Communism dominated foreign policy in the U.S. in the second half of the 20th century until the end of the Cold War. Today, it is still a dark shadow over the world — from the economic and military challenges the behemoth of communist China represents, to bankrupt Cuba only 90 miles from U.S. shores. And the Democratic Socialists of America, which has influential elements within it that are clearly communist-adjacent, will, after the November elections, have a network of mayors governing cities from Washington, D.C., and New York to Providence, R.I.
So it’s appropriate that just days after CCP leader Xi Jinping arrives next week for a summit meeting with President Trump that there will be a film festival from October 1-4 in Washington, D.C., reminding us of the dangers of communism.
The festival is the brainchild of Mark Judge, a journalist, who has partnered with the Victims of Communism Museum and the Moving Picture Institute to hold a four-day feast showcasing the best of anti-communist films. Seats are available here.
The festival will feature six films. Red Dawn, the 1984 saga of Colorado teenagers battling a Cuban takeover of their town after the U.S. is invaded, will be there. So too will The Lives of Others, the winner of a Best Foreign Language Film award for its heart-wrenching depiction of the East German police state. A comedy entry will be the offbeat Hail Caesar!, a rollicking Coen Brothers depiction of how there really were communist spies in Hollywood during the 1950s — contrary to progressive myth.
Judge says he hopes that the festival rekindles interest from scholars and creative types on how they collaborate on future films in the anti-communist genre. He also wants to attract young people who will find arguments on how they can inoculate their peers from becoming DSA drones. Escapees from present-day socialist hellholes such as Cuba, Nicaragua, and Belarus will be at the festival.
I also plan to be there. It’s important that we honor and promote films that challenge and refute the many Hollywood products that have whitewashed communism — from Woody Allen’s The Front to Warren Beatty’s Reds to Bryan Cranston’s Trumbo. The counterprogramming at next month’s Anti-Communist Film Festival will feature great acting, top-notch production values, and, of course, the clear moral high ground.