Film & Documentary
April 29, 2022 • View in browser
The Fake Town Where Police Trained to Suppress Protests
Hyperallergic talks to director Sierra Pettengill about her documentary Riotsville, USA, which finds the roots of modern policing techniques in the 1960s. | Dan Schindel
In 1968, the military opened “Riotsville,” a model town built as a staging ground for simulated uprisings. There, soldiers and police officers would be trained in anti-riot tactics.
In the voluminous footage captured by the government and newscasters, we see authorities develop the kind of viciousness still implemented against protestors today. This footage forms the basis for Riotsville, USA, a sobering new documentary from director Sierra Pettengill.
Over 40 Years Later, The Wobblies Is as Relevant as Ever
The 1979 documentary, recently restored and now returning to theaters, is a vital record of the early years of the Industrial Workers of the World. | Dan Schindel
At the time, the documentary was reclaiming labor history that the government and industry had studiously worked to erase. In the modern day, the resources of the internet have made such information control more difficult, but the history and importance of the IWW are still either buried or drowned out with noise. As a result, over 40 years after it originally came out, The Wobblies can still serve precisely the same function it used to.
How Do We Know What’s Real in the Era of the Deepfake?
The Museum of the Moving Image show Deepfake: Unstable Evidence on Screen tries to help visitors equip themselves to discern real images from fake ones. | Eliza Levinson
The Breezy Bisexuality of Anaïs in Love
Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s directorial debut offers a twist of zest to the tired tale of a vivacious young woman pursuing romance with an older man. | Eileen G’Sell
A Film Follows Wayward Lovers in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris
Drawing on several short stories by graphic novelist Adrian Tomine, the film pins down many of the odder elements of contemporary dating. | Dan Schindel
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