Dear friends, supporters and colleagues,We hope there is something here for everyone in our autumn round-up, whether film related, campaign related – or both.
It’s been a summer where we have seen no let-up of the horrors inflicted by all sides on the people of Syria; calls to halt the sales of UK arms to Saudi Arabia as it continues its attacks on Yemen’s civilian population; Donald Trump seemingly rising in the polls; confusion after Brexit; and an unhealthy media preoccupation with Jeremy Corbyn resulting in attention to deeper domestic issues inevitably being sidelined.
But we are seeing progress in one hugely significant area. TTIP is now on the ropes. It has been a long battle – and it’s not over yet – but it proves that civil society’s determination to take on huge vested interests can pay off, as hundreds of thousands citizens across the EU who took part in the effort to stop TTIP can testify to.
We are working across a variety of projects that connect with many of the issues above. A short round-up is below. As always, a big thanks to ALL our funders – individuals and grant-makers alike.
Best wishes
From all at Tipping Point North South
FILMS TO WATCH
We Are Many is now available to buy on iTunes and DVD. The release of the Chilcot Report led to a second wave of interest in Amir’s film with numerous screenings across the UK. This included a special TPFF hosted post-Chilcot Report event at Friends Meeting House in London, home to the first anti-Iraq war movement meeting; and a special Oxford city screening with Larry Sanders, brother of Bernie, who joined Amir for the post film debate. And with the ongoing attention on Jeremy Corbyn, a contributor throughout the film, We Are Many also remains pertinent to current Labour Party debates as well as wider public debate, on the subject of UK foreign and military policy-making.
Open Bethlehem We are delighted that the English language version can now be streamed here on Vimeo. Leila’s film is now on release in Canada and the Montreal premiere was made possible with support from our Candian funding partners, Development and Peace. This follows on the heels of a successful spring /summer tour of Middle East countries, including several very special screenings in Bethlehem itself. Here’s a review describing Open Bethlehem as one of the five films to help you understand the modern Arab world. Finally, as of this month, we welcome Sara Apps, formerly Palestine Solidarity Campaign, to the Open Bethlehem team.
The Shadow World The Edinburgh Film Festival’s Best Cinema Documentary prize went to this eye-opening documentary about the shocking realities of the global arms trade. Director Johan Grimonprez and writer Andrew Feinstein pose the question ‘will we be allowed to choose peace over the business of war’? The film is based on Feinstein’s extraordinary book of the same name which uncovered the real cost of war, the way the arms trade drives it and how weapons are now being turned against the citizens of liberal democracies. We hope to work with this film in 2017 and in relation to our Five Per Cent campaign on runaway military spending.
Ken Loach has uploaded all his films to youtube. Start working your way through FIVE decades of utterly brilliant work…
And connected to our work this coming October Breast Cancer Awareness month, why not take a look at the brilliant work of French investigative journalist and film-maker Stephane Horel.We are looking forward to working with both her films Endocrination and Le Grande Invasion as part of our From Pink to Prevention campaign activity (more below). Stéphane has investigated the links between business, government and public health policy, with a special focus on a class of chemicals called endocrine (hormone) disruptors.
CAMPAIGNS
Make Apartheid History We marked our first year’s activity on Mandela Day (July 18th) and released a short highlights compilation video, which was screened as part of Palestine related events at the Edinburgh Festival (Café Palestina) and Greenbelt Festival, where TPFF hosted an event showcasing our MAH work. Next year sees some significant anniversaries including 100 years since the Balfour Declaration – we are working with our MAH partners on plans to mark this and other key calendar moments in 2017.
The Five Percent Campaign The UK is now number 2 in the world’s arms sales table, thanks largely to the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. The world’s No. 1 arms dealer, the United States alone has sold more than $115 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia under Obama’s presidency. India is on a $150bn military spending spree. Oxfam and CAAT are keeping up public and political pressure on the issue of UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia. We are calling for runaway military spending to be placed in the same category of international campaigns as debt cancellation, trade, tax and climate justice. While we continue to share 5% with our NGO colleagues here in the UK, we look forward to attending the forthcoming annual International Peace Bureau gathering in Berlin where we can share our ideas with colleagues across the world.
From Pink to Prevention Next month is October Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We will be hosting a special book launch event at UNISON on Mon 31st October with the publication of So Much To Be Done by the late American activist Barbara Brenner. We’re also producing a public awareness tool which we hope will help spread awareness about an elephant in the room – the role of environmental and occupational exposures in the global breast cancer epidemic.
More to come in our next Breast Cancer Month October newsletter.
EVENTS
As part of our economic justice work, we have developed several new projects rooted in recent history but with a profound resonance for today. They include Attlee Nation and Attlee Festival for 2017 and Project 2018 based on Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign and Economic Bill of Rights. Both projects are now moving forward as we secure collaborations with like-minded networks and organisations which can help in the realisation of work that is rooted in the legacy handed to us by those who have come before, in the struggle for social justice.
If you would like to know more about our work, email info@tippingpointnorthsouth.org
Tipping Point North South 