It hardly seems possible but it is 20 years since the world mobilised to speak out and tell their governments ‘Not in Our Name’ – no invasion of Iraq. Marches took place on every continent, including Antarctica.
Did it stop the war? No. Were the arguments made by those against the invasion proven right? Yes. Deborah Burton and Ho-Chih Lin have co-written a blog with Amir Amirani, director of We Are Many to mark this 20th anniversary. One of the core messages of the film – foreign and defence policy-making built upon lies and misinformation can only lead to long term often catastrophic consequences – now remains at the heart of our Transform Defence project.
Reflecting on 20 years since the global anti-Iraq war marches and the invasion that followed
In the nine years of the Iraq War, according to the Costs of Wars Project, around 300,000 people (including civilians) were killed directly and many more killed indirectly. The invasion of Iraq by the United States-led coalition was estimated to have released around 250 million tCO2e. Despite this enormous climate impact, there is a shocking lack of transparency and accountability to the UNFCCC for this particular sector. Ever rising military budgets fund the big GHG emitting hardware. The richest countries are spending 30 times as much on their armed forces as they spend on providing climate finance for the world’s most vulnerable countries
TALK: Military Emissions, Military Spending and Climate Change, Drexel University USA
Post COP27 Deborah was invited to give a webinar as part of a series for Drexel University’s Green Infrastructure, Climate and Cities programme followed by a panel discussion with Prof Franco Montalto and Kristy Kelly PhD, a specialist in gender and development.
Watch the talk here.
Also delighted to have joined CODEPINK in the USA for a webinar on unpacking COP27 – the highs and the lows; what was achieved for the issue of military emissions and spending; and what we might expect from COP28 in Dubai.
FILM: MLK Global
MLK Day 16 January: To mark MLK Day our MLK Global team – Yolande Cadore in NYC, Dionne Gravesande and Deborah Burton – wrote this piece.
March 29th: We look forward to returning to Union Chapel in Islington, north London, for another screening of the outstanding film: From Montgomery to Memphis. Check Union Chapel website for more information nearer the date.
UN SUBMISSION: Missing Military Emissions
The Global Stocktake is a new UNFCCC process to gather information on GHG emissions with the results to be presented at COP28 this year in Dubai. The stocktake enables the assessment of global collective progress on mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation and support.
Critically, the process needs information about what is not being ‘counted’ and unreported military emissions are just that. We are working to get military emissions on the Global Stocktake and with seven other research and advocacy groups (Europe & USA) we have just made a joint submission based on the recommendations of our June 2022 report on military emissions reporting to the UNFCCC.
Reflecting on twenty years since the historic global anti-Iraq war marches.
Amir Amirani, director of We Are Many , Deborah Burton & Ho-Chih Lin
This 15 February 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the unprecedented global anti-war protest against the US-led coalition invasion of Iraq. The story of this amazing day was retold in Amir Amirani’s highly acclaimed cinema documentary ‘We Are Many’ released in 2015 and a film for which Tipping Point North South was proud to have been an early funder through its Film Fund. We Are Many was an important film in many ways, not least in how it made clear the disastrous (and deceitful) USA and UK foreign policy decisions that have led to more than two decades of conflict in the region. And the film also makes clear how the war in Iraq was founded upon a lie – the lie that the US political class told their citizens: that Saddam Hussein was implicated in 9/11. He was not. As British journalist Peter Oborne says in the film, it was clear that those calling for no war in the UK (the peace movement and others) knew more than the foreign office and civil service, since those anti-war voices were utterly vindicated as the war took its toll.
Summary:
In the nine years of the Iraq War, according to the Costs of Wars Project, around 300,000 people (including civilians) were killed directly and many more killed indirectly.
The invasion of Iraq by the United States-led coalition was estimated to have released around 250 million tCO2e.
At COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh it was revealed how significant military emissions in peacetime and war were, estimated to be 5% of global GHG emissions.
Despite this enormous climate impact, there is a shocking lack of transparency and accountability to the UNFCCC for this particular sector.
Ever rising military budgets fund the big GHG emitting hardware. The richest countries are spending 30 times as much on their armed forces as they spend on providing climate finance for the world’s most vulnerable countries.
IRAQ: THE CLIMATE IMPACTS OF WAR
The terrible and enormous human, economic and societal costs of the Iraq war and the conflicts that followed have combined to leave a scar on our global collective conscience. Yet those lessons have not been learned.
The global War on Terror is still ongoing, albeit to a much lesser degree since the end of the conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq and, as of February 2022, we saw the invasion of another sovereign country by a military superpower, namely the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Once again, the media has been broadcasting images and footage of the catastrophic toll on innocent children, women and men.
And the coverage of Ukraine has also been revealing something else – the toll on the environment, on our climate and in a way the Iraq war never did.
In the nine years of the Iraq War, according to the Costs of Wars Project, around 300,000 people (including civilians) were killed directly and many more killed indirectly. If all the wars in the US-led global War on Terror were considered, the total direct casualties would be estimated to be nearly 1 million and total US war spending between 2001 -2022, $8 trillion.
But there was one ‘cost’ that had neglected and it was the climate cost because military greenhouse gas emissions in war – at that time – was generally absent from both media coverage and climate policy-making.
The invasion of Iraq by the United States-led coalition was estimated to have released around 250 million tCO2e. Professor Neta Crawford estimates accumulated emissions of the USA military at 1.3 billion metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent for the war-intensive period 2001-2018, with war-related activities in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria responsible for 440 million tCO2e between 2001 and 2018.
The destruction during wars of natural or man-made carbon stocks such as forests, energy infrastructure and oil wells can also reach hundreds of millions tCO2e. The burning and reconstruction of cities during and after a country-wide conflict can readily release emissions on a similar scale.
And for Iraq you could read Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Palestine, Ukraine. The list is endless. We have no idea of the cumulative GHG emissions impact of these 21st century wars, let alone what went before in the wars of the 20th century.
UKRAINE: CLIMATE IMPACT OF WAR NOW ON THE AGENDA
Fast forward to 2022 and COP27 Sharm El-Sheikh where an official Blue Zone side event entitled ‘Dealing with military and conflict-related emissions under the UNFCCC’ was hosted by the Ukraine government and CAFOD, making a welcome change on this otherwise hidden issue.
The event had been the result of conversations developed as a result of Tipping Point North South’s June 2022 report by Axel Michaelowa et al., ‘Military and Conflict-Related Emissions: Kyoto to Glasgow and Beyond’ and presented at the COP27 event alongside a groundbreaking report by the Ukraine government ‘Climate damage caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine’. In producing the first country accounting of GHG emissions in conflict, the Ukraine report inevitably showed how much information is missing from other conflicts, past and present. It also highlighted another truth: there has not been anywhere near the same level of military emissions detail on Iraq or Syria or other conflicts. The Ukraine report also proved that if governments want to, and vitally, have the capacity to calculate emissions from war, it can be done.
At Sharm El-Sheikh it revealed just how significant military emissions are in peacetime and war. Along with the supply chain – the makers of the jets, warships, missiles, bombs and bullets – and based on partial and patchy data (because reporting is voluntary) it’s estimated at 5.5% of global GHG emissions. Some 2,750 tCO2e estimated for the carbon footprint of the world’s militaries and associated military technology industry makes it comparable to the combined emissions of civilian aviation (2%) and civilian shipping (3%) sectors.
Notably, this figure does not yet include conflict-related sources, including emissions from infrastructure or landscape fires, the degradation of carbon sinks, post-conflict reconstruction and healthcare for victims. Yet given this enormous climate impact, there is a shocking lack of transparency and accountability for this particular sector.
Just the first seven months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been estimated to be responsible for at least 100 million tCO2e. For comparison, Ukraine’s total CO2 emissions in 2021 (prior to the invasion in 2022) was 185 million tonnes. Conflict-related emissions are substantial, even before we take account of the human suffering and the long-term environmental degradation and pollution.
INDIVISIBLE: MILITARY EMISSIONS AND MILITARY SPENDING
And the other side of the coin is this: ever rising military budgets fund the big GHG emitting hardware. Tipping Point North South took a second report to COP27 – ‘Climate Collateral: How military spending is accelerating climate breakdown’ where we joined with the Transnational Institute and Stop Wappenhandel (Netherlands) to connect the dots between military emissions, military spending and climate finance and revealed that the richest countries (categorised as Annex II in the UN climate talks) are spending 30 times as much on their armed forces as they spend on providing climate finance for the world’s most vulnerable countries, which they are legally bound to do. And just one year’s military spending by the top 10 military spenders would pay for promised international climate finance for 15 years (at $100bn a year).
The possibility of keeping global temperature change below 1.5°C is rapidly receding, with global heating on track for the calamitous 3°C. At this late stage, every single effort to reduce emissions matters and this is especially true when it relates to such a major sectoral emitter, and a source – conflicts – whose emissions dynamics have historically been ignored.
To reduce military emissions we have to start by reducing excessive military spending – there is no way round it. Simply put, fossil fuels are the lifeblood of modern militaries, more military spending directly leads to more military emissions. The War on Terror, especially the Iraq War, kick-started the dramatic decades-long growth in military spending, with the United States spending more than the next top 10 military spenders combined. Where the US leads, the rest follow – global military spending is now more than $2 trillion a year, much more than what we spent during the Cold War.
Meantime, Loss and Damage needs major funding commitment and climate finance for developing countries needs to have the $100bn annual commitment made real not least for the peoples of the many post 9/11 conflicts so hard hit by 20 years of conflict, and who themselves now live with the terrible impacts of climate change.
The big military spending nations are not only up to their eyes in that post 9/11 catastrophe, their militaries also contributed to climate change itself as a result of their military activities there. We need look no further for Loss and Damage funding than inside the insane levels of spending on weaponry, all useless in the face of the greatest threat to our collective safety: climate chaos.
Amir Amirani, Producer/Director, We Are Many
Deborah Burton, Tipping Point North South, and Executive Producer, We Are Many
Dr. Ho-Chih Lin, Transform Defence Project, and Associate Producer, We Are Many
Join us to mark a special North American ‘100 Cities’ virtual cinema screening
We Are Many
September 21st/22nd
Marking the UN International Day of Peace, we are delighted that our film We Are Many will be premiered across the USA and Canada with a wonderful celebratory event that will also include music and a panel discussion.We will be joining the event here in the UK with our own Tipping Point Film Fund ‘virtual cinema’ screening and we hope that those of you who didn’t get to see the film on its release may take this moment to see the film as part of this unique live event taking place across North America. Continue reading →
A brief mini-update below on some of the issues we continue to work on with a few links we hope may be of interest.
WE ARE MANY FILM April 8th
We’re excited to share news about Stop the War’s Mass Viewing of We Are Many and Q&A with director Amir Amirani on Wednesday 8 April.Stop the War are giving 5 days to try and watch this acclaimed film about the global anti-Iraq war movement, after which they will host a Q&A with Amir and two special guests, via Zoom.
We’re delighted to be bringing three events to next week’s TWT in Liverpool – our Clem Attlee Readings plus films We Are Many and From Montgomery to Memphis.
If you’re planning to be at TWT we hope to see you at one of events:)
And do share with any friends and colleagues who may also be at TWT!
Amir Amirani’s film We Are Many was in the research and making for more than nine years. Addressing the illegality of the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent undermining of democratic processes, it sets alongside the power of public protest and mass mobilisations of the anti-Iraq war movement – a movement that was to inspire the Egyptian uprising of 2011; a movement of more than 15 million people, in 800 cities, in 70 countries who marched to protest the imminent invasion of Iraq; a movement which shaped a generation.
Tipping Point Film Fund was the film’s first funder in late 2010 and was an executive producing partner throughout. It was a lead partner on a Kick-starter campaign that raised $92k for the production costs and worked with Amir across fundraising, production, editing, and release in UK cinemas in 2016, as well as the film’s outreach on related peace issues. Find out more here.
WE ARE MANY is available on iTunes and Google Play.
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. Continue reading →
Tipping Point Film Fund is proud to be supporting this project with funding, fundraising and campaign outreach support.
The Context
This film is being made at a time where ‘people power’ is coming into its own, again. The Arab Spring, Occupy Movements around the world, the Indignados in Spain. From Wall Street to Wisconsin, from Madrid to Athens, and all across the Middle East, people are rising up to make their voices heard. We are going through a unique period of popular protest, seeing the start of a mass, global movement, demanding real democracy and justice. The anti-war marches of 2003 played a huge role in laying the ground for much of this global activism.
THE TRAILER
The Film
‘We Are Many is a film about a single day and its aftermath. It is the story of an untold chapter in the history of people power. By turns uplifting and chilling, it reveals both the power and potential of ordinary people, as well as the dark underbelly of the war machine. It also draws a connecting line from 2003 to the present-day global activist networks as well as the wave of citizen protests seen across the world, beginning with the Arab Spring.
On February 15 2003, in a totally unprecedented event, 15 million people, some say up to 30 million, in over 800 cities around the world across all seven continents, marched against the impending war on Iraq. But how did this come about? The film will chronicle the birth, growth and rise of a new kind of movement, from those that built it, participated in it, and those who opposed it. From the stories of mothers who marched while their soldier sons went to war, to stories of men and women who had never marched before in their lives; from scientists protesting in Antarctica, to September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows protesting in New York; the story of February 15 2003 is a journey into the heart of a movement that became transformed into a phenomenon. The film recounts the twists and turns of these opposing forces, the revelations and leaks, inquiries and high level hearings which have come to light since the invasion.
Spread the word, see the film and
learn more about the issue
WE ARE MANY will be available on iTunes from July 18th and DVD from August 1st. It has been acquired by UNIVERSAL PICTURES for worldwide distribution (excluding North America). Planning is now underway for the theatrical release of the film in the USA.
The We Are Many website will be a resource on many levels – from story sharing to learning more about how to get involved with some of the many issues raised in the film. We at Tipping Point are also working on our in-house developed campaign focussed on runaway military spending, developed alongside our work on the film.
We hope the film can raise debate on many inter-connected issues that the Iraq War has raised, and will continue to raise – from the value of protest to political accountability; from the costs of war to the bringing of charges of war crimes to those who took us into this disastrous conflict.
‘We Are Many premiere screening takes Sheffield Doc/fest by storm. The reception for Amir’s film about the world’s largest protest – the anti-Iraq invasion protests of 2003 – was incredible, getting a standing ovation from the audience, much feedback on twitter and some brilliant reviews.
Press
“A work of beautiful rage. Provokes anger and goosebumps”
Empire
“consistently intelligent and nuanced”
Variety
“incredibly ambitious… gripping. The only film I’ve ever watched where the audience started clapping halfway through…” ★★★★★
Huffington Post
“rousing and moving, it’s a film that should be seen by the many” ★★★★☆
Radio Times
Thursday 14th July
Special Public Screening at Friends House
A special screening of Amir Amirani’s film WE ARE MANY will take place at the venue where the anti-Iraq invasion movement started: Friends House in London. It is timed to mark the release of the Chilcot Inquiry the previous week. The post film discussion will include Amir Amirani & guest speakers.
Doors open 6.30pm. Film starts 7.10pm (running time 1hr 50 mins) Panel / Q&A to follow. Event ends 9.30pm. Tickets £5 (no advance ticket sales – buy on the night only) Venue: Friends House 173-177 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ Continue reading →
We Are Many is a film about a single day and its aftermath. It is the story of an untold chapter in the history of people power. By turns uplifting and chilling, it reveals both the power and potential of ordinary people, as well as the dark underbelly of the war machine. It also draws a connecting line from 2003 to the present-day global activist networks as well as the wave of citizen protests seen across the world, beginning with the Arab Spring.
We are delighted to be sharing the UK release plans for Amir Amirani’s cinema documentary WE ARE MANY. Tipping Point Film Fund was an early funder of the film; has supported the project over the past four and half years and is very proud of its association with this timely, moving and empowering film.
SEE THE FILM – WHERE AND WHEN
1. Thursday 21 May 8pm: Curzon Mayfair & cinemas across the UK
A special screening followed by a panel discussion and Q&A, exploring the global movement’s impact and legacy 12 years on. Journalist and broadcaster Jon Snow will host the discussion with director Amir Amirani, executive producer and comedian Omid Djalili, convenor of the Stop The War Coalition Lindsey German and Professor of International Law at UCL Philippe Sands. The post screening discussion will be streamed live to cinemas across the UK .
The WAM website will be a resource on many levels – from story sharing to learning more about how to get involved with some of the many issues raised in the film. We at Tipping Point are also working on our in-house developed campaign focussed on runaway military spending, developed alongside our work on the film. We hope that WE ARE MANY can raise debate on many inter-connected issues that the Iraq War has raised – and will continue to raise; from the value of protest to political accountability; from the costs of war to the bringing of charges of war crimes to those who took us into this disastrous conflict.
We hope you get to see the film at some stage during the UK release.
Best wishes
Amir, Deborah, Ho-Chih and the WAM team
ABOUT THE FILM
We Are Many is the never-before-told story of the largest demonstration in human history, and how the movement created by a small band of activists changed the world. On February 15th, 2003, up to 30 million people, many of whom had never demonstrated before in their lives, came out in nearly 800 cities around the world to protest against the impending Iraq War. The New York Times called this movement the “Second Superpower”. How did this day come about? Who organized it?
And was it, as many people claimed, a total failure? This is not quite the story we all assumed it to be. The film has testimony from a first class list of interviewees including John Le Carre, Danny Glover, Brian Eno, Medea Benjamin, Jesse Jackson, Tariq Ali, Noam Chomsky, Mark Rylance, Damon Albarn, Leslie Cagan, Tony Benn, Lindsay German, Ken Loach, Hans Blix.
“The global protest against the Iraq War on 15 February 2003 was a pivotal moment in recent history, the consequences of which have gone unreported. Amir Amirani’s We Are Many chronicles the struggle to shift power from the old establishment to the new superpower that is global public opinion, through the prism of one historic day. I urge you to support this film in whatever way you can.” – Oliver Stone
We are delighted to be sharing the UK release plans for Amir Amirani’s cinema documentary WE ARE MANY. Tipping Point Film Fund was an early funder of the film; has supported the project over the past four and half years and is very proud of its association with this timely, moving and empowering film.
Tipping Point Film Fund was the first film funder of We Are Many, in late 2010; it was a lead partner on a Kick-starter campaign that raised $92k for the production costs and it worked with Amir throughout the fundraising, production, editing and NGO outreach period.
Amir Amirani’s film We Are Many was in the research and making for more than nine years. It addresses the illegality of the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent undermining of democratic processes, set alongside the power of public protest and mass mobilisations of the anti-Iraq war movement – a movement that was to inspire the Egyptian uprising of 2011.
The reception for Amir’s film about the world’s largest protest – the anti-Iraq invasion protests of 2003 – took the UK’s leading documentary festival by storm! Continue reading →
Tali Hatuka, an Israeli urban geographer, whose book on the new forms of protest will be published next year, identifies the mass mobilisations against the Iraq war in 2003 as a turning point in how people protest. Hatuka argues that, while previous large public protests had tended to be focused and narrow in their organisation, the Iraq war protests saw demonstrations in 800 cities globally which encompassed and tolerated a wide variety of outlooks. Continue reading →
Amir Amirani’s film We Are Many has been in the research and making for more than six years. It addresses the illegality of the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent undermining of democratic processes, set alongside the power of public protest and mass mobilisations of the anti-Iraq war movement – a movement that was to inspire the Egyptian uprising of 2011 and in turn, Occupy Wall Street.
So, another year is about to come to an end – does anyone out there have a trick to share about how we can slow down time? It passes way too fast!!
It’s been a year of unbelievable upheaval and turmoil, but one of people protest too. We here are optimistic that the so-called 99% will see a more just set of solutions come out of the chaos we have witnessed this past year because there are so many fantastic networks and organisations out there who are taking the ‘1%‘ on. And support for them will grow next year, for sure!
On that note, we continue to be amazed at theJust Do It team – the film is now truly on its international journey. If you have any doubt about the power of protest and non-violent direct action, this film will put it to bed! TPFF remains a very proud supporter of Emily and her team.
We Are Many
And to continue the ‘protest’ theme, there’s been great news on Amir Amirani’s film, ‘We Are Many’. Our recent Kickstarter online funding campaign raised $92k –significantly exceeding our target of $70k! This means the film can begin production in early 2012. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED – a special thanks to project partner War on Want for their help with the campaign.
TPFF is supporting the film with funding, fundraising and campaign development. Tim Robbins, Jemima Khan, Mark Rylance and Terry Jones are a few of the latest individuals to come on board; Oliver Stone has given his endorsement and no less than Stephen Fry has tweeted the film!
And were you one of the millions who marched on February 15th, 2003, to stop the Iraq Invasion? If so, tell us your story here.
The Road to Bethlehem
Leila took time out this year due to illness, but we are delighted she is back on form and picking up her work on the film again. ‘The Road to Bethlehem’ will be ready for a UK/Ireland release, along with campaign outreach, in mid-2012 and a USA/Canada release Christmas 2012. This comes as we see Palestine move for recognition at the UN, so we expect the timing of the film and its campaign to resonate across the USA as well as UK/Europe. We recently received a $15,000 private donation for the film to go towards this next stage and are in the process of seeking partners for the release of the film in the UK. If you would like to know how to support the film email info@tippingpointfilmfund.com.
If you live in the Richmond, Surrey area join us for an evening hosted by the Palestine Solidarity Committee. Leila will show excerpts from the film, share what it meant to document five momentous years in the life of Bethlehem and explain why she believes that Bethlehem has a crucial role to play in bringing about change in the Middle East.
Sunday 8th January 2012 at 8pm (Admission free, doors open at 7.30pm)
St Mary Magdalene, Church Walk off Paradise Road, Richmond TW9 1SN
TPFF is working with Australian director Shane Ward to help progress the development of his film ‘Prohibition: A Modern Addiction’ addressing the failure of the global war on drugs – a war that has cost hundreds of billions of dollars; that is abjectly failing those poorer nations affected by drugs; criminalising generation after generation of poor, often black, young people; while at the same time enriching cartels, the US private prison system and many others along the way.
Yet there is a growing recognition of the reality which is – this ‘war’ is making matters worse, not better. So what are the ways forward? What does the evidence tell us and do we have the courage to rethink the approach, the discourse, on prohibition?
Shane has spent two years researching the issue and has the support of many of the world’s leading drug policy experts – from policy and campaign groups to law-makers and enforcers. We are now at the stage of raising funds to move to the next stage of development and pulling together the all-essential fundraising trailer. If you would like to know more about the film’s campaign partners please find out more at:
If you would like to help us raise funds for the film, please email info@tippingpointfilmfund.com for more information.
TPFF Film Club
Thanks to all our Film Club supporters for another great year of film screenings and a very big thanks to ALL our great panellists and directors who always make our Q&A’s so good! Highlights were Inside Job, The End of Poverty?, The Take, Just Do It, Iraq: War Love God Madness; When China Met Africa and An African Election.
As ever, thanks to the Bernie Grant Arts Centre and the lovely Lexi Cinema team for being such great partners! Thanks to Dogwoof for being our festival partners; and a special shout out to the team at Humanfilm – Mohammed, Isabelle, Danny and Kathryn – keep up the amazing work and we urge everyone to check out Humanfilm – their films and campaigns. Thanks for Greenbelt 2011!
And a Big Thank You to…
And finally, we end this year as last year, with a BIG THANK YOU to The Co-operative, without whom there would be no TPFF and to our donors, one off and regular givers, whose support to the Fund we hugely appreciate.
We send you all our best wishes for the festive season and wish you a peaceful New Year.
Nov 7th sees the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for Amir Amirani’s film ‘We Are Many’. The film definitively tells the story of the 30 million worldwide who marched against the Iraq invasion and how it was globally co-ordinated while, at the same time, the few determined to take us to war made their preparation for it.
While the marches didn’t stop the invasion, they did trigger something unexpected. As the Feb 15th global movement (USA, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Asia) co-ordinated itself, it was giving birth to a whole new global online activist movement – one that created networks and global co-ordinated actions we now take for granted. This legacy reaches as far into the present-day such as the Arab Spring, where stories of activists in Cairo, on seeing the London 2003 Hyde Park marchers, said ‘one day we will have our own Hyde Park’. In 2011, they did.
See trailer here:
Do visit the film’s page on Kickstarter where you can donate online – help us reach the $70k target so that production can begin!
Here’s a quick round-up of TPFF news – dates for your diary, project news, more films and campaigns to watch out for and, most importantly, read to the end to find out how you can get more involved with what we do!
FILM PROJECT NEWS
We Are Many
We are delighted to say we are working with director Amir Amirani to help raise funds and provide campaign outreach support for his film We Are Many, which will be released in 2013 to mark the 10th anniversary of the global anti-Iraq invasion marches. ‘We Are Many’ is a film about a single day and its aftermath – an untold chapter in the history of people power. By turns uplifting and chilling, it reveals both the power and potential of ordinary people, as well as the dark underbelly of the war machine.
Imagine This (working title)
As we witness the outcome of unfettered greed in the markets and financial systems, TPFF is leading on the development of a film that will take us on a journey to show how you can combine ethics and commercial success. Some are arguing that the ‘unselfish gene’ is embedded in many areas of human economic activity – we just don’t seem to make much noise about it . Taking an international look at this subject, the first stage research has been completed. Read here for more.
The Road to Bethlehem
Following from a very successful presentation at the Dubai International Film Festival, and as distribution plans for its release for Christmas get underway, we are embarking on the task of fundraising for the film’s outreach campaign to accompany the film’s release. As part of this, there will be a fundraiser held at Amnesty International’s Human Rights Action Centre on May 16th, with a screening of Jeremy Hardy vs The Israeli Army, with a Q&A with Jeremy and Leila. If you would like to book for this event or find out more about how you can help, email info@tippingpointfilmfund.com.
More ones to watch…
Just Do It – TPFF is part of the funding community supporting Emily James’s film about environmental activists, due for release this summer.
Our Generation – Sinem Saban & Damien Curtis’s shocking new documentary about present day Australia’s abuse of Aboriginal people’s rights – land, culture and freedoms.
New Dogwoof Release on June 21st – Countdown to Zero
“The horror film to end all horror films.” – Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
“Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, or miscalculation, or by madness.” – President John F. Kennedy
Nine nations possess nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them. The world is now held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Written and directed by Academy Award® nominated documentarian Lucy Walker (Waste Land, The Devil’s Playground, Blindsight), Countdown to Zero traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs. It makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament and features an array of important international statesmen, including Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Pervez Musharraf.
The film’s UK distributor, Dogwoof (The Age of Stupid), have announced Demand Zero Day on Tuesday 21 June. The film will screen simultaneously across the UK and Ireland before venues link up live to London’s BAFTA for a high-profile panel discussion starring Queen Noor of Jordan, Valerie Plame and Tarantino’s producer, Lawrence Bender. Audiences will also be encouraged to join the discussion and text in their questions. Not screening near you? You can bring the premiere to your community by hosting your very own. Dogwoof’s Ambassadors programme allows individuals to make a big social impact while generating funds for both themselves and the filmmakers. Find out where the Countdown to Zero is playing and bring the movement to your area with Ambassadors.
TPFF is a member of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition and this Spring, SCC are driving The Big Climate Re-Connection – find out how you can make sure your MP pushes the government to deliver the best possible Climate Act.
We are also members of the wonderful Tax Justice Network – who worked closely with author Nicholas Shaxson to produce a new book, Treasure Islands – the truth about tax havens. Check it out.
Join a revolution – courtesy of The Co-operative! The Co-op Group are encouraging its customers to Join The Revolution as it announces the most radical sustainability programme in UK corporate history that will spearhead its membership drive and help build a more sustainable economy. Get involved!
Britdoc’s excellent Case Study on End of the Line was recently published and aims to illustrate just how and why film matters and makes a tangible impact that is auditable.
TPFF FILM CLUB & Save the Dates…
April 18th, May 16th, Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre
TPFF held recent events at the Lexi Cinema – End of Poverty (to mark Fairtrade Fortnight) and Academy Award winner Inside Job. Both played to full houses, followed by great post-film discussions with great panellists – so watch this space for our next Lexi screenings! We are now exploring taking TPFF film club to other London venues as well as other cities around the UK…
Meantime, on April 18th, we are partnering with Jubilee Debt Campaign and Pambazuka News to co-host a film + panel discussion to mark 50 years since the death of DRC’s first independent leader – Patrice Lumumba, assassinated just 10 weeks after his election. The event will ask: 50 years on, what future for the Congo?
7pm, admission free, on a first come first serve basis on the night. Read here for more.
May 16th – join TPFF, Jeremy Hardy and Leila Sansour for a fundraising event for The Road to Bethlehem outreach campaign at Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre. Tickets on sale soon – watch this space. Meantime, if you would like to know more email info@tippingpointfilmfund.com.
GROWING THE FUND…
TPFF raises funds for projects from various sources – individuals, charities, NGOs. More and more, people are asking us ‘how can we help?’ or ‘how can we get more involved?’ – so here is how! Fundamentally, we need supporters to back the fund and spread the word. The more the fund grows, the more projects we can support. Find out more – or email info@tippingpointfilmfund.com if you would like to talk to one of us at TPFF about how you can get more involved.
The Global Stocktake is a new UNFCCC process to gather information on GHG emissions with the results to be presented at COP28 this year in Dubai. The stocktake enables the assessment of global collective progress on mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation and support.
TPFF Festive Greetings!
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