TUESDAY, APRIL 4 AT 7:30PM | FREE ADMISSION at Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd.

Presented by the University of Arizona Department of English and The Loft Cinema.

“A dystopian, futuristic society trapped in a state of perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance and public manipulation.    A tyrannical political leader known as “Big Brother.”  An average citizen who dreams of rebellion.

Join us for a special free screening of the classic film version of George Orwell’s chillingly prophetic novel, 1984, starring John Hurt and Richard Burton. The screening date of April 4 is also the day Orwell’s protagonist Winston Smith begins rebelling against his oppressive government by keeping a forbidden diary. Over 90 independent cinemas in the U.S. will be banding together to screen 1984 on April 4.

Following the film will be a talkback and panel discussion on the novel’s relevancy to our current political climate, featuring Christopher Cokinos, UA Department of English; Marcia Klotz, UA Department of English; and Bradley Schauer, UA School of Theatre, Film and Television.

Come early to meet representatives from local organizations doing important work in our community at an outdoor Activist Fair, starting at 6:00pm and presented by The Loft Cinema.   Groups scheduled to appear include ACLU of Arizona; Colibri Center for Human Rights; Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona; Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation; Tucson Audubon Society; and YWCA Tucson.  Copies of Orwell’s novel will also be available for sale at this event, courtesy of local independent bookstore, Mostly Books.

This stunning screen adaptation of George Orwell’s prophetic 1948 novel envisions a world in which the government completely controls the masses by controlling their thoughts, altering history and even changing the meaning of words to suit its needs. The film is set during April of 1984 in post-atomic war London, the capital city of the repressive totalitarian state of Oceania. Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government bureaucrat whose job is rewriting history and erasing people from existence. While his co-worker Parsons (Gregor Fisher) seems content to follow the state’s laws, Winston starts to write in a secret diary despite the fact the Big Brother is watching everyone at all times by way of monitors. He silently suffers and tries to comprehend his oppression, which forbids individual human behaviors such as free thinking and sex. He meets Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), who works for the Ministry of Truth, and they engage in a stoic love affair. They are soon found out, and Winston is interrogated and tortured by his former friend O’Brien (Richard Burton in his final film appearance). This second adaptation of Orwell’s classic novel (the first was released in 1956) was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Michael Radford (Il Postino: The Postman). (Dir. by Michael Radford, 1984, UK, 113 mins., Rated R)”

Special thanks to our community partners:

ACLU (local website/national website)

Colibri Center for Human Rights

Planned Parenthood (local website/national website)

Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation

YWCA Tucson

Tucson Audubon Society