A quarterly series on the visibility of white racism, white privilege and unacknowledged white cultures in documentary and fiction film.

October 2011 programming for I See White People has been postponed - check back in early 2012 for more information.

Box office open for advance ticket purchases Mon-Fri 12-6 & from 1 hour before until the end of all events. During these hours, knock on the window if door is locked.

ego trip Presents:

White Dog
Dir. Samuel Fuller, 1982, 90 min.
Village Voice film critic Jay Hoberman's "Voice Choice": "Filmed in headlines, framed as allegory, Sam Fuller’s last great movie combines hard-boiled sentimentality and hysterical violence, sometimes in the same take" 'White Dog' (1/12/2011)>
Samuel Fuller’s White Dog, part exploitation flick, part uncompromising anti-racist parable, is the story of a young actress (Julie), played by "Teen Beat" generation star Kristy McNichol, who adopts a true "white dog." In White Dog, this actual white-furred dog has been trained to attack and kill black people, forcing Julie to choose between putting the dog down or trying to "cure" the animal of its savage racism -- if that is even possible. The screenplay is loosely based on the non-fiction novel "White Dog" by Romain Gary, which is in turn based on real life experiences that Romain and his wife, the late actress Jean Seberg (Godard’s Breathless), endured when they unwittingly adopted a "white dog" in Alabama in the late 60s. As film critic Armond White pointed out in his essay for Criterion, White Dog was shelved almost 10 years before its U.S theatrical release because "No movie is ahead of its time, just ahead of cultural gatekeepers."

AFTER THE January 21st SCREENING: Panel Discussion with Hip Hop collective Ego Trip, with Sugar Hill Ale reception to follow.

How the Irish Became White!

Frederick Douglass and the White Negro
Dir. John J Doherty, 2008, 52 min.
Frederick Douglass and the White Negro tells the story of this 19th century race man and his escape from slavery, leading to refuge in Ireland on the eve of the Great Famine. The film focuses on the powerful influence Ireland had on him as a young man. It also explores the turbulent relationship between African Americans and Irish Americans in general. The relationship is exposed as a complex and tragic sequence of events culminating in the bloodiest riot in American history. This transatlantic story covers the race issue and is as relevant today as it was when Douglass escaped to Ireland.

The San Patricios: The Tragic Story of the St. Patrick's Battalion
Dir. Mark R. Day, 1996, 48 min.
This film investigates the historic U.S.-Mexican War, the desertion of five hundred immigrant soldiers (mostly Irish) from the American army to the Mexican side, and the way historians view this event today. The deserters, who made up St. Patrick's Battalion, are considered traitors in the States, and heroes in Mexico. This documentary tells the complex story and invites viewers to come to their own conclusion about the Irish-American soldiers who changed their name from St. Patrick's Battalion to St. Patricios, and who switched their allegiance overnight.

*SATURDAY: Post Screening Q&A with Sandy Boyer and Kevin Keating

Sandy Boyer is the co-host and producer of WBAI’s Radio Free Eireann which covers the Irish freedom struggle from an Irish republican point of view. Radio Free Eireann also uses the Irish experience to relate to various liberation struggles around the world. Sandy Boyer has led campaigns to free Irish political prisoners including the Guildford 4, Birmingham 6, and Roisin McAliskey. He has taught Irish history at the Irish Arts Center and lectured on Irish politics and history at numerous colleges and universities and contributed articles on the Irish struggle to publications in Ireland and the US including New Politics, The Irish People, Fortnight, Fourthwrite and The Blanket.

Kevin Keating is the director of the documentary Giuliani Time, and did cinematography for When We Were Kings and Harlan County,U.S.A. He is developing a narrative film project about the Patricios titled "Turncoats."

July 27th
7:30 pm