‘1984’ comes to The Nick Tuesday

Nearly 70 years ago, George Orwell wrote a book about the future – a future that wasn’t so bright.

That “future” was predicted for a time 33 years ago: “1984.” The book saw a surge in sales after Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to President Donald Trump, referred to the administration’s use of “alternative facts” in an interview.

The movie inspired by the book “1984” will be shown at The Nickelodeon on Tuesday, April 4, the date “1984” protagonist Winston Smith begins rebelling against the government by keeping a forbidden diary.

The movie screening idea was sparked by Trump reportedly wanting to cut cultural programs that receive federal funding and to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities.

“Art house cinemas like the Nickelodeon have longstanding histories as places where members of our community can come together to share thought-provoking experiences and conversations,” said Andy Smith, CEO of The Nickelodeon.

“As terms like ‘alternative facts’ have come to define our current political climate, many cultural critics have drawn parallels to Orwell’s ‘1984,’ ” he added. “Our hope is that people will come out to see the film and decide for themselves if the similarities hold up.”

There will be an introduction at The Nickelodeon with the S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center, to which a percentage of proceeds will go.

“The organizers of the event asked that all theaters donate proceeds to a nonprofit doing community-focused work,” Smith said. “With that in mind, we’ll be donating to the S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center in support of their work protecting low-income South Carolinians from social, economic and legal injustice.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2017 at 10:33 AM with the headline "‘1984’ comes to The Nick Tuesday."