Continuing his work of patient and insightful political filmmaking, director John Gianvito resurrects Helen Keller’s radical views.

One of the most singular voices in U.S. independent cinema, filmmaker John Gianvito continues his inquiries into radical subjective positions. In his latest documentary essay, he reflects on pioneering leftist thinker, suffragist, and apologist of a global socialist revolution Helen Keller (1880–1968).

Helen Keller became both blind and deaf as a child, but later went on to graduate college and Her Socialist Smile follows some of her most important public appearances and comments, beginning with her landmark book “Out of the Dark” , which was published in 1913. Though her life generated voluminous literature, most people ignore the fact that this iconic figure was one of the most passionate socialist advocates of her time. Continuing his work of patient and insightful political filmmaking, director John Gianvito (Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind) resurrects Keller’s radical views, which have been largely suppressed or sanitized over the years. In Her Socialist Smile, his research shows that, beginning in her early 30s, the pioneer leftist thinker fervently and eloquently spoke out on behalf of many progressive causes, from the rights of women and the disabled, to international socialism and world peace.

Gianvito imaginatively combines onscreen text taken from her most memorable public appearances, recorded voiceover by politically engaged poet Carolyn Forché, and quiet images of nature, creating another unique blend of activism, historical analysis and poetry, thereby reminding us that leftist struggles are inseparable from disability advocacy, Keller’s words remain remarkably pertinent today.

Screened in English with English subtitles.

John Gianvito   |  U.S.A. |  2020  |  93 minutes