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19:00 Affordable Vegan Food

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20:30 Symbiopsychotaxicinema presents The war at home (1979)

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SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXICINEMA

Films for Those Who Care

Presented by Jeffrey Badcock

A series of socially engaged movies, screened once a month on Thursdays. Touching on such hot topics as immigration, homelessness, racism, education, radical gender propositions, the pandemic and gentrification, these films not only explore visionary politics, but are also chosen to stir our imagination and creativity. The essence of cinema is the collective experience, and these screenings are aimed at creating intimate communities again in an increasingly hectic and fragmented world.

THE WAR AT HOME   1979
Directed by Barry Alexander Brown, Glenn Silber
100 minutes
In English

This is such an important film, a document from the past about social change. I’m often asked where I came from…. Well my whole life I was moving…. But the place I went to university was a city called Madison Wisconsin. During the late 60s and early 70s it was a hotbed of social and cultural unrest, especially active in the strong anti-war movement. This documentary focuses on the counterculture movement in Madison, and some of my teachers were even involved with the making of this film.

One of the beautiful aspects of this flick is in watching how a movement that begins with only a few hundred people, grew into a mass movement. We see the numbers grow, and we also see the police, even the army, being brought in to handle the situation. The Madison university campus became a battleground. The film also debates the issue of violence, and whether violence should be used in an anti-war movement. Along the way we have some great music from that time, and some major players in the field including the beat poet Allen Ginsberg. It was a groundbreaking film when it hit the movie screens, and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1980. Personally, I think it is crucial viewing for anyone who wants to create real direct-democratic change, no matter what issue is being addressed.

By the way, the co-director Barry Alexander Brown would later go onto editing several Spike Lee joints such as Do the Right Thing.

I’m not a fan of Micheal Moore, but he did say this was one of the most important movies ever made.

What can I say? It’s a crime it isn’t being seen these days. Wanna see the trailer? Click here

Hope to see you at this special screening!

Free screening