltimore Police Department scanner on Monday April 27, 2015, accompanies film footage from gatherings, celebrations, and protest in Baltimore from April 28–May 3, 2015. Directed by Margaret Rorison. 2015, US, 16mm, 7 minutes. Courtesy the artist.
O Século (The Century)*
Helmets, rocks, trashcans, clothing, and tires fly into the spectator’s field of vision. Gas bombs spread smoke throughout the area, indicating an uprising and new conflict. Directed by Cinthia Marcelle and Tiago Mata Machado. 2013, Brazil, digital, 5 minutes. Courtesy the artists.
Rua De Mao Unica (One Way Street)*
On a dimly lit street, people gather to join against an invisible force. Through smoke and a blazing fire, the physical clash of the protestors can be seen but their opposition is not revealed. Directed by Cinthia Marcelle and Tiago Mata Machado. 2013, Brazil, digital, 9 minutes. Courtesy the artists.
Les (Forest)
Les (Forest) documents the funeral procession of Jan Palach, a student at Charles University in Prague who immolated himself in January 1969 in protest of the consequences of the Warsaw Pact invasion. Students organized a funeral procession that was attended by thousands and represented the last major spontaneous protest of the invasion. Directed by Ivan Balaďa. 1969, Czechoslovakia, 35mm transfer to digital, 12 minutes. Produced by the Czechoslovak Ministry of Defense, courtesy the National Film Archive and Military History Institute, Prague, and Alice Lovejoy.
1968 Europe #2 (excerpt)
Louise Walker McCannel, granddaughter of Walker founder Thomas Barlow Walker, creates a home movie while on vacation with her family in Venice, Italy 1968. Their everyday activities are interrupted by protests of the 34th Venice Biennale. McCannel records political activists with anti-war banners, demonstration on Piazza San Marco, and clashes with police. Directed by Louise Walker McCannel. 1968, US/Italy, 16mm transferred to digital, silent, 4 minutes. Courtesy the Chicago Film Archives.
BLACK JOURNAL: #1 Harvard (excerpt)
In an excerpt from the first episode of the first nationally televised African American public affairs program, Black Journal, Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks to the graduating class of Harvard University. Directed by WNET. US, 1968, digital, 7 minutes. Courtesy WNET New York Public Media and THIRTEEN Productions, LLC.
*Rua De Mao Unica (One Way Street) and O Século (The Century) are interrelated pieces that provide different viewpoints on a shared event—a street protest.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)