WBAI-FM Upcoming Program
Cat Radio Cafe

Tue, Jul 8, 2025 9:00 PM

"COMMUNE": FILM ABOUT A UTOPIAN COLLECTIVE OF THE 60'S

CAT RADIO CAFÉ: COMMUNE: FILM ABOUT BLACK BEAR RANCH, A PROTOTYPICAL UTOPIAN COMMUNE OF THE 1960’s

On tonight’s show we’ll be joined by producer/director Jonathan Berman to discuss the 20th Anniversary Restoration of his film Commune the story of Black Bear Ranch, a prototypical Utopian commune of the 1960’s with the motto “Free Land for Free People,” and the goal of reshaping the world with free love and common property, and to create a revolutionary movement that would spread to the rest of society.

Newly restored and featuring interviews with a number of Black Bear alumni, including actor/activist Peter Coyote, Commune is the first modern documentary to deal with communal living and cults, with candid reflections on the pleasures and problems of communal life, including nude farming, survival in the wilderness, multiple-parent child-raising, jealousy and strife.

Jonathan Berman (Producer/Director) began as a stock footage researcher and assistant editor. He is director and producer of The Schvitz, a film about the last traditional steambaths in New York. His film My Friend Paul, about his relationship to his bipolar best friend, was produced for public television. Calling All Earthlings is an exploration of Joshua Tree and the area’s UFO-inspired dome, The Integratron. Berman co-wrote the story for On The Run, featuring Michael Imperioli and John Ventimiglia, and produced the NYC music documentary Sabbath in Paradise, which featured Harvey Pekar and John Zorn.
 

Hosted by Janet Coleman and David Dozer

 

 


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