communism
In Pictures: Granta – The Legacy of Communism
On Wednesday 24 February 2016, journalist and author Oliver Bullough was joined by Peter Pomerantsev, writer and senior fellow at the Legatum Institute, and author Philip Ó Ceallaigh to discuss the legacy of communism in eastern Europe. The event marked the release of Granta magazine’s new edition – No Man’s Land.
No Man’s Land: The Legacy of Communism
By Isabel Gonzalez-Prendergast On Wednesday 24 February, a panel of experts met to discuss the legacy of war and communism in eastern Europe. A full house convened for the event to mark the release of the latest edition of Granta, No Man’s Land, which focuses on the ground between opposing forces, twenty five years since the fall of […]
Al Jazeera Preview Screening: Cuba for Sale + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with reporters Juliana Ruhfus, Seamus Mirodan and others.
Cuba was the first communist state to be created in the western hemisphere – it’s also the last one standing. The President insists that these measures are designed to preserve, rather than dismantle, Cuban socialism. But can he successfully open up the economy without betraying the promise of a classless society upon which the Cuban state was built? Juliana Ruhfus and Seamus Mirodan investigate.
GRANTA: The Legacy of Communism – From the Donbass to Old Bucharest
Last year we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, but the legacy of war and communism lives on in eastern Europe. To mark the launch of the new issue of Granta – No Man’s Land – contributors Peter Pomerantsev and Philip Ó Ceallaigh will be taking us from the front line of the propaganda war in Ukraine’s Donbass region to the devastating story of the Communist destruction of Old Bucharest.
Power, Politics & Performance in Russia: “Grandchildren. The Second Act” + Panel Discussion
How do the grandchildren of prominent Stalinists feel when they find out who their beloved grandparents really were? Interviewed by the playwrights over the last couple of years, the protagonists’ grandparents were from Stalin’s inner circle – or members of the Soviet Communist Party or NKVD – and their testimonies bear witness to the very human desire to forgive those we love, even when we know their worst crimes. The staged reading with be followed by a panel discussion.
The Look of Silence – Truth and Reconciliation in Indonesia
By Francis Churchill It is estimated that over 500,000 people were slaughtered in Indonesia between October 1965 and the early months of 1966. Paramilitary militias and vigilante groups, coordinated by the Indonesian army and aided by British and American intelligence agencies, were responsible for mass killings in the country’s anti-communist purge. Nearly 50 years […]
Screening: The Look of Silence + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Joshua Oppenheimer via Skype.
In this multi-award winning companion piece to The Act of Killing, filmed before its release, Joshua Oppenheimer further explores the terrible legacy of the Indonesian genocide fifty years ago, this time through the lens of one family.
First Wednesday Screening: 1989
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Frontline Club is pleased to be part of a pan-European simultaneous screening of the new documentary 1989 by award-winning director Anders Østergaard. The creative documentary 1989 is a high-politics drama about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Iron Curtain. Østergaard recreates the events of 1989 and invites the audience into the secret meeting rooms through a mixture of testimonials, archive material, recreation and reconstructed dialogues of the key political players.
Insight with Michael Žantovský: Havel and the Velvet Revolution
This event is organised by the Czech Centre London.
Twenty-five years ago in December 1989, Václav Havel was elected as President of Czechoslovakia, marking the end of the Velvet Revolution and with it, the culmination of 41 years of communist rule. By his side throughout was Michael Žantovský, Havel’s press secretary, speech-writer, translator and close friend. The pair met as dissidents under communist rule and remained close until Havel’s death in 2011. Žantovský will be joining us in conversation with Edward Lucas, senior editor at The Economist, to bear witness to Havel’s extraordinary life as documented in his new book Havel: A Life, and to share his own experiences of living through the Velvet Revolution and the formation of the Czech Republic.
Here Be Dragons: the “post-traumatic world” of Albania
By Phoebe Hall On Monday 27 January a large audience gathered at the Frontline Club for a screening of Mark Cousins’ contemplative essay-film Here Be Dragons, followed by a Q&A with the director, via Skype, and with producer Don Boyd, founder of HiBROW.
Screening: Here Be Dragons + Q&A
In the past, the term ‘Here Be Dragons’ was used by cartographers to indicate an unexplored area on a map, in fear of what could lurk there. In his new essay film, Mark Cousins goes on an explorative journey through Albania, interweaving views of the capital Tirana and its inhabitants with old film clips, painting a picture of the political and cultural landscape. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Mark Cousins and producer Don Boyd.
Screening: The Palace
The Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw was a despised gift from Stalin and after the fall of communism, some suggested pulling it down. Director Tomasz Wolski takes us on a cinematic journey through what is more than just a building: The Palace of Culture and Science is both a reflection of Poland’s everyday life and its rich history.