CNN’s ‘On China’: Talk about censoring contemporary art
“Which topics can you not talk about as an artist?” asks Kristie Lu Stout, host of the American tv-channel CNN’s programme ‘On China’, talking with guests in the studio about censorship of contemporary art in China. In this 2-minute excerpt from the programme, Wang Chunchen, curator of China Pavilion in Venice Biennale 2013, replies with [...]
India: Artists protest against state-sponsored censorship
A protest march demanded that the Bombay High court immediately release of members of the cultural troupe Kabir Kala Manch. Published on YouTube.com on 8 May 2013. On 2 May 2013, artists, writers, journalists, filmmakers, students, cultural activists and actors from theatre groups marched in protest from Sriram Centre to Maharashtra Sadan in Mumbai demanding [...]
Conference videos online now
The video material from the first world conference on artistic freedom of expression, ‘All that is banned is desired’, held in Oslo, Norway, in October 2012, is now available online – whole sessions as well as interviews with some of the artists and speakers. So this is the moment when the conference attendees can now [...]
Belarus: Video statement about the situation for arts
Piotr Kuljeu, founder of Art Siadziba, an independent cultural centre in Belarus, made this statement about the situation for arts in Belarus During Trans Europe Halles Meeting 74 in Gothenburg, Sweden, Piotr Kuljeu, founder of Art Siadziba in Minsk, Belarus, got a phone call. He learnt that the KGB had closed his independent cultural centre [...]
Iraq: Black Metal’s anti-religious message meets Islam
In July 2012 Kim Kelly from the Atlantic finally got in touch with somebody he had tried to reach for over a year: 28-year-old Anahita who is the voice behind the black metal solo project Janaza as well as its sister project Seeds of Iblis. Anahita is probably Iraq’s first female black metal singer – [...]
Belarus: Blacklisted rock musician speaks about censorship
Freemuse interview with musician Lavon Volski, a guitarist and vocalist of the group Krambambula The Belarusian singer and musician Lavon Volski gave an exclusive interview to Freemuse about the current repressions of the Belarusian regime against the independent music scene in the country which since 1994 has been governed by president Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Volski, born [...]
Lebanon: Youtube-series to tackle the thorny issue of censorship
A new Lebanese web-series, ‘MAMNOU3’, was launched on 1 July 2012. The series is a mockumentary account of what goes down in one of Lebanon’s most infamous administrative departments, the General Security’s censorship bureau. “At first sight it does seem that Lebanon has enjoyed wider freedoms than the rest of the Arab world. In reality, [...]
Ai Weiwei in new documentary film: ‘State censorship fuels my art’
A new documentary film, ‘Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry’, portrays China’s most iconic artist and activist. It was shown at the opening night gala of Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, which took place in Toronto, Canada, in May 2012, and it was reviewed with superlatives such as ‘powerful’, ‘essential’, ‘provocative’ and ‘stunning’. American filmmaker [...]
Saudi Arabia: Movie theatres are still banned, but the film business is moving on
Although Saudi Arabia has 27 million inhabitants, there is not a single movie theatre in the kingdom. Movie theatres were banned in the 1980’s in order to appease conservative clerics. The following is an introduction to the film business in the country today. First “all-Saudi” film Haifaa Al Mansour has directed one of the first [...]
Awarded Iranian film director speaks about censorship and restriction
In a video interview with Euronews in Cannes, film director Asghar Farhadi talks about the current restraints on Iranian film-makers. In February 2012, Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi’s film ‘Separation’ won two Oscar nominations and took the award for Best Foreign Language film, the first Iranian movie to win the honour. And in Cannes in [...]
Spanish artist facing prison for ‘cooking crucifix’ film
Leading Spanish artist Javier Krahe faces up to a year in prison after being prosecuted for “offending religious feelings”. Appearing in court in Madrid, Javier Krahe said he would go into exile in France if found guilty. He faces a possible fine of 144,000 euros. In a parody on the resurrection of Christ, [...]
Filmmakers in prison
FILMMAKERS IN PRISON is an initiative of the German Film Academy, which is committed to politically persecuted filmmakers. Below is a link to a mini movie which contains excerpts from the following movies: • ‘The Baader Meinhof Complex’ by Uli Edel • ‘The Experiment’ by Oliver Hirschbiegel • ‘Picco’ by Philip Koch • ‘Salvador – [...]
26-minute video film about exiled Algerian author Bouzeboudja
This documentary tells the story of progressive writer and activist Noufel Bouzeboudja, who fled Algeria because of severe persecution, and came to Denmark to stay in the ‘Refuge City’ of Fanoe for two years. Alongside Noufel Bouzeboudja’s personal story, the film explores the concept of the international network of Refuge Cities, ICORN, and the challenges [...]
Azerbaijan and Eurovision: Behind the propaganda
This video was produced by Human Rights Watch to show why the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) should speak out against Azerbaijan’s appalling record on freedom of expression in the lead-up to the Eurovision Song Contest. It contains an interview with exiled musician Jamal Ali: The Eropean Broadcasting Union, EBU, declined to show this video at [...]
Iranian Shirin Neshat: Our artists are at risk
Shirin Neshat has lived much of her life outside her native Iran. Her photographs and films offer a glimpse of the cultural, religious and political realities that shape the identities of Muslim women worldwide. In December 2010, TED posted this talk by Shirin Neshat in which she illustrates the challenges she faces as well as [...]
Iran: Graffiti artists speak out in video interview
In this short video film, the two members of Tehran Ratz – a dynamic duo of Iranian graffiti artists – discuss their efforts to use graffiti to challenge the legitimacy of the Iranian regime and to change international assumptions about their country’s people. They aim to give their illegal graffiti art an original Iranian identity. [...]
