Fwd: Govt. Intervention Sabotaging Anti-ADB Film Festival

[Bring Your Own Film Festival]

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From: saraswati <s_ka...@yahoo.com>
Date: May 7, 2006 9:02 PM
Subject: Fwd:  Govt. Intervention Sabotaging Anti-ADB Film Festival
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Statement Against Govt. Intervention Against Anti-ADB Film Festival


 Statement by film makers, intellectuals, journalists, writers and
concerned people against police closure of anti-ADB film festival


 We strongly condemn the sabotage of the film festival 'Images of
Resistance- Asian Destruction Bank' , scheduled to be held at NISIET,
Yusafguda, Hyderabad from May 3rd to 6th 2006 by the Andhra Pradesh

government.

 The festival, organized by the 'People's Forum Against ADB' a
coalition of 97 organizations from different parts of Asia, had to be
called off due to severe pressure from the Hyderabad police.


 The reason given for canceling the booking of the festival venue by
the directors of NISSIET, an institute owned by the Indian government,
was that 'we cannot allow anti-government activities from government

premises'. Since when has opposing the ADB become
 synonymous with
opposing the Government of

India?

Instead of resisting pressure from institutions like the ADB and
World Bank to implement economically and ecologically destructive
projects government the AP government is instead cracking down on the
democratic rights of ordinary citizens.

The closure of the film festival constitutes a grave attack on the
freedom of ex-pression of not just film makers but also that of dalits
and adivasis, whose struggles for protection of traditional resources,
and public sector workers, whose fight against privatisation, the
films portrayed.

We express our support for the right of everyone to communicate these
voices among all available platforms. We call upon concerned groups,
individuals, media people, filmmakers and other civil society
organisations to protest against the violation of democratic norms by
an elected government acting on behalf of the Asian Development Bank.

Dr Vandana Shiva - Environmentalist
Dr K N Panicker - Historian
K T Mohammed - Playwright
Mahesh Bhatt – Film Maker
AnandPatwardhan – Film Maker
K.P.Sasi – Film Maker
P Sainath – Journalist
Sasikumar - Televison personality
Rakesh Sharma – Film Maker
Alan Snitow – Film Maker
Deborah Kaufman – Film Maker
Satya Sivaraman – Journalist/Film Maker
Paful Bidwai - Journalist
Gireesh Mishra
Prof M N Vijayan - Writer
C V Sreeraman – Writer
Sachidanandan - Secretary, Kendra Sahitya Academi
Sadanand Menon - Journalist
T V Chandran – Film Maker
Lenin Rajendran – Film Maker
Venkitesh Ramakrishnan – Film Critic
B Ajith Kumar – Film Editor
Amudhan R P – Film Maker
C.Saratchandran – Film Maker
Sukla Sen – Peace Activist
Dr B Iqbal – Former Vice Chancellor, Kerala University
Sarah Joseph - Writer
Anivar Aravind – Software/Activist
Saba Dewan - Film maker
Rahul Roy – Film Maker
Sagari Chhabra – Film Maker
Sherna Dastur
Pradeep Esteeves - Activist
Abhivyakti, Media Action Group
Open Space – Media Action Group
GAIA Thrissur – Activist Group
Media Renewal Trust – Media Action Group

Saraswati Kavula, Film maker
 

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