Date and Time
- Saturday, Jun 27, 2026 2:30pm - 4pm
Location
Docs in Progress
8560 Second Ave
Details
Celebrate 2026 Heritage Days with us! Documentary Screening "By George" with Workshop about Immersive Transformation of the Film led by filmmaker H. Paul Moon.
After a screening of the one-hour film "By George", filmmaker H. Paul Moon (Docs In Progress alumnus) will present an informative presentation on the creative and technical process of converting his film into an immersive version playing at Dupont Underground (every hour on the hour June 12 through July 5, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11-5, free tickets to that at dc.july9th.com). "By George: It All Comes Down" is an expansion of this same documentary that surrounds chairs with large projection screens, expanding choices for what to focus on. Somewhere between a movie screening and an immersive art exhibition, it's a case study in evolving options for engagement and "inside-the-box" distribution for documentary filmmakers.
Timed with America turning 250, "By George" tells the true story of our first real moment of declaring independence, when we toppled the statue of King George III after a first public reading of the freshly inked document on July 9, 1776.
The documentary follows the extraordinary afterlife of the monument: the iron statue was melted down into musket balls by a young woman in Connecticut to support the revolutionary cause, while the decapitated head got smuggled back to England, where it may remain hidden to this day.
Set against contemporary debates around monuments, memory, and public space, "By George" explores the rise and fall of empires, the meaning of statues in civic life, and the evolving ways societies choose to remember history. The film features historian Abby Suckle’s storytelling detective work, and reflections from Ivan Schwartz, founder of StudioEIS, whose work has shaped some of our country’s most important historical monuments and public sculptures, including several here in Washington, D.C. (and getting unveiled this month, the statue of Barack and Michelle Obama at the new Presidential Center in Chicago).
With intense conversation and debate about recent architectural directives in Washington DC, the film investigates sites in our Capital region that we pass by constantly, wondering how and why. Exhaustively researched and surrounded with period-authentic music, it's educational and suitable for all ages too.
For more information about the film and its DMV-based director H. Paul Moon, visit: july9th.com
