Our Monday night film series, Cinema Under Pressure, explores the struggle over what audiences are permitted to see, pairing each screening with a discussion featuring guest experts.

Tim Robbins’ 1999 film Cradle Will Rock tells the true story of one of the most infamous acts of cultural censorship in American history: the final days of the Federal Theatre Project, when Orson Welles and John Houseman staged a controversial production of Marc Blitzstein’s proletarian musical The Cradle Will Rock, leading to a landmark moment in the history of American theater. Robbins frames this story within a sweeping panorama of art, money, and power in Depression-era America, where politicians, patrons, and propagandists all fought to direct artistic creativity toward their own ends.

Following the screening, writer-director Tim Robbins joins us in conversation. An Academy Award winner, an activist, and a founder of the Actors’ Gang, Robbins has spent his career outspoken on questions of artistic and political freedom, and has weathered public backlash for his own views. He joins us to discuss the film, the history behind it, and its enduring relevance.

This is a free program. RSVPs do not guarantee admission to the A-Frame Theater. Limited seating is available on a first come, first served basis.