Oxi: The Screenplay and Commentary: Including Interviews With Derrida, Cixous, Balibar and Negri

Oxi (Gr. Determiner, lit. ‘No’, fig. ‘Resistance’, pronounced ‘ochi’) retells Sophocles’ Antigone through the contemporary Greek crisis and modern European philosophy. A collaboration between the renowned British auteur Ken McMullen and the literary theorist Martin McQuillan, the film draws upon and responds to the importance of the Antigone of modern thought (Hegel, Arendt, Lacan, Derrida, Butler), while coming up close to the politics of the street and the malign effects of the austerity experiment in Greece today.

The screenplay weaves together a range of idioms, including performance, fiction, documentary, interview and literary collage. The result is an intensely moving reflection on the tragedy of austerity today, with contributions from Hélène Cixous, Etienne Balibar and Antonio Negri, as well as several significant figures in Greek cultural life. The volume includes full transcripts of the interviews with Cixous, Balibar and Negri, and a previously unpublished interview with Jacques Derrida on the question of Oedipus, as well as critical commentary from the filmmakers.

Martin McQuillan is Professor of Literary Theory and Cultural Analysis and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Kingston University, UK, where he is also Co-Director of The London Graduate School. He is a literary theorist, cultural critic and author and editor of many books and essays including Roland Barthes (or the profession of cultural studies), Deconstruction After 9/11 and Deconstruction Reading Politics.

Ken McMullen is one of Britain’s leading auteurs. His films include Partition, Zina and Ghost Dance. His work has represented the UK at Cannes, won the gold medal at the New York Film Festival, the special jury prizes at Chateau Thierry and San Sebastian, and Best Film at the Rotterdam Film Festival. He is currently Distinguished Anniversary Chair of Film at Kingston University.