‘1984’ Screenings In Detroit, Elsewhere Protest Donald Trump

DETROIT, MI — Cinema Detroit in Midtown is among 90 art house movie theaters across the country that are taking part in an April 4 screening of “1984,” the story of life in a totalitarian society. The screenings are in protest of what the theater owners worry will be efforts by President Donald Trump and his administration to dismantle the National Endowment of the Arts.

The theaters screening the iconic film based on George Orwell’s novel are in 79 cities, 34 states and in Canada. Also on the list is Vickers Theatre in Three Oaks.

The date of April 4 was chosen because that’s the day Orwell’s protagonist, Winston Smith, begins his rebellion against an oppressive government by keeping a forbidden diary. “It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,” Orwell’s novel begins.

In a statement on the United State of Cinema site, organizers said:

“Less than one month into the new presidential administration, theater owners collectively believe the clock is already striking thirteen. Orwell's portrait of a government that manufactures their own facts, demands total obedience, and demonizes foreign enemies, has never been timelier. 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.' By doing what they do best — showing a movie — the goal is that cinemas can initiate a much-needed community conversation at a time when the existence of facts, and basic human rights are under attack. Through nationwide participation and strength in numbers, these screenings are intended to galvanize people at the crossroads of cinema and community, and bring us together to foster communication and resistance against current efforts to undermine the most basic tenets of our society.?

The theaters showing the movie are those who “strongly believe in supporting the National Endowment for the Arts and see any attempt to scuttle that program as an attack on free speech and creative expression through entertainment,” the organizers said. “This event provides a chance for communities around the country to show their unity and have their voices heard.”

The White House hasn’t directly said National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for Humanities, which together got about $296 million in federal aid in fiscal year 2016, will be defunded. But art institutions and organizations are nervous. Funding for the arts programs was minuscule when compared with an overall $3.9 fiscal year 2016 federal budget.

Watch the “1984” trailer below.

Screenshot via YouTube