Cultures of Resistance
Iara Lee (2010)Categories: Documentary, Feature Competition

USA (2010) 73 min.
DIR Iara Lee CAST Medellin poets for peace, Capoeira masters from Brazil, Niger Delta militants, Iranian graffiti artists, Women’s movement leaders in Rwanda, Lebanon’s refugee filmmakers, US political pranksters, Indigenous Kayapo activist from the Xingu River, Israeli dissidents, Hip-hop artists from Palestine, Saffron revolution Burmese monks
In a global travel to all the world's areas of conflict, this documentary, full of color and cadence, shows what's being done in each one to resist war and instill respect for humanity: each of us is the same as all of us. In most efforts the arts are used to present issues and remedies... a poetry festival in Medellin, Syrian calligrapher, dance and musicians in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Congo, Iran... This film is an outstanding production, presenting places with beautiful cultures without glossing over the topic at hand of often disturbing images through brutality of an unblinking lens. An extraordinary use of world music is used to propel the film forward and crystallize the issues.
Does each gesture really make a difference? Can music and dance be weapons of peace? In 2003, on the eve of the Iraq war, director Iara Lee embarked on a journey to better understand a world increasingly embroiled in conflict and, as she saw it, heading for self-destruction. After several years, travelling over five continents, Iara encountered growing numbers of people who committed their lives to promote change. This is their story.
From Iran, where the graffitti and rap became tools in fighting back the regime, to Burma, where monks acting in the tradition of Gandhi take on a dictatorship, moving on to Brazil, where musicians reach out to slum kids and transform guns into guitars, and ending in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, where photography, music, and film have given a voice to those rarely heard, this documentary explores how art and creativity can be the ammunition in the battle for peace and justice.
Screens with...
Positive to PositiveMatt Diamond, James M. Parker, Vivi Thomasi Paiva, Amber Hurley, Trisha Vo (2010) 18 min.
Screenings
Sunday, November 13, 2011 |
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8:00 pm | xEntrada at Snow Canyon |