Imagine being in hibernation for 500 years only to awaken in the midst of a population that has lost all intelligence, Gatorade has replaced water and trash has piled up into mountains. This is “Idiocracy.”
Thursday, Nov. 2, the Price Center held a showing of “Idiocracy,” hosted by Atom Von Amdt, as a part of the Lost River Film Festival. The festival is a four day event in which local and hand-selected movies play in various locations like the Price Center, Tantra Coffeehouse and the Performing Arts Center on campus.
“Idiocracy” is a 2006 satire directed by Mike Judge, who wrote “King of the Hill” and “Beavis and Butt-head.” The protagonist, Joe Bauer, is an “average joe” who volunteers for a military experiment, which leaves him in hibernation for 500 years. He awakes to find the average intelligence of the world population has drastically declined, making him the smartest man on the planet. The film was selected because  it includes San Marcos’ very own Starplex Theater, which is in the background of one of the scenes.
Jackie Lynn, film festival organizer, helps with the festival’s logistics and advertising.
“We chose this movie specifically because of our current social political climate,” Lynn said. “The movie is really ridiculous, and sometimes I feel like our political state is ridiculous.”
Before the movie started, festival-goers congregated in the front lawn of the Price Center, complete with indie music, which paired with the kaleidoscope visual projected onto the side of the building. There was a vinyl and poster vendor, Bad Ingredients Records, a musical performance by Chief and The Doomsday Device and free drinks.
Maxfield Baker, local massage therapist, is on the planning and zoning commission. Baker said his favorite part of the 2006 film was when one of the dim-witted characters said, “That’s trump-tastic!”
“Being involved in the creative process and supporting local art in any form is really great,” Baker said. “I think there is something really special about video. Big productions like ‘Idiocracy’ take a lot of people to make, so it brings the community together a lot more than maybe a single artist with a painting.”
The film was met with great reception during its screening, each funny moment met with laughter from every seat. While it was an extreme satirical exaggeration, the attendees discussed the film’s relevance in today’s society, praising its accuracy in the trend of the “dumbing down” of society.
Atom Von Amdt, known as Jacques La Lean, is in a band called Trump Card, which he described as a political punk rock band. He was the host for the screening, and will also be hosting the Burlesque show at Stonewall Warehouse Saturday, Nov. 3.
“We have a great community and a great culture in this town, and the people are passionate about it,” La Lean said. “This film festival is important because we have to keep the culture alive.”
A few of the event’s sponsors include Texas State’s College of Fine Arts and Communications, UPS, Gil’s Broiler and Topo Chico, with Planet K as the head sponsor of the festival.