Marion Stokes secretly recorded American television 24 hours a day for 30 years, from 1975 until her death in 2012. Long before the era of “fake news,” the Philadelphia-based Communist and radical activist believed that a comprehensive archive of the media would one day be invaluable, so she sought to protect the truth by archiving everything that was said and shown on television. Marion’s visionary and maddening project nearly tore her family apart, and her son reflects back on his fractured, fascinating relationship with his complicated and fabulously wealthy mother. Now her 70,000 VHS tapes are being digitized for future generations, giving us all an eye-opening glimpse into how television shaped, and continues to shape, our world. In English. Not Rated. Director: Matt Wolf (US 2019) 87 min.

4:30 – 6:00 PT VIRTUAL SCREENING  (featuring a text chat with the Internet Archive)

Using ITVS’s own Online Viewing and Engagement Experience (OVEE) platform, we are able to combine quality film content with community-building conversation in a single-screen experience. Engage and interact with audience members around the country by asking questions and sharing your thoughts about the film throughout the screening.

6:00 – 6:30 PT  LIVESTREAM Q&A with director Matt Wolf, producer Kyle Martin, and film subject, Michael Metelits.
Moderated by Roger Macdonald, Television Archive Fellow, Internet Archive