Yeah, they got attitude

The hand-painted placards and two-finger peace signs of the ‘60s are alive and well in today’s activist movement. But an even more powerful tool has evolved which can be described only as “digit-prop” -- a fusion of 21st century technology with the ethos of agitprop theater.

“Civic Cinema: A Mini-Festival of Politically-Minded Documentaries” features eight programs of opinionated films aimed at stirring the pot. Turning their cameras on local, national or international events -- in many cases, events they helped create -- activist/filmmakers create edifying works with surprising immediacy.

The festival opens today with “We Interrupt This Empire ... ,” by the Video Activist Network. This group of Bay Area activists chronicled how protesters shut down San Francisco’s financial district after the U.S. invaded Iraq. Mixing run-and-gun footage and TV news coverage of police-protester confrontations with audio from pirate radio and police scanners, the film challenges corporate and political motivations for war, as well as mainstream media reports.

Other films in the series include: “Reverend Billy & The Church of Stop Shopping,” “Blue Vinyl” and “Trouble in Paradise.”

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“Civic Cinema: A Mini-Festival of Politically-Minded Documentaries,” Laemmle’s Fairfax, 7907 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 1, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45 and 10 p.m. daily. Ends April 30. $9. (323) 655-4010.