In Anger A History Of Act Up

What In Anger: A History of ACT UP Actually Is

It's a documentary film directed by Susan Sontag that covers the early years of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), the activist group formed in 1987 during the AIDS crisis. The film premiered in 1993 and runs about 100 minutes. It's mainly footage from meetings, protests, and actions, with some narration. Nothing fancy about the production value. It was shot on video mostly, which gives it a raw feel that actually works in its favor. The title comes from the group's early energy and frustration with the government's response to the epidemic. Sontag was initially approached to help with archival research and ended up directing it. She wasn't a filmmaker by trade, which shows in some of the structural choices, but the material speaks for itself. I remember trying to track down a clean copy of this years ago when I was building a screening series at a community center. Most of the online versions floating around are compressed to hell from DVD rips. The one I ended up using was a 1080p transfer from the IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project) archive. Not free, obviously. If you're organizing something, reach out to the ACT UP Archive at NYU's Tamiment Library first. They have materials and can point you toward legitimate screening sources.

Why It Matters Right Now

People still reference this film when discussing protest tactics, grassroots organizing, or the intersection of art and activism. The footage of the White House protest, the FDA sit-ins, and the Wall Street action are some of the most direct primary sources you'll find on this period. There's also the famous "Silence = Death" poster history in there. The counter-intuitive thing nobody tells you about watching this: it doesn't feel like a polished documentary. It feels like being in the room. That's because, in many cases, you literally are. Sontag placed cameras in the room during actual meetings. You'll see people debating strategy, cracking jokes, falling apart. It's unguarded in a way that makes it more useful than most produced films about activism. The pitfall most people run into is assuming the film has a through-line argument. It doesn't. It's chronological and observational. If you want analysis, you need to pair it with other sources. The film is the raw footage, not the synthesis.

What's Actually in It

The documentary covers roughly 1987 to 1990. Key moments include: The first ACT UP meeting at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan The FDA protest in 1988 demanding faster drug approval

The "Seize these Drugs" action The Wall Street protest in 1989 targeting pharmaceutical companies The debate over whether to target the media or the government

There's also footage of Peter Staley, Larry Kramer, Bill Ayers' involvement, and the split that eventually formed ACT UP's medical literacy project and other offshoots. I once tried to use this in a university seminar and hit a wall. The film assumes you already know basic context about the Reagan administration's neglect. Students who came in cold struggled to follow the timeline. Pair it with something like "How to Survive a Plague" for background, or at least have a reading list ready. The documentary is a supplement, not a standalone introduction.

Where to Find It

The film is in the public domain for educational screening purposes through certain channels, but commercial distribution is controlled. You won't find a clean legal download anywhere. DVD and Blu-ray copies exist through small press distributors. The American Film Institute has preserved a print. Streaming options are limited and often regional — I've seen it on Kanopy through university libraries, and occasionally on the Internet Archive in lower quality. If you're a student or educator, check Kanopy first. It's the easiest path. Otherwise, the ACT UP Archive website lists screening requests and contact info for licensing inquiries. Response time is usually within a week. One thing to be honest about: the film has gaps. Sontag herself acknowledged that some of the most important early meetings weren't filmed. The transition from grassroots anger to institutional engagement after 1990 isn't really covered. If you're looking for a complete history, this is only the first act. Don't treat it as the whole story.

How People Actually Use It

Community organizers pull clips for training sessions. The protest planning segments are taught almost like case studies now. Film students study the observational technique. Archivists use it as a reference for 1980s event documentation. The footage quality varies because different people were shooting with different equipment at different times, so expect jumps in resolution and audio clarity throughout the runtime. I keep a specific clip of the FDA protest hand signals and communication breakdown for workshop introductions. It illustrates perfectly how decentralized organizing works under pressure. Thirty seconds of that clip tends to get more discussion going than an hour of theoretical framing.