The film version of
Geroge Orwell's 1984 will be screened in more than 190 threatres
across the US, UK, Canada, Sweden and Croatia [Justin Sullivan/Getty
Images]
Toronto,
Canada –
Nearly 200 theatres worldwide will simultaneously screen the film
version of George Orwell's dystopian classic, 1984, on Tuesday to
protest US President Donald Trump.
The
idea, which is being called "National Screening Day",
is the brainchild of Dylan Skolnick, co-director of the Cinema Arts
Centre on Long Island, New York, and Adam Birnbaum, director of film
programming at the Avon Theatre Film Centre in Connecticut.
The
pair began talking after the US presidential election about
organising a film event to express how they felt about the new
administration.
Skolnick
told Al Jazeera that he realised 1984 would be the perfect film to
show given the current political climate in the US.
"In
particular, this undermining of the concept of facts and the
demonisation of foreign enemies" by the Trump administration
"really resonate in 1984", Skolnick said.
1984
takes place in a world consumed by war and ubiquitous government
surveillance.
The
state is under the control of "The Party," which
outlaws independent thought and individualism, and the "Thought
Police," which monitors the residents. "Big
Brother" is the supposed leader of this totalitarian state.
"There's
a central line from the book about the freedom to say that two plus
two equals four, even when the government is telling you that two
plus two equals five," Skolnick said.
"It's
a great book and it connects with a lot of things that are happening
right now," he added.
Since
taking office, Trump has vilified and vowed
to deport undocumented
immigrants, and signed
an executive order that
bans foreign nationals from six Muslim-majority countries from
entering the US.
The
president and his staff have repeatedly used the term " fake
news "
as a smear against journalists and news organisations, and Trump
adviser Kellyanne Conway also used the phrase "alternative
facts" to defend statements made by White House Press Secretary
Sean Spicer that were proven to be false.
Skolnick
said April 4 was chosen as the screening date because it coincides
with the day the story's protagonist, Winston Smith, begins keeping a
secret diary – his first act of rebellion against the state.
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After
going public with the idea, Skolnick said theatres across the US
jumped on board.
More
than 190 theatres, primarily in the US, but also in Canada, the UK,
Sweden and Croatia will participate.
Most
of the theatres will donate part of the ticket sales to organisations
working on civil rights or other issues that matter in their
communities.
In
Toronto, the Royal Cinema will donate a portion of the profits to the
Canadian Civil Liberties Association, an organisation that works to
defend human rights and liberties across Canada.
Skolnick
said the event is also particularly timely given the Trump
administration's proposed funding cuts to arts and humanities
organisations and public broadcasting.
But
it has also resonated outside the US where the issue of political
engagement is gaining attention.
"No
one is suggesting that we're living in Orwell's world. But the road
to that world is people just becoming disengaged and allowing their
government to do whatever it wants," Skolnick said.
"This
is really designed to get people to be talking and discussing and
active in the political conversation that is happening in America
right now – and throughout the world, it turns out."
Source: Al
Jazeera News
copy http://www.aljazeera.com/news
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