Susan Marie : Iara Lee: Cultures of Resistance World Film Premiere

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Iara Lee: Cultures of Resistance World Film Premiere

(NYC, Pakistan, Russia, Chicago, NM, LA, Ethiopia, Boston, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Togo, Ireland, Nigeria)

Does each gesture really make a difference? Can music and dance be weapons of peace? In 2003, on the eve of the Iraq war, director Iara Lee embarked on a journey to better understand a world increasingly embroiled in conflict and, as she saw it, heading for self-destruction. After several years, travelling over five continents, Iara encountered growing numbers of people who committed their lives to promoting change. This is their story. CULTURES OF RESISTANCE explores how art and creativity can be ammunition in the battle for peace and justice.

Iara Lee, a Brazilian of Korean descent, is an activist, filmmaker, and founder of the Caipirinha Foundation, which supports projects to secure peace with justice. Iara is currently working on a variety of initiatives, grouped under the umbrella of CULTURES OF RESISTANCE, an activist network that brings together artists and changemakers from around the world.

As an activist, Iara has collaborated with numerous grassroots efforts, including the International Campaign to Ban Cluster Munitions, the Conflict Zone Film Fund, and the New York Philharmonic's groundbreaking 2008 concert in North Korea.

From 1984 to 1989 Iara was the producer of the Sao Paulo International Film Festival. In 1989 she moved to New York City, where she founded the mixed-media company Caipirinha Productions to explore the synergy of different art forms (such as film, music, architecture, and poetry). Under the banner of Caipirinha Productions, Iara has directed short and feature-length documentaries including Synthetic Pleasures, Modulations, Architettura, and Beneath the Borqa. She has also organized lectures, photo exhibits, and fundraising events related to these initiatives.

Iara Lee is a member of the President's Council of The International Crisis Group (ICG) and the Council of Advisors of the National Geographic Society, as well as a trustee to the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST), North Korea's first and only university whose faculty will be entirely composed of international professors.

Iara Lee has begun a USA film premiere. Iara were on the Mavi Marmara and has traveled the world documenting art, culture and the use of that as a tool for positive resistance.

PLEASE SEE SCREENING SCHEDULE

http://www.culturesofresistance.org/screenings

Iara Lee states, "The message of Cultures of Resistance is that people throughout the world need to rise up to create positive change. That is something I have always felt. But I never expected to see this spirit being put into action so dramatically as it is now in so many countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Hopefully that spirit of change will inspire people in many more countries to come. Cultures of Resistance is a celebration of people's power and creativity. It promotes the notion that, if we all work together, we can--as Gandhi said--be the change we want to see."