Black Film: Unscreened & Unstreamed, Orwell 2+2=5

George Orwell was one of the most radical and visionary authors of the 20th Century, whose 1940s novels, such as 1984 and Animal Farm, foretold a chilling, all-to-believable authoritarian future. Acclaimed director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro), working in collaboration with the Orwell Estate, seamlessly interweaves historical clips, readings from Orwell's diary, cinematic references, and dynamic modern day footage to craft not only a definitive portrait of the writer himself, but an entirely fresh take on how remarkably relevant and prophetic his work has become. Peck, who has his own personal connection to the material--as an 8-year-old he was forced to flee the Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti--doesn't just present the information but shows new ways of seeing it, drawing patterns and connections we might not otherwise realize. As terms like "Big Brother" and "Newspeak" become more prevalent and ominous with each passing day, Orwell: 2+2=5, featuring award-winning actor Damian Lewis as the voice of Orwell, provides a stirring depiction of the dangers of power and the fragility of so-called civilized society, told through the eyes of a man from the past who just might hold the key to the world's future.

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Host or Publisher Sarah Webster Fabio Center for Social Justice