All tickets for this series are $10.00. No complimentary passes or vouchers accepted for this program.

This year, the subject of The Next Generation of Film is politics. In this election year, with the country divided over so many issues, we felt that it was the only possible subject. How do movies and politics work together? What exactly makes a given film political? How do movies help us think through political issues? These are some of the questions we're going to be asking throughout the weekend, a weekend marking the third anniversary of the most devastating terrorist attack ever suffered in this country. At this moment, which may well prove to be a turning point in American history, we can't afford to look the other way. We want you to come and look at these issues with us. We want to hear from you. Because right now, whether you know it or not, you're involved. We all are. Stay tuned to further advertisements and up-to-the-minute developments on our websites. There are further surprises in store.

THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS
Gillo Pontecorvo, 1965
Gillo Pontecorvo's 1965 film has been sending shock waves through the cinema for four decades now. Right at this moment, with suicide bombings on the rise, the film is relevant all over again. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS was a favorite of the Black Panther Party; it also served as a training tool for counterinsurgency efforts from Argentina to Vietnam, thanks to its exceptionally clear portrait of the inner workings of a terrorist organization. We'll look at Pontecorvo's modern classic from all sides - as an impassioned expression of left-wing fervor, as a realistic portrait of the fight for Algerian independence from the French, as a training tool, and as a piece of bravura modernist filmmaking.
Panelists:
* Michael A. Sheehan, Deputy Commissioner of Counter-terrorism, NYPD
* Mahmood Mamdani, renowned Africanist and Director of African Studies at Columbia , author of “Good Muslin, Bad Muslim: An African Perspective”
* Jean-Pierre Gorin, filmmaker
* Plus one more TBA

Fri Sept 10: 6:30

POLITICS AS CINEMA / CINEMA AS POLITICS
In the last few years, largely thanks to the dual innovations of digital cameras and editing equipment, there has been a remarkable surge in documentary filmmaking. From a brilliantly objective film like Michael Camerini and Shari Robertson's Well-Founded Fear to a beautifully assembled, passionately argued assault on the death penalty like Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson's Deadline, documentary has burst into a new, vibrant life. Arguably, the documentary has come to play a vital role in the forum of American politics. This panel examines this phenomenon from the point of view of filmmakers, critics and programmers. They'll address the central, pressing question: What can a film do?
Panelists:
* Michael Camerini and Shari Robertson, co-directors of Well-Founded Fear
* Katy Chevigny and Kirsten Johnson, co-directors of Deadline
* Tobias Perse, co-director of Persons of Interest
* Eugene Jarecki, director of The Trials of Henry Kissinger

Sat Sept 11: 1

THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL - CINEMA ACCORDING TO JEAN-PIERRE GORIN
One of the most brilliant minds in movies will pay us a rare visit and take a look at the way politics and cinema have interacted throughout the history of the medium. Jean-Pierre Gorin attended the Sorbonne during the mid-60s, where he studied with Foucault, Althusser and Lacan, and during that moment he became a key player in the turbulent intellectual and political life of France. He joined forces with Jean-Luc Godard, and together they collaborated on a series of movies that delved deep into the question of what exactly constitutes political cinema. Those brilliant, rigorous films were followed by a move to California and, over 13 years, three of the most original and ultimately unclassifiable movies ever made in this country: Poto and Cabengo, Routine Pleasures and the severely underrated My Crasy Life. Gorin will join us to discuss his own films and those of others, as well as the current climate, both cinematic and political. Film to be announced. Sat Sept 11: 3

PETER DAVIS, REBEL DOCUMENTARIAN
Thirty years ago, when this country was polarized over another war, Peter Davis dropped his extraordinary film Hearts and Minds into our midst. For many of us, that Academy Award-winning film, now a classic about to be re-released, remains a milestone in American political filmmaking. Just before making Hearts and Minds, Davis produced the even more controversial 1971 CBS news documentary The Selling of the Pentagon, which ignited a furious First Amendment debate in the U.S. Congress. Most recently, Davis was sent by The Nation magazine to Baghdad, which resulted in "Ignited Iraq" and other articles. Davis will pay a rare visit to New York to discuss his work, in terms of the road from Vietnam to Iraq as well as the current state of both filmmaking and the relationship of press to government.
Sun Sept 12: 1:30

MR. MOORE - ON STAGE AND IN PERSON!
For many years now, thanks to the concerted and sustained efforts of the right wing in America, the word liberal has become a dirty word, all but synonymous with elitist in the popular press. Michael Moore has had none of it. From the moment he burst on the scene with Roger and Me, Mr. Moore has been proudly, unabashedly and consistently liberal in his viewpoint. He has also spoken up for the working class in a way that few politicians dare to these days. And the core of his Fahrenheit 9/11 is the betrayal of the working class - when all is said and done, the heart of his incendiary movie is the spectacle of kids plucked off the streets of the most economically devastated parts of America to fight a war that has yet to be fully justified. We're proud to have Michael Moore here at the Walter Reade, giving us the latest developments around Fahrenheit as we inch our way toward one of the most important presidential elections in our country's history.
Sun Sept 12: 3:30

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