(2022, DCP, 91m) dir Sierra Pettengill. Welcome to Riotsville, a fictional town built by the US military. Using all archival footage, the film explores the militarization of the police and creates a counter-narrative to the nation’s reaction to the uprisings of the late ’60s.

This screening is presented by the Minnesota Socialist Rifle Association (MN SRA), a non-profit educational organization dedicated to equipping people of marginalized communities and the working class with the knowledge and skills to defend themselves and others; this includes training in the safe and responsible use of firearms, first aid, natural disaster readiness, and more. To learn more or to join, visit http://www.mnsra.org/

This is the first event in a MN SRA project called “Class Struggle Cinema”, which will present screenings of films and documentaries that offer radical perspectives on topics such as labor history, contemporary political movements, feminist & LGBTQ issues, anti-colonial resistance, and more.

Amidst the intensifying struggles against policing across the United States — especially against the construction of the “Cop City” urban warfare training facility in Atlanta — Riotsville, U.S.A. felt like a clear choice for the first screening. In stark clarity and with radical conviction, Riotsville not only equips viewers with the historical information to grasp the direct continuities between past and present struggles, but also helps to push back against the common narratives that are still deployed by the police and their allies to defang and discredit militant movements today.

Tickets are $10 in advance, or a sliding $5-$10 at the door. 

4:00