Film and Director's Intro, "Predictions of Fire"

Michael Benson's
"Predictions of Fire"

(90 minutes, 16mm film)
Tuesday, September 28, 6-8:30pm
with opening remarks by Michael Benson

"In the early 1980's, an industrial band named Laibach emerged from the tiny Yugoslav republic of Slovenia. Laibach was soon joined by a painting group, Irwin, and a theater group, Red Pilot. Modeled after a socialist state bureaucracy and calling themselves, collectively, NSK (New Slovenian Arts), these three groups became part of a microstate within the newly independent Slovenia. NSK recently began issuing its own passports.

"Predictions of Fire" documents the activities of NSK as a uniquely controversial arts collective, positioning its work within the broader political context of former Yugoslavia. An extremely rich tapestry of historical events and their mythic implications in both art and politics unfolds onscreen, switching back and forth between the past and present of a region dominated by many regimes over the past century."-Emanuel Levy, Variety

"Predictions of Fire" won several Best Documentary awards at international film festivals, including the National Film Board of Canada's Best Documentary Feature Award at the 1996 Vancouver International Film Festival. The jury issued the statement: "Predictions of Fire is intellectual dynamite. It explodes the icons and myths of communism and capitalism. Out of the shattered history of Slovenia, this film constructs a new way of looking at art, politics, and religion." The film premiered at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival (US) and the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival (Europe). It saw US theatrical distribution across the US and enjoyed a theatrical run at NYC's prestigious Film Forum cinema.