Artists' Television Access

Maggots and Men

Homo A Go Go Film Festival

Sunday, August 16, 2009, 5:00 pm

maggots and men

Maggots and Men, an experimental historical narrative set in post-revolutionary Russia, re-tells the story of the 1921 uprising of the Kronstadt sailors with a subtext of gender anarchy. A thoughtful homage to Soviet silent era directors and artists of the Russian avant-garde, the film explores themes of re-invention, revolution, community, and corruption. Directed By: Cary Cronenwett, USA, 2009

SYNOPSIS

The Kronstadt sailors had a long tradition as radicals and courageous fighters, beginning with the failed revolution of 1905 (the subject of Battleship Potemkin). Maggots and Men recounts some of the tragic and heroic events that occurred in March of 1921, when the Kronstadt sailors drafted a resolution that supported the factory workers on strike in nearby St. Petersburg. The Kronstadt sailorsÂ’ resolution unleashed a chain of events that culminated in a two-week long battle, which after heavy losses on both sides, ended with victory for the Bolsheviks.

The film documents the Provisional Revolutionary Committee as they transform, from cohesive to chaotic, as tensions rise in the weeks before battle. Scenes include the strikes in Saint Petersburg, community gardens on the island, life at the base during peacetime, the sailors presenting their resolution to an unwelcoming congress, and the two-week standoff between the sailors and the Red Army. Acknowledging a long tradition of homosexuality amongst sailors, the film has provocative sex scenes that evolve organically out of teamwork in close quarters.

Info: http://www.homoagogo.com/


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