A guerrilla film about a group of activists on the run, directed by three masters of documentary filmmaking who defeated the FBI. Russian premiere as part of the Collective Cinema Festival.
Underground
- Date:
- 20 Sep 2026,
16:00–17:40
- Age restrictions
- 18+
1976, Emile de Antonio, Mary Lampson, Haskell Wexler
United States
87 minutes, English with Russian subtitles
Documentary
T
Mid-1970s. America is bogged down in Vietnam, and the student anti-war movement has evolved into a full-scale resistance. At its forefront is the Weather Underground, a group of activists who have gone undercover to escape the FBI.
Still from Underground, 1976
What makes de Antonio’s work so compelling is not only the content of his films, but also the innovative and complex form in which he tells a story.
— Tamara L. Falicov, The Brooklyn Rail
The outstanding documentary filmmaker Émile de Antonio, editor Mary Lampson and cinematographer Haskell Wexler track down five fugitive ‘weathermen’ and make a film about people whose faces they cannot show.
The triumvirate of authors and the five protagonists are equally represented in the dialogue and on screen. This helps to elicit honest conversations about ethical questions, such as justification for radical action and the privileged background of the activists. When the film was completed, the FBI attempted to confiscate it and filed a lawsuit against its creators. De Antonio and his team won the case—and the defeat in Vietnam allowed the ‘weathermen’ to return to normal life.
