SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY & MARXISM with Jelle Klaas in Amsterdam
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Friday 30 October 2026 Doors: 18:45 | Start: 19:00 Spaceships, aliens, vampires, zombies, distant planets and imaginary worlds. Science fiction and fantasy are among the most popular forms of storytelling — but what do these stories tell us about the world we actually live in? And perhaps more importantly: what can they tell us about the possibility of a different and better world? On Friday 30 October, Ventilator Cinema welcomes human rights lawyer, Marxist and lifelong science-fiction and fantasy enthusiast Jelle Klaas for an illustrated lecture exploring these genres through a critical Marxist lens. Moving between cinema, literature, comics, games and popular culture, Klaas examines how science fiction and fantasy reflect questions of capitalism, class, power, labour, racism, feminism and political struggle. From spaceships and dystopian futures to magical kingdoms and the undead, imaginary worlds have long provided ways of thinking about very real political and social conflicts. Science fiction can imagine societies beyond capitalism, while fantasy can reproduce — or challenge — ideas about hierarchy, race, power and history. So what is politically troubling about enormously popular works such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings? What happens when we look at zombies, vampires, aliens and dystopian societies through the lens of class and capitalism? And which works of science fiction and fantasy should every socialist know? Expect an accessible and provocative journey through the genre, filled with film clips, images, references and recommendations — from famous blockbusters to radical and lesser-known works. Jelle Klaas is a Dutch human rights lawyer and Executive Director of PILP, a human rights law firm and NGO based in Amsterdam. He is one of the founders of the organisation and has many years of experience using strategic litigation to advance human rights in the Netherlands. His legal work focuses particularly on the right to protest, anti-discriminat…
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