Big Brother will be watching over patrons Tuesday at The Athena Cinema.
The Athena, 20 S. Court St., will screen 1984 at 9:15 p.m. as a special event for the Athens International Film and Video Festival. The film is free for students, $5.50 for senior citizens and $6.50 for adults.
John Hurt stars as Winston Smith, a man whose job is to rewrite history for Oceania. When he starts to fall in love with a woman named Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), the government, referred to as Big Brother, tries to take the two down.
The film was adapted from George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel of the same name.
Art house theaters across the nation and a handful of theaters internationally will all screen the film to support the National Endowment for the Arts and fight President Donald Trump’s plans to cut funding from the program. Tuesday was chosen as the screening day because April 4 is the day the main character in the novel started rebelling against Big Brother.
The Athena is part of the Art House Convergence, Alexandra Kamody, the director of the Athena, said. The group has conducted a few different initiatives to draw attention to national problems and extended an offer for art house theaters to participate, she added.
The reason for showing 1984 is to show how Orwell’s world relates to current problems today, Kamody said.
In a pre and post-screening taped interview, the director of 1984, Michael Radford, will talk about the film's relevance and the film's production.
“I think that (the film) will definitely be a good chance for people to start a conversation,” Kamody said. “I definitely expect to see some of our audience talking in the lobby or going out for a drink afterwards, so we just hope it creates a dialogue.”
Cecilia Ellis, a senior studying English and women’s gender and sexuality studies, is interested in the event and said it is important because “people have to be aware of social issues and their government.”
Ellis hopes the screening will spark discussion among people and that it will make them reflect more.
“I think anything that makes people think more about where the world is going is important,” she said.
David Boesche, a junior studying philosophy and communication, is interested in attending the event because it shows how propaganda consumption relates to today’s society.
“I think it’s important in all day and ages. I think people disagree vehemently with this administration,” he said. “In the end, it’s your job to recognize that all forms of authority claim to present the truths of the matter to you and you need to recognize what their intentions are.”
