An evening of alternative political docos

Sunday 15th August 2004 The Classic Comedy Bar (321 Queen Street, CBD) 7.00pm start time for films $5

This month's Antidote #8 features a varied line up of documentaries on topics such as culture-jamming, the attempted coup against left-wing Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez and, back home, the proposed coal mine at Happy Valley near Westport.

Popaganda 30 mins http://www.popaganda.com/popDocumentary.shtml 2004

Directed by Pedro Carvajal, "POPaganda: The Art & Subversion of Ron English" is a film about the culture-jamming and billboard-liberation antics of Ron English, one of the artists featured in Jill Sharpe's great documentary "Culture Jam" and whose images appeared in the documentary, "Supersize Me", at the recent NZ International Film Festival.

The modern day Robin Hood of Madison Avenue, Ron paints, perverts, infiltrates, reinvents and satirizes modern culture on canvas, in songs, and directly on hundreds of pirated billboards. Shot entirely guerrilla-style, the film chronicles the evolution of an artist who offers an alternative universe where nothing is sacred, everything is subverted and there's always room for a little good-natured fun.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised 74 mins http://www.chavezthefilm.com 2003

Documentary about the role of the media in the Venezuelan revolution. The Venezuelan elite has already tried to stage several coups against the government of President Chavez with US support. The defeat of the April 2002 coup was captured in gripping detail by a group of Irish film makers.

"The revolution will not be televised" takes its title from the fact that most television stations in Venezuela are private and refuse to report on the positive achievements of the revolution.

The film makers were inside the presidential palace when Chávez was ousted by a military-civilian uprising. The resulting documentary - underwritten by the BBC, Ireland's RTE, and other European broadcasters - is as thrilling a piece of political drama as you're likely to see and has won armfuls of prizes, including Britain's top documentary award, the Grierson.

It has aired repeatedly all around the world, has been shown in movie theatres and at film festivals, arguably becoming the prevailing interpretation of the continuing Venezuelan political crisis. Excellent website accompanies the film.

Save Happy Valley 8 mins. 2004

In June of this year, state-owned Solid Energy was granted resource consents for a new opencast coal mine at Happy Valley, in the upper Waimangaroa Valley, near Westport.

Concerns about climate change, acid mine drainage, river pollution and habitat destruction have resulted in opposition to the mine by both local and national groups and the formation of a national campaign against the mine following a campout protest at the proposed minesite by student activists.

These concerns are only magnified by Solid Energy's atrocious environmental record. This video shows the problems the locals have had with Solid Energy and their response to the proposed mine.
For further information, visit http://www.happyvalley.enzyme.org.nz or email savehappyvalley@enzyme.org.nz

THE ANTIDOTE is a regular forum for the exposure of alternative political filmmaking and media art. This is the eigth screening presented by Auckland Indymedia. For more information contact auckland@indymedia.org

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