Projectile 2008 - Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

Irrepressible and unstoppable, Projectile returns for the 4th annual festival of anarchist film, culture and politics. As a revolutionary bonus, Projectile 2008 will run for four days over the Bank Holiday Weekend May 23-26. What is Projectile?

Projectile is a major political and cultural event in the anarchist calendar. Now in its fourth year it promises to be bigger and better than ever. Why Projectile?

In a world being consumed by an economic system that lines the pockets of rich and powerful elites, propped up and perpetuated by governments whether they be western liberal, dynastic, religious, or state 'socialist' dictatorships, most of us have pondered how this deeply polarised situation has come to pass and what ways of escape are open to us.

For sure it's a mighty tough nut to crack, and a question that is as old as the hills. But anarchism is an ideal with its emphasis, not as is often misunderstood, on chaos or snot filled punk nihilism, but on fundamental changes in society from the grass roots up, where both rank and file and community make real democratic choices about how they work and how they live. Where people are liberated from poverty on the one hand and from working themselves into the ground for some greedy sod on the other.

Anarchism isn't just about dreams and 'what ifs'. Anarchists have always been there whether its fighting against 'State' Communism, Fascism or Capitalism, and have in some places for a short amount of time created something that has come close to a truly free and democratic society.

Projectile hopes to shed light on these ideas, struggles and histories, and go a little way to liberate anarchism in the UK from its current sub-cultural stale confines and impotent ideologues, and bring it out into the light of the day, as a set of ideas and actions that come tantalisingly close to what is needed if we are to achieve an equitable planet.

This year’s highlights include a webcast with Noam Chomsky, a talk by Newsnight's Paul Mason plus three frenetic gigs/cabaret nights to test your stamina! Check out our full program, this year rocks!

The Line Up!

This is the final(ish) line up for Projectile 2008 - running for 4 days this year. Go to our website for more detail on all films and talks + accommodation and sign-up for festival newsletter. Still putting up the odd item on the site, so try again in a day or two if the thing you are looking for isn't there

FRIDAY MAY 23RD

5.30 PM - Registration opens at the Star and Shadow. Call in, get your pass, have something to eat and drink

Projectile 2008 opens with a question and answer session guaranteed to inspire and energise for you a weekend of rabble-rousing and intellectual debate. Noam Chomsky is professor of modern languages and linguistics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his work in linguistics is recognised as internationally significant. He is also a self-professed libertarian socialist and outspoken opponent of capitalism. [Held at the University of Northumbria, City Campus - see our website for directions: www.projectile.org.uk

SATURDAY MAY 24TH

SUNDAY MAY 25TH

MONDAY 26TH MAY

11.00 AM - Porto Marghera: the last firebrands (52 minutes)
11.00 AM - Fighting the Fash 1 - An Introduction
1.00 PM - Matewan (135 minutes)
1.00 PM - Fighting the Fash 2 - A Workshop