Le fond de l’air est rouge (1977), a documentary by the French filmmaker, writer, photographer, and media artist Chris Marker, takes an assessment of the political generation of May 1968. The film navigates through the debris of a militant and politically engaged way of living, filmmaking and thinking that had heralded the events of May 1968. Marker depicts the aftermath of the period of student revolts, general strikes and civil unrest aimed at social and moral change. After the fire of protest, Marker looks at a time trying to come to terms with the realisation that the revolution has “ended.” Through numerous perspectives, Marker examines the collective memory surrounding one of the most important political events of the twentieth century and allows hidden and forgotten images to speak again. Through a diverse array of archival materials, Marker dissects the mythology of May 1968, the history of the emancipation struggle, with its oscillations between hope and disillusionment, and of a global political generation. Marker creates a monument to progressive hope and highlights the extraordinary vitality of left-wing conviction, but he also has an eye for the forms of oppression and manipulation, such as in Vietnam, Cuba, or Chile, that are also part of that history.
Milestones is an ongoing series of stand-alone screenings, hosted by Sabzian, of film-history milestones, reference works or landmarks, films that focus on aesthetic or political issues and stimulate debate and reflection. For each screening, Sabzian publishes texts that contextualize the film.
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