Synthetic Pleasures: Interviews – Cultures of Resistance Films

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About
Filmography
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Synthetic Pleasures: Interviews

What sites are causing a buzz among the in crowd? By Nick Wingfield
John Kelsey, Consulting writer for SP interviews director iara lee
iara lee interviewed through the Virtual Film Fest, while at Sundance ’96
iara lee interviewed by Giannis Papaioannou for OXY Mag (Greece)
iara lee interviewed by J.D. Peterson For Ruse Magazine
Online interview with Timothy Leary

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Check out this awesome urban intervention by our l

Check out this awesome urban intervention by our longtime ally @Peta!

We are happy to support PETA through our sister foundation, the Cultures of Resistance Network. A 2021 grant contributed to PETA’s work in Jordan and China.

#peta #urbanintervention #creativecampaign #vegan #govegan #govegan🌱

We are so grateful to the organizers who courageou

We are so grateful to the organizers who courageously take great risks to show our films in countries that experience a lot of censorship and political repression. It means the world to us to see the engaged students of NICARAGUA watch our films. It beats winning the Academy Award/Oscar!

Endless thanks for appreciating our labor of love! 🙏🙏🙏
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From Festival de Cine MÁS:

"For security reasons we decided not to advertise the festival on social networks, since the dictatorship has increased the repression against organizations like ours, that speak about human rights. We presented the documentary FROM TRASH TO TREASURE in two schools. The students and teachers loved the film and the discussions were very powerful. Kind regards from Managua, Nicaragua.

"(Por motivos de seguridad decidimos no darle publicidad al festival en las redes sociales, ya que la dictadura ha incrementado la represión en contra de organizaciones como nosotros, que hablamos de derechos humanos. Iniciamos el festival el día de ayer y hemos presentado en 2 colegios el documental FROM TRASH TO TREASURE. Los estudiantes y docentes han amado el documental, las reflexiones han sido enormes. Saludos cordiales desde Managua, Nicaragua)."

Cultures of Resistance Films director @iara_lee wi

Cultures of Resistance Films director @iara_lee will present 2 of her films in San Juan! Screenings will be followed by Q&As with iara and cohosts.

👉 monday, jan 24: BURKINABÈ BOUNTY: agroecology in Burkina Faso / Moderated by @recicloponia

👉 monday, jan 31: STALKING CHERNOBYL: exploration after apocalypse

🛑 Trailers: link in bio

All events at 7:30pm at El Ensayo Café-Teatro-Bar
55 Calle Robles
San Juan, 00925, Puerto Rico

Free admission!

Weather permitting, @el_ensayo_cafe_teatro_bar will screen the films outdoors. If it is raining, the events will move indoors.

———

Filmmaker iara lee is a healthy-living enthusiast, off-the-beaten-path world explorer, and founder of the Cultures of Resistance Network, an organization that promotes global solidarity and supports agitators, educators, farmers, and artists who are working to build a more just and peaceful world through creative resistance and nonviolent action.

#puertorico #sanjuan #puertorico🇵🇷 #boricua #boricuas #puertoricogram #documentary #sanjuanevents #puertoriqueño #puertoricolife #sanjuanpuertorico #sanjuanpr #burkinafaso🇧🇫 #chernobyl

Meet a new recipient of our Creative Activism Awar

Meet a new recipient of our Creative Activism Awards: Ali Haj Suleiman!

Ali is a photojournalist in northwestern Syria who is using the award to document communities in Idlib, where people are desperately looking for opportunities to earn a living.

Many children, as well as some of their parents, are collecting scrap metal from disused—and sometimes still live—ammunition, including mortar grenades, projectiles, cases, rocket casings, and the remains of cluster bombs.

👉 check out more @alihajsuleiman

#syria #syrianphotographer #idlib #savesyria #syrianwar #syrianartist #syrianart #idlibunderfire

In 2019, Aleksandr Gabyshev walked from Yakutsk to

In 2019, Aleksandr Gabyshev walked from Yakutsk to Moscow, promising to use his self-proclaimed magical powers to “purge” President Vladimir Putin from the Kremlin. "In September 2019, after travelling around 3,000 km—over a third of the way to Moscow—he was abducted by police and accused of suspected 'public calls for extremism,' then briefly placed in a psychiatric hospital for examination," writes our ally Amnesty International.

In 2021, he was officially charged with making “calls for extremism” and “using violence against police officers.” He was involuntary sent for psychiatric treatment. According to Amnesty, "During his arrest, Gabyshev allegedly tore a riot officer’s uniform and superficially wounded him with a batas, a ceremonial Yakut sword."

“Aleksandr Gabyshev has become a symbol of grassroots resistance to the increasingly repressive government of Vladimir Putin, so it is not surprising that the authorities went to such extreme lengths to silence him and smear his name. Once again, the authorities are using ‘psychiatric care’ as a punishment—a method tried and tested during Soviet times.... Compulsory psychiatric treatment is a form of torture and other ill-treatment. The authorities must refrain from any involuntary therapy and release Aleksandr Gabyshev immediately and unconditionally, as he has been sentenced to indefinite compulsory psychiatric treatment solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. The use of punitive psychiatry as a method to silence dissent must stop now," says Natalia Zviagina, the director of Amnesty International’s Moscow office.

#russia #humanrights #humanrightsviolations #shaman #putin #kremlin #yakutsk #yakuta #gabyshev #resistance #amnestyinternational

This is @pattiegonia in a dress made of trash!

This is @pattiegonia in a dress made of trash!

Pattie is a backpacking drag queen, outdoor community voice, and environmental advocate 💃🏼 🏕 🌎
Thanks, Pattie, for the runway inspiration 😉
You’re a force to be reckoned with!!

via @sannimccandless

#turningnegativesintopositives #trash #dress #dressoutofwaste #trashdress #backpacker #backpacking #dragqueen #drag #dragworld #dragwueen #dragqueensofinstagram #outdoor #community #voice #runaway #inspo #runawayinspiration #fashion #sustainablefashion #environmentallyfriendly #upcycling #upcyclingfashion #reusedmaterials #fiercequeen #qween #recycle #recycledfashion #trashfashion

San Juan, Puerto Rico: @el_ensayo_cafe_teatro_bar

San Juan, Puerto Rico: @el_ensayo_cafe_teatro_bar is screening our film “FROM TRASH TO TREASURE: turning negatives into positives” TODAY at 7:30pm, followed by a discussion with activist-filmmaker @iara_lee! Free admission!

Trailer: ➡️ link in bio

📍El Ensayo Café-Teatro-Bar / El Ensayo en Rio Piedras
Calle Robles 55
San Juan, 00925, Puerto Rico

Weather permitting, @el_ensayo_cafe_teatro_bar will screen the films outdoors. If it is raining, the events will move indoors.

————————

Filmmaker iara lee is a healthy-living enthusiast, off-the-beaten-path world explorer, and founder of the Cultures of Resistance Network, an organization that promotes global solidarity and supports agitators, educators, farmers, and artists who are working to build a more just and peaceful world through creative resistance and nonviolent action.

#puertorico #sanjuan #puertorico🇵🇷 #boricua #boricuas #puertoricogram #documentary #sanjuanevents #puertoriqueño #puertoricolife #sanjuanpuertorico #sanjuanpr #burkinafaso🇧🇫 #chernobyl #lesotho

"I'll Melt With You" by Josh Keyes @joshkeyes.art

"I'll Melt With You" by Josh Keyes @joshkeyes.art

#artgallery #artist #art #paintings #realistic #joshkeyes

Meet the newest recipient of our Creative Activism

Meet the newest recipient of our Creative Activism Awards!

Kenyan photographer Margaret Ngigi believes that entrenched social norms in Kenyan society keep people from discussing women's rights and mental health, but she is trying to change that through art.

"By taking images of women, I also capture myself by illustrating the positions we are forced into, and the situations that different groups of women find themselves in.´

Margaret is using the award for her new documentary project, which examines the role of traditional birth attendants and their links to social inequality in Kenya.

@sherie_margaret_ngigi

#kenya #nairobi #femalepower #girlpower #kenyanartist #kenyanphotography #mentalhealthawareness #selfportrait

Cultures of Resistance Films director @iara_lee is

Cultures of Resistance Films director @iara_lee is presenting three of her films in San Juan, Puerto Rico, this month! The screenings will be followed by Q&As with iara and cohosts. ➡️ swipe for trailers

➡️ Monday, Jan. 17: “FROM TRASH TO TREASURE: turning negatives into positives”

➡️ Monday, Jan. 24: “BURKINABÈ BOUNTY: agroecology in Burkina Faso”

➡️ Monday, Jan. 31: “STALKING CHERNOBYL: exploration after apocalypse”

Link in bio for all of the film trailers!

All of the events begin at 7:30pm.
📍 El Ensayo Café-Teatro-Bar/ El Ensayo en Rio Piedras
Calle Robles 55
San Juan, 00925, Puerto Rico

Free admission!

Weather permitting, @el_ensayo_cafe_teatro_bar will screen the films outdoors. If it is raining, the events will move indoors.

——-

iara's films have screened at festivals around the world, as well as at refugee camps, universities, and cultural venues. She is a healthy-living enthusiast, off-the-beaten-path world explorer, and founder of the Cultures of Resistance Network, an organization that promotes global solidarity and supports agitators, educators, farmers, and artists who are building a more just and peaceful world through creative resistance and nonviolent action. Her films address topics that are often overlooked by the mainstream media, including Indigenous rights, food sovereignty, and environmental justice, and they are frequently set in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

#puertorico #sanjuan #puertorico🇵🇷 #boricua #boricuas #puertoricogram #documentary #sanjuanevents #puertoriqueño #puertoricolife #sanjuanpuertorico #sanjuanpr #burkinafaso🇧🇫 #chernobyl #lesotho

Access to menstrual hygiene products is key to imp $Access to menstrual hygiene products is key to improving menstrual health! And yet, only a fraction of people who have periods in Zanzibar have access to them. According to UNESCO, one out of every 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa misses school during her menstrual cycle. Our friends at @pds_zanzibar, a recipient of our Creative Activism Awards, are trying to change that by teaching young people to make their own reusable menstrual products with minimal resources!$

Every orange marker on this map is a fishing vesse

Every orange marker on this map is a fishing vessel!

Every minute, huge amounts of marine life are extracted from our oceans and precious marine ecosystems are destroyed.

Help us put an end to the destruction of our oceans.

Repost @seaspiracy

#seaspiracy #saveouroceans #saveourplanet #saveourseas #protectouroceans

The protests unfolding in #Kazakhstan, which have

The protests unfolding in #Kazakhstan, which have turned violent, are a direct consequence of the authorities’ widespread repression of basic human rights. Here's what you need to know.

Video by @amnestyusa

#kazakstan🇰🇿 #almaty

Whoever decided to give these guys their common na

Whoever decided to give these guys their common name was NOT very creative. ⠀
𝘏𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘪 also known as PALE GREEN EELS (smh) or garden #eels live in burrows on the #seafloor and get their name from their practice of poking their heads from their burrows while most of their bodies remain hidden. Since they tend to live in groups, the many eel heads ""growing"" from the seafloor resemble the #plants in a #garden. ⠀
⠀
📸 jim_abernethy⠀
Repost @worldoceanday
📍Isla Cerralvo, B.C.S., México

Cultures of Resistance Films director iara lee wil

Cultures of Resistance Films director iara lee will present three of her latest documentaries in Puerto Rico this month!

➡️ The film screenings will be at El Ensayo Café-Teatro-Bar at 7:30pm on January 17, 24, and 31. Each event will be followed by a discussion with iara. The theater is located at Calle Robles 55, 00925 San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The three films—FROM TRASH TO TREASURE: turning negatives into positives, BURKINABÈ BOUNTY: agroecology in Burkina Faso, and STALKING CHEROBYL: exploration after apocalypse—explore topics including food sovereignty, environmental justice, agroecology, sustainability, nuclear energy, and dark tourism.

--------

➡️ January 17: FROM TRASH TO TREASURE: turning negatives into positives (30 minutes)

This film showcases the spirit of reimagination among artists and activists in Lesotho, a highland country surrounded by South Africa, where people are using creativity to respond to entrenched social problems.

--------

➡️ January 24: BURKINABÈ BOUNTY: agroecology in Burkina Faso (35 minutes)

BURKINABÈ BOUNTY chronicles agricultural resistance and the fight for food sovereignty in Burkina Faso, a small, landlocked country in West Africa. Showcasing activist farmers, students, artists, and leaders in the local Slow Food movement, the documentary looks at how the Burkinabè people are fighting against corporate agribusiness and preserving traditional agricultural methods.

--------

➡️ January 31: STALKING CHEROBYL: exploration after apocalypse (60 minutes)

STALKING CHERNOBYL examines the underground culture of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Three decades after the world's most infamous nuclear disaster, wildlife has returned in the absence of human settlements. Meanwhile, illegal hiking adventurers known as "stalkers," extreme sports aficionados, artists, and tour companies have begun to explore anew the ghostly, post-apocalyptic landscape.

@el_ensayo_cafe_teatro_bar

#puertorico #puertorico🇵🇷 #sanjuan #sanjuanpuertorico #documentary

Meet the newest recipients of our Creative Activis

Meet the newest recipients of our Creative Activism Awards!

Amahoro drummers are a group of 15 drummers from Burundi who were forced from their homes and now live in the Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi. They perform Burundian drums in an effort to share the beauty of their culture with others.

In 2010, Cultures of Resistance Films director iara lee filmed them performing in Uganda. About a decade later, she reconnected with the drummers when she filmed at the Tumaini Festival, which took place in the Dzaleka camp. We always try to nurture long-term relationships with the people and groups we feature in our films, so we are thrilled that Amahoro drummers are now one of the latest recipients of our Creative Activism Awards!

@amahoro_drummers_malawi

#creativeactivismawards #malawi #burundi #burundi🇧🇮 #burundidancers #traditionaldance #africandance #dzaleka #dowa

Happy New Year’s Revolutions! It's been a hard y

Happy New Year’s Revolutions! It's been a hard year, but there were some notable events from around the world that made 2021 special.

⮕ 🌱 India's farmers ended their year-long protest after the government accepted their demands, including assurances to consider guaranteed prices for the food they produce.

⮕ 🌍 Climate lawsuits and Indigenous victories continued around the world as companies and nations found themselves under increasing public pressure! Notably, Shell was forced to pull out from the controversial Cambo project this year.

⮕ 🐁 It has been a banner year for animal liberation: Our ally PETA, a grantee of our sister foundation, the Cultures of Resistance Network, pushed Taiwan to end electroshock tests on animals, pressured pharmaceutical giants, and called on Canada Goose to shed fur!

⮕ 🐋 From humpback whales to eastern barred bandicoots, many species that were on the edge of extinction saw their populations increase or were spotted once again in the wild.

Artwork by our Creative Activism Awards recipient�@minor_grace!

Back in 2020, Cultures of Resistance director @iar

Back in 2020, Cultures of Resistance director @iara_lee established a cash encouragement award for artists, activists, and creative organizers who come from places where political instability, occupation, apartheid, war, and poverty affect almost every aspect of creative life.

This year, we were honored to give out more than 100+ Creative Activism Awards to people in 48 countries. We were excited to give awards to muralists, dancers, cartoonists, photographers, rappers, filmmakers, educators, painters, poets, and designers throughout the global South countries and beyond.

What connects our award recipients is their shared focus on human rights, the environment, economic and global justice, and cultural resistance. Through the Creative Activism Awards, we are proud to help this incredible group of people maintain and expand their important work.

#creativeactivismawards

In our culture of hyper-productivity, rest is radi

In our culture of hyper-productivity, rest is radical. Creativity and inspiration can thrive when we take a moment to pause.

Repost @earthrise.studio

We worked hard this year to spread the message of

We worked hard this year to spread the message of grassroots resistance far and wide! We are honored that our films received so many awards from different film festivals and are being screened in remote areas across the world!

🛑 If you would like to request a hi-resolution copy of our films, suitable for public screenings, contact us at info@culturesofresistancefilms.com.

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18 hours ago

Check out this awesome urban intervention by our longtime ally PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)!We are happy to support PETA through our sister foundation, the Cultures of Resistance Network. A 2021 grant contributed to PETA’s work in Jordan and China. ... See MoreSee Less

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