Propaganda Shaping The Views of a Nation

Permanent Culture Now, Bristol Indymedia and Bristol Radical History Group are proud to present as part of the Bristol Radical Film Festival a presentation and series of films about how propaganda was used by the Establishment during the time of the Empire and Colonialism to persuade our own population of the greatness of the empire. The techniques and manipulation of information have a resonance for today as we constantly see propaganda techniques used to justify illegal wars and policy decisions.

Frances Gooding has been researching colonial film as part of the a wider project and he will present a series of rare films thathighlight the propaganda machine in action, he will explain film was manipulated to rewrite history, a charge that could these days be pointed at Hollywood movies (Pearl Harbour, Braveheart anyone). After viewing these films Francis will unpick the motivations for making them and explain how they were changed to fit the ruling class ideology of the day. This will be an essential event for anyone interested in how our views are shaped by the media we consume and how this is used by the powerful interests of society, i.e. the state and ruling class to put their view of the world onto the mass population.

The event will be followed by a Q&A where we will discuss the relevance of these propaganda techniques for the world we live in today.

http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/