There’ll Likely be Michael Jackson Vigils Throughout the Night
Director(s): Marcus Batto
Film description: Through nearly a thousand found footage videos from the early internet, artist Marcus Batto recreates the day of Michael Jackson’s passing, assembling a vast, fragmented portrait of the cultural earthquake. Equal parts elegy, musical, and excavation into the death of the King of Pop, viewed through the lens of strangers, critics and bystanders.
Preceded by “[THE WHO – BABA OREILLY]”
ERIC SAYS Looking for a curveball in our lineup? A work of video art, essay film, and internet archiving all at once, Marcus Batto’s There’ll Likely be Michael Jackson Vigils Throughout the Night offers a truly singular viewing experience as it reconstructs an impactful day in pop-culture history: the day the King of Pop passed away. To be sure, those fascinated by MJ’s life, music, fame, and infamy will find much to enthrall them, as Batto’s seemingly all-seeing eye (achieved by sourcing nearly 1,000 internet videos, and presumably considering many thousands more) presents the breaking news, fan tributes, obituaries, eulogies, and takedowns as they unfolded.
But zooming out, this film has as much to say about the frenetic hive-mind created by social media and how we process *any* day as much as it does this particular outlier of a day. As you watch, you might find your mind thinking about other significant days—the O.J. chase, 9/11, January 6th, and on and on—and how news, images, rumors, memes, and misinformation echo across the world on a 24/7/365 basis. You’ll also be struck by just how much the internet has changed since 2009—and amazed how from minute to minute the day it encapsulates will feel like both recent memory and a century ago
Writer(s): Marcus Batto
Producer(s): Marcus Batto
Editor(s): Marcus Batto
Country of origin: USA
Principal cast: n/a
Language: English
Year: 2026
Duration: 74 min
Premiere status: Maryland premiere
