This article is from the August issue of Total Politics
The Nazi Games
Politics, the Media And the Body
As London echoes with the sound of celebration from London 2012, the Wiener Library’s latest exhibition looks back to 1930s Germany. The collection includes a range of political propaganda from the run-up to the 1936 Berlin Games, including photographs, pamphlets and books. For two weeks in August, the Nazis covered up their racist and militant intentions in order to stage the perfect demonstration of their efficient and superior regime for the rest of the world. The exhibition sketches out the skill of the Nazis in manipulating public opinion through the media, and also details stories of those who attempted to resist the Nazis’ supremacist sporting ideal.
June to October at the Wiener Library
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
This documentary is the first feature-length film to give a detailed insight into the life of internationally renowned Chinese activist Ai Weiwei. Through art exhibitions and social media, Weiwei spreads word of his dissatisfaction with the political climate in China, calling for greater transparency. First-time director, producer and film-maker Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to the outspoken critic while working as a journalist in Beijing. Never Sorry documents everything, from Weiwei’s personal family relations to high-profile public clashes with the Chinese government. The documentary has already been awarded the US Documentary Special Jury Prize and been chosen to be shown at a number of film festivals this summer.
In selected cinemas from 10 August
The Rochdale Canal Festival
Over nine days this August, the Rochdale Canal will float a watered-down version of the River Pageant. The Rochdale Canal Festival celebrates life along Manchester’s famous canal, hosting a range of outdoor activities include fishing, kayaking and boat trips for all. Also featured will be an outdoor film screening, floating gardens, a range of eco-art from local artists, arts workshops, nature trails and heritage walks around the area. And at the height of festivities, revellers can enjoy the first-ever canal relay between runners, boaters, cyclists and canoeists. Events take place throughout the week between rural Sowerby Bridge and the heart of the city at Manchester’s Piccadilly Basin.
From 18 to 26 August in Manchester
Comments
Be the first to comment on this article!