A 'Scathing Blast at Commie Tactics': Update on the Anti-Communist Film Festival

    Night People is a mesmerizing movie. Released in 1954, it was described by the Hollywood Reporter as “a gripping, hard-hitting melodrama of the Cold War as it is raging in Berlin” that “may well be rated the best CinemaScope film yet produced.” Critic Milton Luban added that Night People, starring Gregory Peck, “is the sort of film that should be seen by the American people for the sake of a fuller understanding of the nightmarish world that exists in zoned Berlin, with the Russians, working hand-in-hand with the Nazis, creating a reign of horror that will seem unbelievable to those of us who get only the surface news through impersonally casual headlines.”

    Night People is a film I’d like to screen at the Anti-Communist Film Festival. Since I announced plans to organize such a festival a few weeks ago, the response has been strong. I have heard from friends, colleagues, actors, and directors, all expressing enthusiasm for the idea -- not just as a one-time event, but as an annual gathering. For the past 100 years, leftists in the government, media, and especially Hollywood have been lying to the public. Alger Hiss lied about being a communist spy. The New York Times lied about the evil of the Soviet Union. Hollywood blamed America and Senator Joe McCarthy for pointing out that there were communists in the government who wanted to destroy us. In recent years, Hollywood has lied about socialism, human sexuality, basically everything.

    All of this has conservatives in a tough spot. Conservatives believe in free speech. We don’t want to stop any leftist from writing anything or making a movie. However, the left took over most communications platforms and dominated them, mostly through sheer economic power. Conservatives were left playing catch-up. Every once in a while, we could make a movie, but it just couldn’t stand up to the incoming tide of liberal propaganda. Even if our movies, books, and podcasts were successful, liberals tried to censor us.

    As a lifelong movie fan who goes to a lot of film festivals, it hit me: We don’t necessarily have to spend tens of millions of dollars on making movies. Some of the best pro-freedom films have already been made. Films like Night People, My Son John, and The Lives of Others. Why not have an Anti-Communist Film Festival? It could be a powerful annual celebration with receptions and speakers. It’s a fun and cost-effective way to get the truth out there. 

    People have responded with cheers. For the past several weeks, I have been in talks with several theaters in the Washington, D.C. area. One of them got on board immediately, with the owner expressing admiration for the “great idea” of the festival. The theater is a beautifully restored Art Deco gem that features not only comfortable theater seats in the back and a large floor up front with dining tables. It’s a perfect spot. It’s also not cheap, as you would imagine for taking over such a space for three days or more. The owner expressed delight when I told him that I had worked in the same theater as a college student in the 1980s. I saw all the Reagan-era classics there: Top Gun, Back to School, Beverly Hills Cop.

    I am also in talks with organizations and corporations about sponsorships. There are conservative groups that could easily make this happen, but also some liberal ones. As a friend of mine who is a filmmaker noted, during the Cold War, there were in fact liberal anti-communists. I have also been in touch with some Hollywood actors and directors. They are excited about the idea. While I have a list of ten films I would like to show, the list - unlike my sexuality - is somewhat fluid. People are free to make suggestions and add their own favorites. 

    I am hoping to hold the festival in the fall of 2026. That leaves time for planning, reaching out, fundraising, and maybe even hiring a part-time assistant. Anyone who has attended a film festival knows that one person can’t do everything. This idea was met with such enthusiasm that I quickly realized that it was much bigger than me. This is the freedom-loving people speaking.

    In his original review of Night People, The Hollywood Reporter’s Milton Luban offered high praise: “The best tribute to this scathing blast at commie tactics is that one so gratefully breathes the free air upon leaving the projection room.” Amen.