Howard Zinn

Acting

Howard Zinn

Born August 24, 1922 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

Died January 27, 2010 · aged 87

Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010) was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. He specialized in the labor history of the United States in the 20th century. In his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United Stat…

Known For

The People SpeakThe People Speak · 2009
The People Speak
7.22009
MovieHistoryDocumentary
A look at America's struggles with war, class, race and women's rights. based on Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States."
Even the RainEven the Rain · 2011
Even the Rain
7.02011
MovieDramaHistory
As a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local people rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.
PsywarPsywar · 2010
Psywar
7.02010
MovieDocumentary
This film explores the evolution of propaganda and public relations in the United States, with an emphasis on the elitist theory of democracy and the relationship between war, propaganda and class. Includes original interviews with a number of dissident scholars including Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Michael Parenti, Peter Phillips (Project Censored), John Stauber (PR Watch), Christopher Simpson (The Science of Coercion) and others. A deep, richly illustrated study of the nature and history of propaganda, featuring some of the world’s most insightful critics, Psywar exposes the propaganda system, providing crucial background and insight into the control of information and thought.
Creating Freedom: The Lottery of BirthCreating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth · 2013
Creating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth
7.22013
MovieDocumentary
THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH is the first in a three-part documentary series entitled 'Creating Freedom' exploring the relationship between freedom, power and control in Western democracies. The series draws together interviews with some of the world's leading intellectuals, journalists and activists to offer an alternative perspective on today's society and the future we're creating. We do not choose to exist, or the environment we grow up in. Our starting point in life is one of passive reliance on forces over which we have no control. THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH shows that from birth onwards our minds are a battleground of competing forces: familial, educational, cultural, and professional. The outcome of this battle not only determines who we become, but the society that we create.
Profit Motive and the Whispering WindProfit Motive and the Whispering Wind · 2008
Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind
6.32008
MovieDocumentaryHistory
A visual essay about the progressive tradition of the United States as seen through grave markers and monuments.
Howard Zinn's EmmaHoward Zinn's Emma
Howard Zinn's Emma
MovieHistory
Emma dramatizes the life of Emma Goldman, the famed anarchist, feminist, and free-spirited thinker who was exiled from the United States because of her outspoken views, including her opposition to World War I. Filmed live in 2005 at the Byrdcliffe Theatre in Woodstock, New York, with Zinn in attendance, the play draws on Goldman’s influential autobiography, speeches, and political writings to trace her emergence as one of the foremost radical intellectuals and dissident activists in America in the early part of the 20th century. Emma shows us why Emma Goldman was not only a remarkable historical figure but a woman whose fierce wit and political courage continue to resonate today.

Filmography

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Creating Freedom: The Lottery of BirthCreating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth · 2013
Creating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth
7.22013
MovieDocumentary
THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH is the first in a three-part documentary series entitled 'Creating Freedom' exploring the relationship between freedom, power and control in Western democracies. The series draws together interviews with some of the world's leading intellectuals, journalists and activists to offer an alternative perspective on today's society and the future we're creating. We do not choose to exist, or the environment we grow up in. Our starting point in life is one of passive reliance on forces over which we have no control. THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH shows that from birth onwards our minds are a battleground of competing forces: familial, educational, cultural, and professional. The outcome of this battle not only determines who we become, but the society that we create.