Posts Tagged ‘International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR)’

Filmmakers coalition protests travel ban against Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof

May 10, 2023

The Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been prevented from leaving his home country.

This comes shortly after fellow Iranian director Jafar Panahi could leave Iran after a travel ban against him was lifted.

Both have repeatedly gotten into conflict with the Iranian authorities, had their passports confiscated and been jailed. Last year, the Iranian authorities arrested Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad over an appeal they posted on social media speaking out against the disproportionate repression of civil protestors. Jafar Panahi was then arrested as he was protesting the detention of his colleagues. Now one can travel, the other not.
The the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk was founded by the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, International Film Festival Rotterdam and the European Film Academy. The ICFR’s mission is to advocate for and to act in solidarity with filmmakers at risk.

The ICFR calls on the Iranian authorities to drop the travel ban against Mohammad Rasoulof and we encourage all film and culture institutions around the world to do the same.

https://www.icfr.international/news/let-mohammad-rasoulof-go/

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hajooj kuka: another case for the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR)

September 20, 2020

Bruce Haring reported on 19 September that Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente, the co-heads of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) have called for the immediate release of documentary filmmaker hajooj kuka. The new NGO for filmmakers at risk could pick it up, see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2020/09/08/%e2%80%8binternational-coalition-for-filmmakers-at-risk-launched-officially/

He, along with four other artists (Duaa Tarig Mohamed Ahmed, Abdel Rahman Mohamed Hamdan, Ayman Khalaf Allah Mohamed Ahmed, and Ahmed Elsadig Ahmed Hammad), have been jailed for two months in Khartoum following an attack on the Civic Lab, where they were creating  art for community engagement.

“hajooj kuka is an exceptional filmmaker and TIFF has been proud to present his work,” said Vicente and Bailey. “His films Beats of the Antonov and aKasha revealed a singular view of life in Sudan through the eyes of a remarkable artist. hajooj, along with four other artists, is now in prison in Sudan and we need to bring attention to this urgent and troubling situation. When an artist is silenced, society as a whole suffers.”

According to the Sudanese organization Gisa, where kuka is co-director: “The case, which was policed, prosecuted, and judged by al-Bashir era authorities, points to a dangerous backsliding in Sudan as oppressive laws put in place by the former regime continue to stifle free expression and target artists and human rights defenders.”

In an effort to increase awareness of kuka’s imprisonment and to demonstrate the value of artistic and political expression, both Beats of the Antonov and aKasha will be available to rent for free for a few days. TIFF also encouraged audiences to contact the Sudanese Embassy in their country and follow #ReleaseTheArtistsSudan on social media to learn more about this issue.

Two of kuka’s films, Beats of the Antonov (2014) and aKasha (2018), have premiered at TIFF, with the former winning the TIFF People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary.

See also: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/artists-sentenced-to-two-months-imprisonment-in-sudan

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