Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: Taxi Blues (1990)

By: börek - October 1st, 2015  Filed under: Filmavond

TaxiBluesSunday October 11th 2015, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: Taxi Blues (Такси-блюз) directed by Pavel Lungin, 1990, 110 minutes. High-definition screening. Free admission. Door opens at 20:00, Film starts at 21:00.

This film explores many aspects of modern Russian life by centering on the lives of two very different people, and what happens when their destinies intersect. Ivan is a tough hard-working Moscow taxi driver who is nostalgic about the days of Communism. One night he picks up Lyosha who belongs to the new generation of Russians… he is pessimistic, westernized, an alcoholic jazz saxophonist and totally irresponsible. Because of the turn of events, a long-term connection is formed between the two that is a bit like a bizarre love-hate relationship, and its fascinating to watch it twist and turn, develop and unfold, die down and explode.

The movie is wonderfully shot, both bleak and passionate… and beyond being only a story about two polar opposite men, it is also a moody piece of work about Russia during the latter stages of Perestroika… and the collision of old Russian values against the new Russia. The film stars Piotr Mamonov who is the leader of the new wave band Zvuki Moobut… but he is also a poet and performer. The lush but desolate free-jazz music score for this film is by Vladimir Cherkasin.

Taxi Blues is considered by many to be one of the central masterpieces of contemporary Russian cinema, and it won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1990. And, like usual, this is an extremely rare screening of this haunting movie.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

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Hands off the trees! Call for action in the Hambacher Forest

By: börek - October 1st, 2015  Filed under: Benefiet, Infoavond, Volkseten/Voku

hambach_rodung_1Monday October 5th 2015, Hands off the trees! Call for action in the Hambacher Forest. Infonight and benefit, Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm

In October the “hot season” starts again for the occupation in the Hambacher Forest. The Hambacher Forest is one of the oldest forest in middle Europe, but already more than 4/5 of it is destroyed for open cast mining. The forest gets destroyed year by year, so that RWE the coal company can open cast the land. In order to excavate coal, the energy company RWE clears the originally more than 4500 hectares big and 12000 years old forest, damages agricultural land and relocates villages. Some of the effects of the excavation of coal are the destruction of living space for plants, animals and humans, air and fine dust pollution, release of radioactive substances and the lowering of ground water. The coal excavation in the Rhine area is responsible for 13% of the CO2 emissions in whole Germany.
http://hambacherforst.blogsport.de/

Volkseten Vegazulu is a people’s kitchen, every monday and thursday, 7pm, vegan food for 4€ or donation. All benefits go for social & political struggles. No reservation.

We’re always looking for cooks. Any help is welcome in the kitchen. Experience not required. Enjoying it is a must. If you want to know which days are still available in the schedule, send an email to joe [at] squat [dot] net and book yourself the night. You can, of course, also participate by rolling up your sleeves and doing the dishes.

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West Sahara movie night: Life is Waiting (2015)

By: börek - October 1st, 2015  Filed under: Filmavond

Life_is_Waiting_Referendum_and_Resistance_in_Western_SaharaSunday October 4th 2015, West Sahara movie night. “Life is Waiting: Referendum and Resistance in Western Sahara” directed by Iara Lee (2015, 59 minutes, English subtitles). Following the info and movie night about West Sahara that took place on July 26th, we are very pleased to screen the documentary from Iara Lee. In collaboration with Cultures of Resistance. Door opens at 8pm, event starts at 9pm.

Zondagavond 4 oktober, West-Sahara film avond met ‘Life is Waiting’ van de Braziliaans/Koreaanse regisseur Iara Lee. West-Sahara is een onbekend en verdeeld gebied. Het grootste deel van het land wordt bezet door Marokko. De rest is in handen van de bevrijdingsbeweging Polisario. Een klein uithoekje op een schiereiland staat onder Mauritaanse controle, en daar ligt het vergeten dorpje La Güera.
Na de Marokkaanse invasie sloeg een groot deel van de oorspronkelijke bevolking op de vlucht, naar het oosten, diep de woestijn in. In Algerije zijn de tenten opgezet want daar is men veilig en beschermd tegen Marokkaanse bombardementen. Ook de Saharaanse regering heeft daar zijn hoofdkwartier gebouwd. Na het vredesakkoord van 1991 zou een referendum worden gehouden waarna de vluchtelingen zouden kunnen terugkeren. Maar nog steeds wachten de Saharawi’s op dat referendum.

“Life is Waiting: Referendum and Resistance in Western Sahara” directed by Iara Lee (2015, 59 minutes, English subtitles). http://culturesofresistancefilms.com/western-sahara
Forty years after its people were promised freedom by departing Spanish rulers, the Western Sahara remains Africa’s last colony. While a UN-brokered ceasefire put an end to armed hostilities in the territory in 1991, the Sahrawi people have continued to live under the Moroccan armed forces’ oppressive occupation, and what peace exists in the area is fragile at best. Tens of thousands of Sahrawis have fled to neighboring Algeria, where over 125,000 refugees still live in camps that were intended to be temporary. In spite of these difficulties, a new movement, with youth at its center, is rising to challenge human rights abuses and to demand the long-promised referendum on freedom. Today’s generation of young activists is deploying creative nonviolent resistance for the cause of self-determination. In doing so, they have persevered against a torrent of conflicting forces. While risking torture and disappearance at the hands of Moroccan authorities, they are also pushing back against those who have lost patience with the international community and are ready to launch another guerrilla war.
The new film from director Iara Lee will examine these tensions as it chronicles the everyday violence of life under occupation, giving voice to the aspirations of a desert people for whom colonialism has never ended. Trailer: https://player.vimeo.com/video/123847322

Cultures Of Resistance Network http://culturesofresistance.org/, connects and supports activists, agitators, educators, and artists to build a more just and peaceful world through creative resistance and nonviolent action!

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net

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Oproep tot 1 oktober demonstratie: Recht op Stad!

By: börek - October 1st, 2015  Filed under: Demonstratie, Woonstrijd

RECHT_OP_STAD_demo_1_october_2015Hardhandige massa-arrestatie van 150 sympathisanten tijdens ontruiming Schijnheilig goedgekeurd door Amsterdams Hof. ‘Verzet’ maakt gehele demonstratie illegaal.

Het demonstratierecht lijkt een ernstige slag te zijn toegebracht: het Hof stelt dat manifestaties automatisch illegaal zijn wanneer de politie van mening is dat niet protest maar ‘verzet kennelijk het doel’ is. Het Hof heeft hieruit geconcludeerd dat de massa-arrestatie door de politie tijdens de ontruiming van het kraakpand Schijnheilig was toegestaan. Een cassatie is in navolging van de uitspraak ingesteld door de advocaat Willem Jebbink namens de vijf procederende sympathisanten die destijds waren opgepakt.

Schijnheilig: ‘We zijn verbijsterd dat het Amsterdamse hof de willekeur van de politie verkiest boven het demonstratierecht. Wij demonstreren niet om ‘verzet met kennelijk doel’ te plegen, maar om het geven van een duidelijk geluid; het geluid van vrije cultuur, van zelfbeschikking, van antikapitalisme; het geluid van een stad voor en door haar bewoners.’

Wij demonstreren tegen een stad dat is overgeleverd aan schimmige vastgoed-deals door, zoals Van der Laan beschreven ‘Egyptenaren op de Zeedijk’ en ‘puissant rijke Chinezen en Russen’ in de hele stad. We demonstreren tegen een stad dat het college van B&W wordt overgeleverd aan vigerende gentrificatie en exploitatie! We demonstreren tegen het omarmen van het massa-toerisme. We demonstreren tegen het laten stikken van vitale, autonome locaties als Villa Friekens, Bajesdorp of het ADM!

We demonstreren voor een stad vóór en dóór haar bewoners! Voor Recht op Stad!

Demonstreer mee op 1 oktober 19:00 op de Dam in Amsterdam. Als jij ook vindt dat de stad van jou is, voor ons is en voor iedereen is. Simpel gezegd: demonstreer voor RECHT OP STAD!

https://schijnheilig.nul.nu/

Call to demonstrate in English: Why are we demonstrating?

RIGHT TO A SOCIAL HOUSING POLICY

The city belongs to all of us, including to the poor and to the refugees. The city council needs to focus on making the biggest medley so not only people or organizations with money, but everyone has a chance to settle at their place of choice. The heart of a city is essential part of making a city livable and therefore cheap rents for housing and shops should be preserved.

RIGHT TO COMMONALTY

A city exists out of neighborhoods. This should be neighborhoods made able by its inhabitants, neighborhoods where the grocery store, bakery and local tailor should have a place. Amsterdam is no brand, but a city where people cohabit.

RIGHT TO KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION

The city is a hub of knowledge acquisition and dissemination. The city needs to stand firm for its students and point universities to their role: focussing on quality of education and phase out real estate speculation! Less power to the management and more power to teachers and students!

RIGHT TO AUTONOMY & CULTURE

The city is a thousand villages. The city is nothing without her inhabitants. The City is alive! It doesn’t survive by sweeping and encapsulating, but by letting her fray and bloom! The city needs to scale down and support autonomous folks and local organisations that take care of their neighbourhood. This will bring a faster and more direct result than regulation and criminalization will ever amount to. The city remains vital by giving space to experiment and to fail. And give everyone a chance to try again.

RIGHT TO DEMONSTRATE AND RESIST

The right to demonstrate; especially the city needs to be a space where one can express their beliefs, without fear of repression. Government and law enforcement should not be able to criminalize occupations and squatting. They have to understand that resistance is a natural right and evictions of squats and demonstrators should not harshly be beaten down and arrested.

RIGHT TO A RIGHTEOUS AMSTERDAM

In short: Right to City = Right to a righteous city with an eye for culture, activism, diversity and fair chances for all!

http://rechtopstad.nl/