Chris Hedges, who is featured prominently in the documentary ‘Corporate Coup d’État,’ cartoonist Mr. Fish, and writer/director Joel Balkan are Tom Needham’s special guests this Thursday at 6 pm on WUSB’s SOUNDS OF FILM.
‘Corporate Coup d’État’ is an investigative documentary directed by Fred Peabody that exposes how corporations and billionaires have taken control of the American political process, and in doing so have brought economic hardship and ruin to many areas of the country. The film combines insights from political thinkers and journalists with the experiences of citizens in the “sacrifice zones” of Camden, NJ and Youngstown, OH, where factory closures and outsourcing have caused a great deal of human suffering.
‘The Corporate Coup d’État’ shows how our democracy first began selling its soul to big corporations, which opened the door for lobbyists and business-friendly politicians to take control in Washington and undermine the will of the people. The film features Chris Hedges, Cornel West, John Ralston Saul and Matt Taibbi.
Chris Hedges is a ‘Truthdig’ columnist, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, the host of ‘On Contact,’ and a New York Times best-selling author of many books including “Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt,” “Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt,” “Death of the Liberal Class,” “Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle,” “I Don’t Believe in Atheists” and his latest book, “America: The Farewell Tour.”
The documentary, ‘Mr. Fish: Cartooning From the Deep End,’ tells the story of Mr. Fish, a dangerously funny cartoonist struggling to make a living in a field that is disappearing. The film shows an uncompromising Mr. Fish who is unwilling to sell-out by making his work less offensive to various publications’ readers. The documentary, directed by Pablo Bryant, recently won the Grand Jury Award at the Slamdance Film Festival.
Mr. Fish’s work has appeared in many of the nation’s most prestigious magazines, journals and newspapers including ‘Harpers,’ ‘The Los Angeles Times,’ ‘The Village Voice’ and ‘Vanity Fair.’ He has published two novels, two collections of short fiction and cultural criticism, and wrote two screenplays. He has also written, scored and designed the animation for three original television series.
THE CORPORATION is an award-winning documentary that explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time. The film is based on the book ‘The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power’ by Joel Bakan. The movie features Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Milton Friedman, Howard Zinn, and Michael Moore.
Joel Balkan is an author, filmmaker and a professor of law at the University of British Columbia. His work examines the social, economic, and political dimensions of law. He has published in leading legal and social Science journals, as well as in the popular press.
THE SOUNDS OF FILM is the nation’s longest running film and music themed radio show. For the past 30 years, the program has delivered a popular mix of interviews and music to listeners all over Long Island, parts of Connecticut and streaming worldwide live on the internet. Past people interviewed for the show include Billy Joel, Alec Baldwin, Dionne Warwick, Chuck D, Laurie Anderson, Whit Stillman and Noah Baumbach.
