artswith


by Amy Powell Yeates


It’s festival season and there is plenty of programming with a political slant on offer across music, theatre and comedy all around the UK. Meanwhile, a new documentary explores the legacy of the Iraq war, an acclaimed Jerusalem stage drama gets a revival, Nick Robinson’s account of the run-up to the general election is published and the work of an NUJ member is on display in East London.


Film We are Many National release Amirani Media On 15 February 2003, up to 30 million people, many having never demonstrated before, came out in 800 cities across the world in protest against the impending Iraq war. The New York Times called this movement ‘the Second Superpower’. Amir Amirani’s thought-provoking documentary is the remarkable inside story behind the first ever global demonstration and its legacy. Testimonies range from activists in Egypt to familiar faces such as actor Mark Rylance and musician Damon Albarn. The film is being screened at a variety of festivals and cinemas across the UK; check the website for details. www.wearemany.com


Theatre Crossing Jerusalem Park Theatre, Finsbury Park, London 4-29 August Thirteen years after it first premiered at the Tricycle Theatre to critical


22 | theJournalist


acclaim, Julia Pascal – the first woman director at the National Theatre – directs her own stage drama set in 2002 Jerusalem, at the height of the last intifada. The play explores the conflict within an Israeli family, and the Palestinians who have touched their lives. www.parktheatre.co.uk


Exhibitions CHEMCRAFT Espacio Gallery, Bethnal Green, London 28 July-2 August A large, international, multidisciplinary exhibition featuring 60 emerging and mid-career artists from the European Union, the US and Asia. Curator Christina Mitrentse invited artists to respond to the theme ‘For Love of Chemistry’ and to look at aesthetic forms and their opposites within their practice. The exhibition promotes a dialogue among the disciplines of chemistry and visual arts, and features Cocaine, a work


indepth Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015


a variety of political issues. Films included the UK premiere


Last month, thousands of documentary enthusiasts gathered in Sheffield from all over the world for Doc/Fest – the annual festival with a programme featuring factual films that provide insights on a whole range of subjects. As ever, a number of film- makers were engaging with


of The Look of Silence, in which a family that survives the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed one of their brothers; Emmy- Award-winning director Robert Kenner’s latest film Merchants of Doubt, a revealing look at the world of spin and punditry within the US science industry; and Daniel Vernon’s Mandela, My Dad and Me, in which actor Idris Elba struggles to produce an album of South African music paying tribute to Mandela, while coping with the sudden death of his father. Meanwhile, Landfill Harmonic


depicts a particularly moving and inspiring story of a group of children living in a slum in Paraguay who form a youth orchestra with a difference: all their instruments are recycled from items on the landfill. Woodwind instruments are made from cans, tuning pegs from old cutlery and stiletto heels. The film follows them, led by environmental- worker-turned-conductor Favio Chávez, as they find success all around the world, including playing a gig with Metallica. There will be opportunities to


catch many of the films at other festivals throughout the year and on DVD release.


www.sheffdocfest.com


attitude


from NUJ member Lorenzo Belenguer. www.espaciogallery.com


Books


Election Notebook Nick Robinson Transworld Digital In the year leading up to the 2015 General Election, the BBC’s political editor kept a journal of the daily events, often from his hospital bed as he was treated for cancer. This is Robinson’s behind- the-scenes account of his encounters with the party leaders in an election that transformed Britain’s political landscape. www.transworldbooks.co.uk


Festivals Buxton Festival Fringe Buxton 8-26 July


As its name would suggest, the festival began as a more alternatively


programmed festival running alongside the larger scale Buxton Festival, which included international opera and literary talks. Thirty-six years later, and this volunteer- run event continues to grow and incorporates theatre, music and comedy. Many events are free, including plenty of street theatre. The all-female production of Othello by the promising ensemble Smooth Faced Gentleman looks interesting, as does Rhema Theatre Company’s The ‘It’s Not Fair’ which explores global stories about human trafficking. www.buxtonfringe.org.uk


Latitude Festival Southwold, Suffolk 16-19 July The ever-popular Suffolk arts festival celebrates its 10th birthday in 2015.


Some of the best things to


see and do with a bit of political bite


For listings email: journalist@NUJ.org.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28