ACX Montreal Meetup November 11th 2023

Hey all! This week, we’re doing something a bit different. This ACX event will will resolve around the viewing a movie, Threads, and be hosted by Jeremy Eliosoff, who wrote the rest of this message. Note the non-standard event time and location.

Description:
First broadcast on the BBC in 1984, Threads chronicles the lives of a few working class residents of the industrial British city of Sheffield in the events leading up to, during, and following a massive international nuclear exchange. The product of a sometimes-contentious collaboration between a screenwriter known for gritty realism and a documentary film producer, Threads does not follow conventional plot structures and character arcs. With no musical score and few contrived dramatic flourishes, the film is simply an explicit visualization of what the effects of full-scale nuclear war would actually look like, rendered with as much plausible realism as the producers could muster. If anything, the understated, matter-of-fact tone of the film makes its impact all the more devastating.

Although technically fiction, Threads is possibly the most disturbing thing I have ever seen on a screen. On my first viewing I had to watch it in 20 minute intervals, but we’ll be doing the full 2 hours in one go. Needless to say, viewer discretion is advised. That said, I wanted to present this movie to the ACX community, partly simply to raise awareness of what I consider and unsung cinematic masterpiece, and partly because of its relevance to the subject of existential threats, which is a mainstay of AXC/​rationalist/​effective altruist concerns—and which, sadly, has become more salient in light of recent world events. Nov 11 seemed a particularly appropriate day for this screening.

A conversation will follow the screening.

RSVP is advised. My condo can accommodate 10-12 people, I can try to squeeze in more if needed but cannot guarantee admission to anyone who has not RSVP’ed.

Also note that this is my first attempt at setting up my home projection system so things might go wrong, also my projector has a fairly loud fan.

Venue: 4243 Rue Clark.
Date & Time: Saturday, November 11th, 2023, 6:00 PM.

Max participants: 12

EDIT: Also, important to note that food won’t be served, and that you’re welcome to bring snacks! I (Henri) will bring what I can, but try not to come with an empty stomach. :)