June 22, 2017

Indigenous rights has been one of our areas of core concern at Cultures of Resistance Films. We were pleased to recently contribute excerpts of our film THE KALASHA AND THE CRESCENT to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for an outreach video about their work on indigenous issues.

This commitment affirmed the idea that protecting the rights of indigenous peoples and incorporating their knowledge of the natural world around them are essential to reaching conservation and sustainable development goals. You can see the video that the organization produced here.

Cultures of Resistance Films has undertaken a number of projects in defense of indigenous rights. THE KALASHA AND THE CRESCENT documented the challenges faced by the Kalash people of northern Pakistan, who are struggling to retain their cultural identity under the combined pressures of extremism, poverty and religious tension. The Kalasha have inhabited northern Pakistan’s Chitral valley for many centuries. They uphold a rich cultural heritage, with polytheistic beliefs, seasonal festivals, and a variety of other traditions that are at odds with Pakistan’s dominant Islam. Still, a dedicated group of Kalash advocates are fighting to keep their culture alive. You can watch our film here.

This short continues to screen at festivals and community events around the world. If you’d like to arrange a screening at a location near you, contact us at: info@culturesofresistancefilms.com

Our hope is that projects like this will motivate viewers to take action in solidarity with indigenous peoples. If you’d like to get involved, check out our indigenous rights page at our sister foundation, the Cultures of Resistance Network, where you can learn about urgent campaigns in countries including Brazil, Ecuador, and Pakistan.

Until next time,
Iara Lee and the whole team