Mayday Realtime

1971, 59:45 min, b&w, sound

In this classic video verité documentary, Cort records a demonstration against the Vietnam War in Washington D.C. on May Day, 1971. Describing the event as "a day filled with moments of expectation and violence," he focuses on the dynamics of the demonstration and the police response. Armed with his portable video equipment, Cort confronts the police and interacts with the crowd — he is an active participant, both as a demonstrator and documentarian. Providing an unmediated, first-hand record of the event, Mayday Realtime serves as a time capsule of the antiwar movement and the countercultural era, and exemplifies the political stance and subjective approach of early "guerrilla television."

Post Production: Electronic Arts Intermix.