Submissions sort for CREATE Film Festival
Date uploaded: March 9, 2016
In Place of War is an organisation that empowers, mobilises and connects artists and creative communities living in sites of war, revolution and conflict. Working with artists, producers, researchers and cultural activists, they build powerful networks, create social change through creativity and demonstrate the value of the arts to public space, public life and public debate.
In 2016, IPOW launches its first ever film programme, CREATE Film Festival, a series of events and screenings that celebrate and explore the multiple roles that creativity can play in generating positive social change in sites of conflict and post-conflict. IPOW are looking for films which explore and document creativity in such contexts, but which also reflect in themselves the high calibre of work in this field, and thus demonstrate the important role that film making has in the development of the creative industries in these regions, as well as its role as a tool for sharing alternative voices within the narrative of conflict.
Originally a research project as part of The University of Manchester, their research over the last ten years has pointed to one key finding - that, so often, the most creative communities are found in the most challenging contexts. When people have to think creatively just in order to survive, the level of creativity they invest in the arts, in cultural production, in community building and in narrating and understanding their own experiences results in some truly remarkable outcomes - not only great art, but real change for their immediate communities, and inspiration for the wider world. IPOW's Production strand is a core area of work - a way to introduce artists to new audiences, offer emerging talent new platforms and experiences in which to share their work, and provide a space where we can share the alternative narratives in sites of conflict.
Screenings will focus on four broad themes:
WOMEN IN CONFLICT - Whilst equal rights for women remains an urgent issue across the world in sites of conflict and post-conflict, this imbalance and the risks it carries are often more acute, and ensuring that women’s experiences and narratives of war are heard and listened to is crucial. At the same time, In Place of War has continually found examples of female artists and collectives who, in spite of the conflict and oppression they face, have risen up against such injustices, using creativity as a way to come together, share their experiences and spread their call to action.
Does your film chart the rise of women graffiti artists in Lebanon, or follow the work of a female theatre director in Rwanda? Or are you a female filmmaker who through your films offers a women's narrative on recent events in your country? If you have a film that raises the female voice in areas of conflict, get in touch.
(Films for this screening do not have to be from a specific geographical area, but should be based and created in a region or community which is or has recently experienced conflict or humanitarian crisis).
THE MIDDLE EAST - IPOW has encountered many examples of extraordinary artists across the Middle East using art as a vehicle to empower, resist and challenge the status quo. This programme will centre on the Kurds, whose ongoing struggle for independence and self-determination has placed them right in the crossfire between the various conflicting interests in the region. How does a displaced culture, divided across four separate countries, retain its sense of identity and unity? How is its creativity defined by the situation, and how does it work in defiance of it?
Does your film document the use of art in a time of revolution or uprising? Does it explore wider issues of a culture under threat and seeking to proclaim and celebrate itself?
DR CONGO - IPOW has worked with DRC communities in Manchester for many years as well as working with local partners in Goma and Bukavu through research, training and the development of a new creative space for young people. The conflict in DRC has inspired many to make creative responses to challenge and talk about the corruption and inequality that impacts the majority of people.
Does your film document the artists of DRC? Does it show how the arts has challenged the political situation?
THE NEIGHBOURHOODS OF LATIN AMERICA - In Place of War has worked across the neighbourhoods of Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela with communities who suffer the consequences of conflict. Through our work we have witnessed the use of urban arts and hip-hop culture as an alternative to a more violent life – hip-hop in the city of Medellin, Colombia; the ‘passinho’ dance movement across the favelas of Brazil and cultural spaces made from converted shipping containers in Venezuela.
Does your film document hip-hop culture as a vehicle to transform communities? Can you tell the story of Latin American neighbourhoods through your work?
APPLICATION PROCESS & CRITERIA
For full details of the project and how to apply, please click here.
