Screening of "Swing Kids"

Friday, August 15, 7:30 pm
1924 Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists’ Hall
Cedar (@ Bonita), Berkeley

Kids all over the world want to rebel, and close friends Peter Muller (Robert Sean Leonard) and Thomas Berger (Christian Bale), although they're growing up in Nazi Germany, are no different. Their rebellion against conformity took the form of listening and dancing to banned American swing music. As this musical genre was dominated by Jewish and African-American composers, it was of course defined as “degenerate” by the Nazis. But when an innocent prank forces Peter and Thomas into the Hitler Youth, their friendship and their mutual sense of right and wrong are put to the test. The film pits youthful camaraderie against the seductiveness of populist fascism. The well-choreographed dance sequences are very popular with swing dance enthusiasts, and probably contributed to the swing dance revival in the ‘90s.

Presented by BFUU Social Justice Ctee’s Conscientious Projector Film Series
Wheelchair accessible, donations welcomed for our on-going social justice work
http://www.bfuu.org

Phone contact: 510-528-5403 or 510-495-5132