Don’t Miss These Films!

On Tuesday, August 22 at 7:30 pm, you won’t want to miss “Uptight.� This is an
updated remake of John Ford’s “The Informer.â€? The Irish Republican rebels of the original are replaced by Black activists, Dublin becomes the Cleveland ghetto, and "the troubles" of 1921 are transformed into the days just following the assassination of Martin Luther King.

(Scene from The Battle of Algiers).

You want some hot films in August? Then don’t miss the “Black August Films,â€? a powerful series of films at The Brecht Forum. The must-see films include “All Power to the People: The Black Panther Party and Beyond,â€? and “The Battle of Algiers.â€? The Panther film, August 10 at 7:30 pm, is a powerful, moving and comprehensive documentary on the resistance of Black Panther Party members against the relentless attack upon it through COINTEPRO FBI-led terror tactics.

Opening with a montage of four hundred years of race injustice in America, this powerful documentary provides the historical context for the establishment of the 60s civil rights movement. Rare clips of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton and other activists transport one back to those turbulent times.

Then on Tuesday, August 15 at 7:30 pm, see “The Murder of Fred Hampton.â€? On December 4, 1969, in a predawn FBI-directed Chicago police raid, Fred Hampton, the leader of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, was murdered as he lay face down in his bed. He was only 21 years old. Within hours, Panthers arranged to get a film crew into the scene. The footage directly contradicted the State’s Attorney’s version of the raid. The film documents the subsequent investigations as well as Hampton’s organizing activities, his public speeches and the programs he founded for children during the last 18 years of his life.

On Thursday, August 17, the series continues with at 7:30 pm, with “The Battle of Algiers.� An amazingly relevant movie for the times which we are now living in, “The Battle of Algiers� investigates the insurrection in Algiers by the FLN against French colonial rule almost 50 years ago. It documents the dynamics of the conflict from the recruiting of an insurrectionist and the creation of a subversive organization to the initial assaults targeting the police and representatives of the government, the authorities’ response and the escalation of violence by both parties.

On Tuesday, August 22 at 7:30 pm, you won’t want to miss “Uptight.â€? This is an updated remake of John Ford’s “The Informer.â€? The Irish Republican rebels of the original are replaced by Black activists, Dublin becomes the Cleveland ghetto, and “the troubles” of 1921 are transformed into the days just following the assassination of Martin Luther King.

On Thursday, August 24, at 7:30pm, the powerful series continues with “Nothing But A Man.� Set in the 1960s, “Nothing But a Man� is an uplifting love story about a man and a woman whose bond overcomes racial and class barriers. Duff, a railroad section hand is forced to confront prejudice and self-denial when he falls in love with Josie, an educated preacher’s daughter.

Finally, on Tuesday, August 29 at 7:30pm, come see “Cosmic Slop.â€? In the tradition of The Twilight Zone, this bizarre, thought-provoking trilogy addresses the destiny of the world’s minorities: Part I: A conservative African American politician must choose between his people’s survival and appeasing his white colleagues when space aliens propose to share their profound knowledge in exchange for all Black people on earth.

Part II: The Virgin Mary’s appearance in an inner-city housing project forces a Hispanic priest to face the hidden cultural origins of Western religion. Part III: On the dawn of the “Black Revolution,” an African American couple discovers who the “real” enemy is.

Suggested donation for all these films are $6, $10, and $15. No one is turned away. The Brecht Forum is located at 451 West Street, between Bank & Bethune, New York, NY 10014. Also see www.brechtforum.org or call (212) 242- 4201.
 
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