Spring Film Series: The Power of Nightmares

Wednesday and Thursday, May 24th and 25th at 8pm

The Summer Film Series at New Art Across the Bridge continues with one of the most acclaimed documentaries of the decade, Adam Curtis’ The Power of Nightmares. The three-hour documentary will be shown over two nights, starting at 8pm each night. Part One will be screened on Wednesday, May 24th and Parts Two and Three will be on Thursday, May 25th.

This three-part BBC documentary is arguably the most important film about the “war on terrorism” since the events of September 11. It explores the origins in the 1940s and 50s of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Middle East and Neoconservatism in America, parallels between these movements, and their effect on the world today. It argues that the idea that we are threatened by a hidden and organized terrorist network is an illusion that politicians have used to restore their power and authority in a disillusioned age.

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote: “Adam Curtis has become the most exciting documentary filmmaker of our time. He’s at once a psychologist, a historian, a journalist, a wizard of images, and a fearlessly incisive cultural detective who delves beneath the hidden myths of the modern world.” Peter Bergen of The Nation described Curtis’ film: “More intellectually engaging, more historically probing, and more provocative than any of its rivals” (The Nation)

Individual tickets are $4 on sale at the door, and $2 for Virginia Film Society members. Students of Light House Studio will be admitted free. Tickets purchased on May 24th include admission to both screenings.

The Summer Film Series at New Art Across the Bridge is a collaboration of The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative and the Virginia Film Society. The unique films in the series provide a perfect blend of the political, the personal, and the experimental to liven up the summer arts scene.