by FIlmInk Staff
Cinema Nova will host an expert panel including Biden-Harris White House Associate & Political Analyst Cory Alpert; producer & journalist Tom Gannon; and co-founder of global education startup HEX Jaclyn Benstead, following a screening of the 1997 comedy classic WAG THE DOG this Sunday.
History doesn’t repeat itself. But it certainly rhymes.
Listed among the best political films of all time and nominated for two Academy Awards, Barry Levinson’s WAG THE DOG is a satirical comedy starring Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, with support by Anne Hache, Woody Harrelson and Willy Nelson.
If you’re worried, or curious, or interested in what’s happening around the world right now – and how distractions and stories play a role in global politics – visit Cinema Nova this Sunday, May 10 at 6pm for a rare screening of director Barry Levinson’s comedy WAG THE DOG. To be followed by a conversation hosted by Cinema Nova CEO Kristian Connelly – a self-confessed ‘super-fan’ of the film – the session will discuss its poignant relevancy in today’s political climate.
“We’re all trying to make sense of what’s happening in Washington these days. We have a ‘reality show’ President working overtime to distract all of us. WAG THE DOG is a terrifically entertaining movie that deserves more attention as history starts to repeat itself”, says Biden-Harris White House Associate and screening panelist, Cory Alpert.
The story of a Washington political ‘fixer’ (DeNiro) who collaborates with a Hollywood producer (Hoffman) to create the illusion of global conflict to distract from a sex-scandal that threatens a sitting President’s reelection chances, WAG THE DOG is based on a novel by Larry Beinhart. Adapted by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet, it’s 1997 cinema release pre-empted a sex scandal involving then President Bill Clinton by only a matter of weeks.
“Detailing the shadowy workings of how an administration might create a national movement through symbols and press manipulation prior to the internet revolution, Levinson’s film is packed with prescient moments that ring-true almost thirty years later. Discussing it with panelists who have worked either side of the press-pack promises to be both enlightening and frightening”, says Cinema Nova CEO Kristian Connelly.
WAG THE DOG is “a vitriolic comedy/satire that venomously assesses the lack of morality in the modern media and politics” says Film-Authority film journalist, Eddie Harrison.
The session will screen this Sunday May 10th at 6.00pm at Cinema Nova, Carlton. Tickets are available from the cinema’s website.
