 |
Join us for a film showing of "Bastards of Utopia" a film by Maple Razsa and Pacho Velez followed by Q & A and discussion with filmmaker Dr. Maple Razsa
Bastards of Utopia Synopsis:
Three Croatian activists struggle to change the world. As children, they lived through the violent collapse of Yugoslavia. But now, amid the aftershocks of socialism's failure, they fight in their own way for a new leftism. In the middle of the struggle, a skeptical American is won over by their cause and even goes to jail with them. The activists, whether clashing with police or squatting in an old factory, risk everything to live their politics. But as the setbacks mount, will they give up the fight?
The film, shot during years of fieldwork with a Croatian anarchist collective, applies EnMasseFilm's unique blend of observation, direct participation and critical reflection to this misunderstood political movement. Its portrayal of activism is both empathetic and unflinching—an engaged, elegant meditation on the struggle to re-imagine leftist politics and the power of a country's youth.
Dr. Maple Razsa is an anthropologist, activist and documentary filmaker. He is committed to using text, images and sound to embody the experiene and political imagination of contemporary social movements. Maple's work from Croatia, Mozambique, and the US has shown in such fora as the George Eastman House, the Harvard Film Archive, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and festivals from Taipei to Turin. As Assistant Professor of International Studies and Associate Director of the Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights, Razsa teaches on social movements, human right, politcal documentary, and postsocialism at Colby College.