MEDIUM COOL
by Haskell Wexler. 1969. 111 min.
The "cooler" the medium, "the more someone has to uncover and engage in the media" in order to "fill in the blanks." This film questions the role and responsibilities of television and its newscasts through a news reporter who finds himself becoming personally involved in the violence that erupts around the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Shot at a time of great social and political counterculture upheaval in the United States, Wexler's film reflects the conflicted nature of a country divided by issues of race, gender, poverty, crime, and war. This is verite filmmaking at its finest: mixing scripted and documentary techniques to present the enduring issues that we still face today, 50 years late.
Presented by Alan Sklar of THERE WERE ALWAYS DOGS NEVER KIDS.
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RFF is proud to be sponsored by Blundstone®, Istic Illic Pictures, and NYC Ferry. Rockaway Film Festival made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Rockaway Film Festival is funded in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Art, and by the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by Flushing Town Hall. RFF receives additional support from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.