New York City Film Showing: "Burn!"

New York City Film Showing: "Burn!"
A classic film on the anti-colonial struggle

Friday, Nov. 23, 7pm
2295 Adam Clayton Powell (at 135th St.)
2/3 or C/B to 135th street
$7 donation suggested.

“Burn!” (1969) is a classic film about the struggle against colonialism and slavery. Loosely based on the events of the Haitian Revolution, Marlon Brando stars as a British agent, Sir William Walker sent to the island of Queimada (a fictional Portuguese colony in the Caribbean) in order to organize an uprising of slaves to overthrow the Portuguese regime. Great Britain wants to get economic control of the island because it is an important sugar cane producer.

José Dolores -- a former slave -- becomes the leader of the rebellion, and the Portuguese regime is overthrown, but British interests establish a corrupt puppet government. Slavery has been formally ended, but the former slaves are forced to continue to work in the sugar cane plantations in even worse conditions than before.

In short order, Dolores and the former slaves realize that they must wage another struggle against their new British oppressors. The film, created at the peak of the Vietnam war, revealed that a people -- oppressed and occupied by imperial powers -- will always resist.

Get involved! Contact 212-694-8720 or [email protected]


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