What’s it like as an artist to lose your character to alt-right? That’s a question Matt Furie can answer. His character Pepe the Frog was appropriated as a meme by alt-right and ultimately declared a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League in 2016. In 2015, Pepe became world-famous when Trump shared the meme and Hillary Clinton denounced the Frog.

The documentary Feels Good Man shows Furie’s battle to reclaim his character. His friend and filmmaker Arthur Jones made a compelling documentary about this process. Feels Good Man offers a vivid, moving portrait of one man, one frog, and the very strange reality we’ve all found ourselves living in.

After the film, Thomas Frissen will elaborate on how we predicate meaning to symbols and figures. Pepe the Frog was just a drawing, but the Meme Pepe the Frog becomes a powerful tool, appropriated by political groups. Historical, there are some similarities to other symbols, like the Swastika and QR-code.

Dr Thomas Frissen is assistant professor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS), Maastricht University. In both teaching and research Thomas focuses on questions regarding the role of digital media and technology in society, culture, and behaviour.

In cooperation with Lumière Cinema.