Turn on, tune in, and drop in for the original video pirates live and on tape monthly in 2018 at RhizomeDC. Six special programs will take you on a wild ride through the utopian 1970s of counter-culture, political protest and activist movements, which totally relate in content to today’s activist resurgence. The series culminates in a crowd-sourced DC live-streamed spectacular. There will also be two location production workshops for all skill levels. 

First Program -  Friday January 19       ($10 requested donation)
7:30pm    Audience rehearsal & production meeting
 8-10pm    Program: "Here Come the Videofreex",  plus Q&A /discussion

This initial program features a  screening of the feature-length documentary “Here Come the Videofreex” (78 minutes, 1969-1978/2015), directed by Jon Nealon and Jenny Raskin, about this band of media activists in the utopian 1970s, followed by a Q&A and discusion with some of the original Videofreex members.

The VIDEOFREEX came together in the mud at the Woodstock Music Festival, built a multi-camera video studio when Soho NYC was a small artists’ community, then imoved to upstate NY, spreading the new egalitarian video medium like Johnny Appleseeds, and broadcasting from the nation's first Pirate TV station. It is a romantic tale of ten people’s optimism, activism and creativity, modeling their vision of what television could be, at a time when there were only three national TV networks that all looked the same and said the same things. The story of their real-life Don Quixote quest, living and working together, is told with restored original Videofreex early videotape footage, plus contemporary interviews of all the Freex. Attending the screening will be several members of the Videofreex including Skip Blumberg, Davidson Gigliotti & Rhea Morgenstern, who will also lead a Q&A & open discussion following the film. Please join us!
“ An illuminating and moving portrait of these largely unknown, intrepid renegade journalists.”  - Hollywood Reporter
 
Future programs in the series:
February 24:  Videofreex Pirate TV Show
March 16:       Black Panther Fred Hampton / Yippie Abbie Hoffman
April 20:        Videofreex Hard Rock Pot Party
May 4:           Mayday 1971 Raw
June 15:         LiveStream @ Rhizome