Double Feature: Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 & Animal Farm

We cordially invite you to the Edison Filmhub cinema for another Double Feature screening—to commemorate the anniversary of George Orwell’s birth with a screening of two films connected to this British author, spanning his work from the turbulent first half of the 20th century to the no less turbulent present day. The film ORWELL: 2 + 2 = 5 offers a bleak look at the nature of the rise of totalitarian regimes, the mindset they foster, and their ability to take root in societies across nations and continents. The animated ANIMAL FARM is the most up-to-date adaptation of Orwell’s legendary dystopian fable, which remains as grotesque as it is chilling.

ORWELL: 2 + 2 = 5

A fundamental and truly comprehensive feature-length documentary in which director Raoul Peck examines totalitarian regimes through the works of visionary writer George Orwell. The film delves into the final months of Orwell's creative life to explore the roots of the fundamental and disturbing concepts he revealed to the world in his dystopian work... In his most famous anti-utopian novel, 1984, where Orwell used the famous equation to illustrate the manipulative abilities of politicians, he wrote: "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." Big Brother is watching you... the film reveals current socio-political truths that resonate ever more strongly today.

ANIMAL FARM

ANIMAL FARM adapts George Orwell’s classic satirical allegorical fable about a revolution on a farm, where the animals rebel, drive away all humans, and attempt to govern the farm themselves. However, the dream of equality gradually turns into ruthless tyranny.

When the animals on the farm rise up against their human owner and force him out, it seems that a new era of freedom, equality, and justice has finally arrived. Yet some of the animals begin to abuse this newfound opportunity. What started as a liberating revolution against oppression slowly transforms into an entirely new system built on fear and control. Truth is rewritten, shared ideals disappear under enforced obedience, and a new order emerges based on manipulation, propaganda, and above all, fear. Can anyone stand against it?

The animated film ANIMAL FARM offers a new and contemporary retelling of George Orwell’s famous novella as a visually striking allegory about power, corruption, and the betrayal of ideals. Director and actor Andy Serkis transforms the classic fable into an adventurous story that combines satire, humor, and an unsettlingly relevant social commentary. Rather than aiming for a literal adaptation of Orwell’s original work, Serkis seeks to bring its themes into the modern world. Alongside the themes of revolution and totalitarian power, the film also highlights the manipulation of public opinion, the fragility of democracy, and the urgent need to defend truth from those who seek to control it.

The film therefore speaks not only to younger audiences as a powerful animated story, but also offers adult viewers a timely and urgent social reflection.