Emile de Antonio’s In the Year of the Pig (1968)

Floor Three, Susan and John Hess Family Theater

Directed by Emile de Antonio (1919–1989), 16mm, b/w, 103 minutes. The screening will be introduced by filmmaker Iva Radivojevic, director of the documentary Evaporating Borders (2014), which dissects the experience of asylum seekers in Cyprus. 

Regarded as Emile de Antonio's best—and most politically effective—work, In the Year of the Pig (1968) was also at the vanguard of American documentaries arguing unequivocally against U.S. policy in Vietnam. The provocatively titled documentary is as much a cool, intellectual work of cinematic art as it is a hot piece of agit-prop. In making a film that conveyed the historical background of the war in Vietnam while also compelling people to turn against American military involvement, de Antonio brough together massive film documentation and daring cinematic form. Film critic Pauline Kael's review brought de Antonio to public attention. "Taking footage from all over," she wrote, "he has made a strong film that does what American television has failed to do."

This three-day screening series highlights the films of Emile de Antonio, one of the most important political filmmakers in the United States during the Cold War. The program is co-organized by Donna De Salvo, Deputy Director for International Initiatives and Senior Curator, and Laura Poitras as part of a series of public events, lectures, and talks organized in tandem with ​Laura Poitras: Astro Noise​. All notes and descriptions are adapted from Anthology Film Archives program notes, written by Dan Streible, co-editor of Emile de Antonio: A Reader.

Tickets are required ($10 adults, $8 members, students, and seniors). Capacity is limited; visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.