Tipping Point’s Programme – 24,25,26 August
“Greenbelt ranks alongside Glastonbury as my favourite festival gig of the summer.” Mark Thomas.
TPFF looks forward to another bank holiday Greenbelt festival – and a special one as Greenbelt celebrates its 40thBirthday!
And our three day programme stays with the ‘anniversary’ theme as 50 years on, we mark Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech through the beautifully told story of his fellow civil rights friend and activist, the extra-ordinary Harry Belafonte; we preview TPFF supported film by Amir Amirani ‘We Are Many’ – a film marking the 10th anniversary of the 2003 global anti-Iraq war marches; and eight years on from Make Poverty History, we look at the tax campaign related outcomes of the recent G8 meeting as we screen the highly popular ‘We’re Not Broke’ – a film about corporates, tax avoidance and citizens.
We’ll be there Saturday, Sunday and Monday – 2pm-4.30pm at the film venue. Each screening is followed by post film discussion with specially invited guests…
We look forward to seeing you there!
Saturday 24th August 2pm
Sing Your Song (Susanne Rostock, 2011, 103 mins)
In this the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, we are screening a documentary about one of Dr King’s friends and iconic campaigners – Harry Belafonte.
Harry Belafonte is one of the truly heroic cultural and political figures of the past 60 years. Told from his point of view, the film charts his life from a boy born in New York and raised in Jamaica; his theatre beginnings and move into film. However, even as a superstar, the life of a black man in 1960s America was far from easy and Belafonte was confronted with the same Jim Crow laws and prejudices that every other black man, woman and child in America was facing. Among other things, the film presents a look at the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of an insider; someone who despite his high profile, wasn’t afraid to spend time in the trenches. From Harlem to Mississippi to Africa and South Central Los Angeles, Sing Your Song takes us on a journey through Harry Belafonte’s life, work and most of all, his conscience, as it inspires us all to action.
Joining us for a post film discussion is Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Speakers Chaplain to the House of Commons
The Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin was appointed to the role of Speaker’s Chaplain in June 2010 by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon John Bercow MP. She is the Vicar of the United Benefice of Holy Trinity with St Philip, Dalston, and All Saints, Haggerston, in the London diocese. Rose combines this parish role with the position of Speaker’s Chaplain and as Priest Vicar at Westminster Abbey. Rose was born and grew up in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Commissioned as a Church Army Officer in 1982, her theological training took place at the West Midlands Ministerial Training Course at Queens Theological College. She was ordained Deacon in 1991, and Priest in 1994. In 2007 she was appointed a chaplain to the Queen.
Sunday 25th August, 2pm
We Are Many (Amir Amirani, 2013, 100 mins) PREVIEW
In this the 10th anniversary of the global anti-war marches and invasion of Iraq, we are previewing this TPFF supported film that tells an as yet untold story about the hidden ‘people power’ legacy of those anti-Iraq war marches of February 2003. Interviewees include Danny Glover, Damon Albarn, Medea Benjamin, Phyllis Bennis, Richard Branson, Claire Short, Brian Eno, Ken Loach.
On February 15 2003, millions and millions of people, in over 800 cities across all seven continents, marched against the impending invasion of Iraq. It was the largest mobilization of people in human history and We Are Many shows the remarkable links between the 2003 protests and citizen movements such as Avaaz and 38 degrees; the Arab Spring, as well as with the occupation of cities across Europe and the USA – a clear line through the last 10 years of history. The 2003 protest failed to stop the Iraq War, and makde many question their democracies, but it drew a new map for protests to come.
Join us for a pre-autumn release preview followed by Q&A with director Amir Amirani. Amir has made award-winning radio and television programmes for BBC, C4, Al Jazeera and others. This is his first cinema documentary.
Monday 26th August, 2pm
We’re Not Broke (Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes, 2012, 81 mins)
Eight years on from Make Poverty History, the G8 met again in the UK. Tax avoidance was top of the agenda, and we are seeing more and more attention on how society can truly ensure that rich individuals and corporations pay what taxes are truly due.
We’re Not Broke was an Official Selection at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and is the story of how U.S. corporations have been able to hide over a trillion dollars from Uncle Sam; how seven fed-up Americans from across the country, take their frustration to the streets; and how they vow to make the corporations pay their fair share America is in the grip of economic panic.
United States legislators cry “We’re Broke!” as they slash budgets, lay off schoolteachers, police, and fire-fighters, destroying the country’s social fabric and leaving many Americans scrambling to survive. Meanwhile, multibillion-dollar American corporations like Exxon, Google and Bank of America are making record profits. And while the deficit climbs and the cuts go deeper, these corporations—with intimate ties to political leaders—are concealing colossal profits overseas to avoid paying U.S. income tax.
Join us for a Q&A after the film with Alastair Roxburgh, Tax Campaign Christian Aid and Liz Nelson from Tax Justice Network. TJN promotes research into and education on the ways in which tax and related regulation and legislation can be used to promote development, encourage citizenship and relieve poverty within the context of local, national and international economies and societies.
Pictures of the Day
We are delighted that the Cambridge Film Festival 2013 are screening Leila Sansour’s ‘Operation Bethlehem’ as a work in progress
Tipping Point North South 