Freedom Of The Screen

At the turn of the twentieth century, the proliferation of movies attracted not only the attention of audiences across America but also the apprehensive eyes of government officials and special interest groups concerned about the messages disseminated by the silver screen. Between 1907 and 1926, seven states—New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Kansas, Maryland, and Massachusetts—and more than one hundred cities authorized censors to suppress all images and messages considered inappropriate for American audiences. Movie studios, hoping to avoid problems with state censors, worrying that censorship might be extended to the federal level, and facing increased pressure from religious groups, also jumped into the censoring business, restraining content through the adoption of the self-censoring Production Code, also known as the Hays code.But some industry outsiders, independent distributors who believed that movies deserved the free speech protections of the First Amendment, brought legal challenges to censorship at the state and local levels. Freedom of the Screen chronicles both the evolution of judicial attitudes toward film restriction and the plight of the individuals who fought for the right to deliver provocative and relevant movies to American audiences. The path to cinematic freedom was marked with both achievements and roadblocks, from the establishment of the Production Code Administration, which effectively eradicated political films after 1934, to the landmark cases over films such as The Miracle (1948), La ronde (1950), and Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1955) that paved the way for increased freedom of expression. As the fight against censorship progressed case by case through state courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, legal authorities and the public responded, growing increasingly sympathetic toward artistic freedom. Because a small, unorganized group of independent film distributors and exhibitors in mid-twentieth-century America fought back against what they believed was the unconstitutional prior restraint of motion pictures, film after 1965 was able to follow a new path, maturing into an artistic medium for the communication of ideas, however controversial. Government censors would no longer control the content of America’s movie screens. Laura Wittern-Keller’s use of previously unexplored archival material and interviews with key figures earned her the researcher of the year award from the New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Archives Partnership Trust. Her exhaustive work is the first to discuss more than five decades of film censorship battles that rose from state and local courtrooms to become issues of national debate and significance. A compendium of judicial action in the film industry, Freedom of the Screen is a tribute to those who fought for the constitutional right of free expression and paved the way for the variety of films that appear in cinemas today.

Ryan and Rowan narrowly escaped United Earth Systems "justice" at the Switchboard Station. Together with their new crew, now they must take relief supplies and personnel to the place of Ryan's nightmares, Murack Five. While tensions run high and secrets abound with the crew and passengers, the entire operation is plagued with issues that seem like more than bureaucratic red tape, and could threaten their safety. Back in Sun Valley, Gunther continues recruiting cloned e-entertainers toward winning their freedom. The focus group for the show based on Ryan and Rowan's escape leaves the set region to find their lives turned upside down. When tragedy strikes, leader Medwin's pain and anger hardens into resolve, and he starts to think that playing within the system isn't as effective as taking out his vengeance personally. Decades of scheming have brought CEO Michael Strongbow's plans to fruition, but will it be enough to free clones and grant them equal rights? On two sides of the galaxy, the battle for freedom wages on. The freedom to love, to live, to know the truth, protect those close, and make one's own choices defines every moment of every life. Perhaps the only way anyone can be free is in stories.

The contributors to Nervous Systems reassess contemporary artists' and critics' engagement with social, political, biological, and other systems as a set of complex and relational parts: an approach commonly known as systems thinking. Demonstrating the continuing relevance of systems aesthetics within contemporary art, the contributors highlight the ways that artists adopt systems thinking to address political, social, and ecological anxieties. They cover a wide range of artists and topics, from the performances of the Argentinian collective the Rosario Group and the grid drawings of Charles Gaines to the video art of Singaporean artist Charles Lim and the mapping of global logistics infrastructures by contemporary artists like Hito Steyerl and Christoph Büchel. Together, the essays offer an expanded understanding of systems aesthetics in ways that affirm its importance beyond technological applications detached from cultural contexts. Contributors. Cristina Albu, Amanda Boetzkes, Brianne Cohen, Kris Cohen, Jaimey Hamilton Faris, Christine Filippone, Johanna Gosse, Francis Halsall, Judith Rodenbeck, Dawna Schuld, Luke Skrebowski, Timothy Stott, John Tyson

Escaped e-entertainment star Rowan McPherson and her liberator, retired Space Forces Captain Ryan Chandler, have arrived at the Switchboard Station, the central hub of the Galactic Republic. The alien-administered sectors of the station provide sanctuary, as long as Ryan and Rowan keep out of United Earth Systems territory. However, Rowan’s health is deteriorating, and only advanced human medicine can save her. Docking in the felinezoid sector and boarding with old friends, Ryan searches desperately for medical facilities outside of the human-controlled parts of the station. Prejudice against clones makes the task harder, as well as obsessive and dangerous foes intent on retrieving Rowan for the studio, or killing her, whichever is easiest. Meanwhile, back on the set of Angel Black, the truth about the clones’ existence comes to light. Working in secret, they begin recruiting outside their show’s cast, and even their own enemies, as they plot rebellion. The light-years-long arm of the law is treading closely on all the clones’ heels and they will have to step carefully in their battle to be free.