Anthony, I appreciate your engagement with my FB post over the weekend (and being referred to as a "documentary industry veteran" ;-) ). We must not overlook that economic necessity could power an implicit boycott of US creatives. The administration's statements that came out initially at the Munich Security Conference, point to the costs the EU will be incurring to sustain Ukraine's war against Russia. In conjunction with tariffs and America's diminishing support for NATO, all will combine to cost the EU dearly. Support for their own creative communities must come first.
And in regard to Jeff Skoll, you left out the most shocking part of that article...the founder of Participant Media is now just another billionaire fluttering around the flame of this administration..."This month, Mr. Skoll, who has donated tens of millions to Democratic candidates and causes in recent years but said he did not vote in the 2024 presidential election, posted a photo on social media of himself standing with Mr. Trump backstage at the inauguration. On Friday, he had breakfast in Palm Beach, Fla., with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, where they discussed the prospect of Mr. Schumer’s using Mr. Skoll to back-channel ideas to the president, Mr. Skoll said." The spirit of Diane Weyermann must be in high dudgeon.
Bold, nimble, ruthless, and honest. I’m optimistic a bit of a renaissance will come from this time, but it’s disconcerting and surreal to see the mainstream already jump ahead to try and buddy up to/capitalize on the moment (see my latest piece “GO WOKE, GO BROKE”)—whether it be financially, culturally, or anything in between.
Yes, this is key: "But it is not enough to 'adjust' or 'adapt' to our current reality, because that will only inevitably lead to defeat, or a further withering of power. Resistance, arguably, is more important for their survival." Adjusting or adapting is fine for continuing to fight, but let's no preemptively capitulate. That will only let bullies know you are weak and they will take more, not less.
Defining how to resist effectively is the phase we must ramp up more quickly. Everyone standing around in shock that this is the new reality without a counter plan is capitulating.
Solid analysis, as always. One arguable antecedent to this era of terror is the 1950s--Jim Crow, McCarthyism, John Birch Society, et al. Subversion was in short supply, for sure, but it was there: on the cultural side, there was be-bop, abstract expressionism, the Beat Generation, rock'n'roll. And on the sociopolitical side, there was the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Little Rock Nine. All of these grassroots endeavors paved the way for a full-fledged apotheosis of democracy: the Civil Rights movements, anti-war demonstrations, the Voting Rights Act, and closer to home, the launching of the NEA, NEH, PBS and NPR. And on the cultural side, revolution informed just about every artistic discipline--including ours, with cinema verite.
It may seem a stretch to grasp at those flickers of hope from before our time, but Joe Brewster is right now, as those cultural heroes were then: Be bold or go home. Insistence, persistence, resistance: That's the three-pronged battle cry.
💯💥⚡️ we’ve been watching superhero movies long enough. It’s time to each figure out our own superpowers and counter-methods, then how to align them. I have spent a good deal of time in recent months analyzing movements, art, literary— they are all triggered by the formula we are seeing unfold. The playbooks exist.
Collaborate and Cooperate…don’t let the current admin divide us OR the liberals who also control the purse. In the end this is all a class war and every one of us in media is working class. I think even the professional middle managers are starting to feel left behind by the masters of capital.
Great commentary. As far as a boycott of US filmmakers go - I'm not sure that will happen, as the North American market is hugely important to the rest of the filmmaking world.
Anthony, I appreciate your engagement with my FB post over the weekend (and being referred to as a "documentary industry veteran" ;-) ). We must not overlook that economic necessity could power an implicit boycott of US creatives. The administration's statements that came out initially at the Munich Security Conference, point to the costs the EU will be incurring to sustain Ukraine's war against Russia. In conjunction with tariffs and America's diminishing support for NATO, all will combine to cost the EU dearly. Support for their own creative communities must come first.
And in regard to Jeff Skoll, you left out the most shocking part of that article...the founder of Participant Media is now just another billionaire fluttering around the flame of this administration..."This month, Mr. Skoll, who has donated tens of millions to Democratic candidates and causes in recent years but said he did not vote in the 2024 presidential election, posted a photo on social media of himself standing with Mr. Trump backstage at the inauguration. On Friday, he had breakfast in Palm Beach, Fla., with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, where they discussed the prospect of Mr. Schumer’s using Mr. Skoll to back-channel ideas to the president, Mr. Skoll said." The spirit of Diane Weyermann must be in high dudgeon.
🤦🏻♀️ saying it’s disheartening is an understatement.
Bold, nimble, ruthless, and honest. I’m optimistic a bit of a renaissance will come from this time, but it’s disconcerting and surreal to see the mainstream already jump ahead to try and buddy up to/capitalize on the moment (see my latest piece “GO WOKE, GO BROKE”)—whether it be financially, culturally, or anything in between.
We are actually due for a renaissance. It’s something I have been preaching for the last 6 years and if anything, I think this all accelerates it.
Yes, this is key: "But it is not enough to 'adjust' or 'adapt' to our current reality, because that will only inevitably lead to defeat, or a further withering of power. Resistance, arguably, is more important for their survival." Adjusting or adapting is fine for continuing to fight, but let's no preemptively capitulate. That will only let bullies know you are weak and they will take more, not less.
Defining how to resist effectively is the phase we must ramp up more quickly. Everyone standing around in shock that this is the new reality without a counter plan is capitulating.
Solid analysis, as always. One arguable antecedent to this era of terror is the 1950s--Jim Crow, McCarthyism, John Birch Society, et al. Subversion was in short supply, for sure, but it was there: on the cultural side, there was be-bop, abstract expressionism, the Beat Generation, rock'n'roll. And on the sociopolitical side, there was the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Little Rock Nine. All of these grassroots endeavors paved the way for a full-fledged apotheosis of democracy: the Civil Rights movements, anti-war demonstrations, the Voting Rights Act, and closer to home, the launching of the NEA, NEH, PBS and NPR. And on the cultural side, revolution informed just about every artistic discipline--including ours, with cinema verite.
It may seem a stretch to grasp at those flickers of hope from before our time, but Joe Brewster is right now, as those cultural heroes were then: Be bold or go home. Insistence, persistence, resistance: That's the three-pronged battle cry.
💯💥⚡️ we’ve been watching superhero movies long enough. It’s time to each figure out our own superpowers and counter-methods, then how to align them. I have spent a good deal of time in recent months analyzing movements, art, literary— they are all triggered by the formula we are seeing unfold. The playbooks exist.
Collaborate and Cooperate…don’t let the current admin divide us OR the liberals who also control the purse. In the end this is all a class war and every one of us in media is working class. I think even the professional middle managers are starting to feel left behind by the masters of capital.
Great commentary. As far as a boycott of US filmmakers go - I'm not sure that will happen, as the North American market is hugely important to the rest of the filmmaking world.