Resist: To Be with The Living

The title of Dirk Szuszies’ and Karin Kaper’s documentary Resist: To Be with The Living responds to theater’s most asked question, "To be or not to be?" and reminds us that New York City’s infamous company of anarchist pacifists, the Living Theater, still creates vibrant, relevant, political theater today. Artistic Director Judith Malina, now 78, daughter of an Orthodox German-Jewish rabbi, co-founded the company in 1947 with her husband, abstract expressionist painter Julian Beck. In tracing the company’s volatile and colorful history, Resist unearths startling archival footage of their early collaborations, such as the 1963 anti-militarist play The Brig and mass hippie happening Paradise Now. Their contemporary street theater actions show just how tenacious -- and necessary -- the company’s message and methods are. Co-director Szuszies was himself a member of "the Living" and is well-positioned to tell the story of a group that Beck describes as theater that "you don’t audition for: you just show up." Catching up with the nomadic company in Italy, the film follows the dynamic Malina through performances and workshops at New York’s Ground Zero and in Genoa during the G8 conference. A dramatic sequence in Lebanon reveals the Jewish roots of Malina’s passion for justice. Beautifully photographed -- the camera floats through New York skyscrapers at twilight before landing on a sparsely attended street action -- Resist shows us what it means to maintain a radical and unswerving pacifist position through art that is alternately a catalyst for social change and, as one longtime member describes it, "whizzing in the wind." --Brian Freeman

Karin Kaper Actress, Filmmaker Bio-filmography Born in Bremen, Germany, on June 26th 1959 1980- 1983 acting classes at Bildertheater, Bremen 1984 film studies with Janusz Przewozny, Berlin main role in "Trespasso" by Martha Boesing, director Christine Ryrko 1985 Schaubühne at Lehniner Platz, Berlin "Der Eindringling, Interieur, Die Blinden" by Maurice Maeterlinck, director Wolf Redl 1985- 1988 founder and actress of ZATA theatre, Munich, "Narr und Nonne" by Stanislaw Witkievicz, "Richard III" by Hans Henny Jahnn 1988- 1999 transfer of ZATA theatre to Berlin, actress in many productions, which were presented at festivals in Germany and foreign countries: "Femmes Fatales", Terminator Demokrator", "Normal null", "Blue hour" etc. 1996 Berliner Ensemble, Berlin, main role as Lilja Brik in "Melancholie1" by Judith Kuckart, director Jörg Aufenanger 1999- 2000 director of the documentary "The last Mahadevi", 85 min., Beta Sp, the story of Inge Sargent, an Austrian student who in the 50ies became Princess of Burma until the military putsch put an end to her fairy tale, an ARTE and BR coproduction with Barca Media Production, Munich, selection at numerous international festivals, Viewers' Best Film Award at the Ethnologic Film Festival, Berlin, June 2000 2000- 2003 co-director of "Resist", 35mm film about the legendary Living Theatre, feature documentary, 90 min., Y.C. Aligator Film- RTBF- Triangle 7 co-production, Brussels, selection to many festivals all over the world, Europa Cinema Award for Best Documentary, Viareggio, Sept. 2003 2003 director's assistant of "Little Mysteries", 9 min., Beta Sp, somewhere in Lebanon, an american actor on tour is showing a local actor, who has to take over his role, what it may mean: to be a true american soldier! co-production Y.C.Aligator Film and Triangle 7, Brussels 2004 director's assistant, producer of "Dialogues'99/ II", 26 min., Beta Sp, dance performance of Sasha Waltz & Guests on June 11th 1999 in the uninhabited new Jewish Museum, Berlin constructed by Daniel Libeskind Projects "Ben & Baba, father and son", documentary of two extraordinary white artists from New York who are part of the black jazz and hiphop scene in Big Apple "Bloody Blue Paradise" - Last chance for peace in Sri Lanka, documentary about a courageous non-violent peace project, Dirk Szuszies Director,Author&Actor Bio-filmography Born in Dortmund, Germany, on 20 October 1956 1965-1973 Member of Kinder und Jugendtheater (Child and Youth Theatre) of the association Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Workers' Welfare), Dortmund 1975-1979 Pedagogical and sociological studies, Bielefeld Actor and director in the students' theatre 1979/1980 Acting classes at the Bologna Theatre Institute 1980/1981 Member of the Living Theatre Productions : "Antigone", "Six Public Acts", "Masse-Mensch" by Ernst Toller (Italy) 1981/1982 Journalistic work in Nicaragua and assistant at "Teatro del Pueblo", Managua 1982/1983 Return to the Living Theatre Productions : "Le Mathusalem jaune" (The yellow Methuselah) by Shaw and Kandinsky and "L'archéologie du sommeil" (The Archaeology of Sleep) by Julian Beck (Nantes, France) 1983/1984 Actor of the Living Theatre Productions : four plays at the James Joyce Theatre, New York 1985 Founder of the ZATA theatre, Munich. Author and director 1988-1998 Transfer of ZATA theatre to Berlin. Author, director and actor. Some fifteen productions invited to numerous national and international festivals 1998 The father's role in the film "King of the Elephants" by Lars Kraume Trips to India and Burma (Myanmar) 1999/2000 Direction of the documentary "Die letzte Mahadevi" (The Last Mahadevi), 85', the story of Inge Sargent, an Austrian student who in the fifties became Princess of Burma (Myanmar) until the military putsch put an end to her fairy tale An ARTE and BR (German television) co-production Selection at numerous international festivals Viewers' Best Film Award at the Ethnologic Film Festival, Berlin, June 2000 From April 2000 "Resist",35mm-film about the legendary Living Theater, feature documentary, 90' to April 2003 Y.C. ALIGATOR FILM - RTBF (Belgian television) - TRIANGLE 7 co-production World première at Nyon International Festival 'Visions du Réel', Europa Cinema Award for best documentary,Official selections to many festivals all over the world Projects "Needles in the Head", feature film,fiction,scriptwriter and director " Ben & Baba, father and son", documentary of two extraordinary white artists from New York who are part of the black jazz and hiphop scene in Big Apple "Bloody Blue Paradise" - Last chance for peace in Sri Lanka Documentary about a courageous non-violent peace project Languages German, English, French, Italian, Spanish (conversation).