First Anti-Communist Film Festival set for six flicks in October

By Kerry Picket - The Washington Times - Updated: 12:29 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9, 2026

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation announced the lineup for its Anti-Communist Film Festival next month.

The festival will take place from Oct. 1-4 at the Victims of Communism Museum, two blocks from the White House, and will include movies for all age ranges.

The films are the 2023 historical war drama “Pilecki’s Report,” 1984’s biographical drama “The Killing Fields,” 1982’s thriller ”Night Crossing,” 1984’s dystopian action drama “Red Dawn,” 2006’s German mystery “The Lives of Others” and the 2016 comedy “Hail, Caesar!”

The foundation said these films “depict the struggle of living under communist tyranny and the heroic fight for freedom against this oppressive ideology.”

Admission is free, with tickets for each film and sponsorship opportunities available at the foundation’s website.

Mark Judge, a conservative activist and author best known as Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s high school friend, launched the film festival in partnership with the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

For him, the festival is a kind of antidote for conservatives’ longtime frustration with the far left dominating the messaging in Hollywood films.

Mr. Judge said he envisioned a showcase of classic films that counter today’s leftist cultural influence and socialist ideology, especially for young audiences.

“Imagine free admission for students. We will inoculate them against the poisonous ideology of communism for a fairly inexpensive program,” he told The Washington Times.

Elizabeth Spalding, chairwoman of the foundation and founding director of the museum, said the festival’s anti-communist films will complement the museum’s exhibits, such as its unique collection of gulag art.

“At the museum, we welcome many student groups and a lot of dignitaries and government officials, but we need more people who don’t know much about the dangers and threats and pernicious ideology of communism,” Ms. Spalding said.

“This film festival will bring in all sorts of people from all over, not just the D.C. area, we hope. And that’s a great thing to bring in new people.”