This Wednesday, pop in to Wendy’s Subway, non-profit reading and writing space, to watch “Z,” a classic of international cinema which echoes a political discontent we are still feeling nearly 50 years after “Z”‘s release.
The screening is part of a series “that feature[s] populations behaving badly: owning their stories, owning themselves, disidentifying, and generally fucking with the mold.”
Series organizer Kevin Cassem says, “Thus far the films we have chosen are striking visual works that cover an immense array of socio-political issues including racism, sexism, classism, growing up, diaspora, and identity. Through watching films in a relaxed environment, we hope to create a space to talk not only about the work, but also about issues endemic in the US.”
“Z” is a 1969 political thriller with a dark sense of humor based on the 1963 assassination of Grigoris Lambrakis in Greece. The film is first of only a handful of movies to be nominated for an Oscar in both the Beat Foreign Language Film category and the Best Picture category. Roger Ebert, possibly the most famous film critic of all time, crowned it the best film of 1969.
Wendy’s Subway used to be located off of the Graham L and relocated earlier this year to the corner of Bushwick and Moore Avenues where they’re planning “more intentional programming and intimate events,” managing board member Rachel Valinsky told Bedford and Bowery back in June.
Part of that intentional programming, Cassem adds, will be a “residency program launching this fall. [W]e invite organizations and persons to join this dynamic to present questions and projects in our space.”
The screening of “Z” starts at 8 p.m. and will be followed by a discussion.