In George Orwell’s 1984, revisionist history reigns, dissidents are vaporized and Big Brother is always watching. But according to some liberal creatives, 2017 America has surpassed that iconic dystopia.
In a couple of weeks, independent theaters across the nation will screen 1984 as part of a protest against the Trump administration. According to United State of Cinema, a co-sponsor of the effort, April 4 was purposefully selected because of its significance in the novel. On that date, protagonist Winston Smith begins rebelling against the government by writing in a diary.
“Orwell’s portrait of a government that manufactures their own facts, demands total obedience, and demonizes foreign enemies, has never been timelier,” wrote one of the screening’s coordinators. “The endeavor encourages theaters to take a stand for our most basic values: freedom of speech, respect for our fellow human beings, and the simple truth that there are no such things as ‘alternative facts.’”
Paul Malcolm, a film programmer at UCLA, agreed, but went ludicrously further in his estimation of President Trump’s America. "It's kind of chilling seeing and realizing how our contemporary situation has completely outstripped a lot of the dangers that Orwell presents.”
Cinemas charging admission are encouraged to donate a percentage of ticket sales to charity. Hadrian Belove, the co-founder of L.A.’s Cinefamily Theater, has already selected the ACLU—a Hollywood favorite. Last week, the progressive legal organization ran resistance training for illegal immigrants and citizens.
Cinefamily will screen 1984 as part of its ongoing “Fight the Power” movie series. “When this idea came up it really felt like nationwide everyone was having an urge to watch films that really engaged them in the head space we’re all at right now," he told Hollywood Reporter’s Patrick Shanley.
Art House Convergence—unsurprisingly, an affiliate of the left-leaning Sundance Festival—is also helping to spearhead the screenings.
