Archive for January, 2011

It’s not that hard

Published by Resister on 2011/01/18 in Blog. 1 Comment

Just got home after 12+ hours on the road. No big deal, the ride from Castlegar is gorgeous. The weekend shows where great, with Nelson having the largest crowd. It also had the angriest viewer/questioner I’ve encountered in the dozen or so showings since last year. To be honest, I’ve been waiting for it. So far most of the presentations have been sympathetic crowds. Even the Mission BC screening, which included many pacifists, was civil. But this gentleman was appalled by the analysis around non-violence and pacifism. You could say his attitude was violent. I patiently heard him out, but when continued to interrupt other people I had to put him in his place. It’s not a pleasant experience, but I’m glad it finally happened so I can start honing my skills at “crowd control” heh! The following night at Castlegar, I spotted a similar situation early on and was able to nip it in the bud. I guess what I can expect in the next 6 months is a lot of conversations about tactics.

Like I said, Castlegar is beautiful. Well the entire area known as the Kootenays is breath taking. This is the original land of the Sinixt people, who have been declared extinct, even though many of them still live there and a few miles south, separated from each other once that imaginary line called the 49th parallel split their territory between the US and Canada. The Sinixt have been fighting for their land and most recently established a blockade to stop logging on their traditional territory.

I bring up the Sinixt because a lady with a smart ass smirk asked me sarcastically “So you want us to form a culture of resistance here?” I caught her tone and told her that it wasn’t far fetched. The Sinixt have been resisting for a long time. The Sons of Freedom, a radical subgroup Doukhobors have been resisting for decades as well.

What I’m trying to say is that sometimes we don’t need to go too far from our localities to find stories of resistance. Also, we don’t have to begin big. All of this starts with conversations. Throughout the weekend I saw many people make connections, and many made plans to meet again to talk about local struggles. And in the Kootenays there are many.

Not too far from where I was staying there is smelter that spews toxic chemicals into the air and has a history of spills of lead and mercury into the Columbia, a river that once, a long time ago had massive runs of salmon. There is also a proposed coal bed methane mine in the works, plus ongoing deforestation by the logging industry.

I hope that everywhere I go with this film, I can help facilitate these connections and provide a spark for a much needed resistance culture.

Before I go to sleep I’ll leave you with one of the many things that made me smile on this trip.


A place where no cops go.

Published by Resister on 2011/01/10 in Blog. 0 Comments

To quote Borat, the first stop of the END:CIV 2011 Tour was a “Great Success!” Well that is if you leave out the flat tire that delayed our arrival to the beautiful Denman Island by several hours. I guess this is what I signed up for, and it’s a good reminder that machines break and can be broken. The analogy was not lost on me or the 8 insurrectionary anarchists that populated my gas guzzler on the way to the mythical anarchist paradise. You see Denman Island has no cops. The RCMP makes routing stops every couple of months in the winter, and a little more often in the summer. But for the most of the year. this community of old hippies, environmentalists, retirees, freaks, artists and like I said before anarchists, takes care of business themselves with almost no oversight from the state. I’d like to say there are no churches on Denman, but that’s not the case.

Yep, people move here to get away from civilization and live a simpler life. It does sound cliché, but once you sleep one night there you understand. Not only is it quiet, but the psychic noise of the big city is also not present. I had the best sleep I’ve had in weeks.

Our crew of trouble makers were hosted by Sheila Nopper and Ron Sakolsky, two anarchist artists and pirate radio enthusiasts who have been living there for 12 years or so. While touring the Island, our hosts informed me about the challenges that threaten their chill island living. Mainly an overzealous real estate developer and a proposed coal mine across the water in Vancouver Island. The developer has already sunk his teeth into a housing project that will attract a more affluent and unpleasant group of people to the Island, i.e. yuppies. I hope I don’t have to explain why the coal mine is fucked up. While not all the residents of the island are opposed to the expansion and densification of the housing market, the overwhelming majority are opposed to the coal mine. Like I said, the coal mine is the obvious problem, while real estate expansion is more insidious and a bit harder to explain away.

A 12 year old clear-cut still recoveringThis is one of the reasons why some comrades from Vancouver encouraged Ron and Sheila and other residents organized the screening of END:CIV. Huge chunks of the island have already been clear cut, and if the folks who live there to start to nurture a culture of resistance with the quickens, the scourge of civilization will soon lay waste to this special place.

A great conversation came out of the screening and many of the people I talked to said the film had a positive effect on the radical community of Denman. One of the people I met after the screening is Neil Bockman one of the makers of one of my favourite films, Koyaanisqatsi. If you have not seen it, it’s a must and a film that provided much of the inspiration for END:CIV. Bockman was impressed by my film and encouraged me to continue looking for ways to get wider distribution for the film. All in all, I left Denman Island satisfied and convinced that making END:CIV was a worthwhile endeavour and validated that touring with the film will kickstart conversations that are sorely needed.

Changing the subject,

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by Waziyatawin, one of the people featured on END:CIV, has been marred in controversy. The short version is that one of the people listening to her speech in Minnesota, called her a terrorist. A follow up letter to the local paper caused some debate and got the attention of the FBI, who phoned Waziyatawin last week.

This situation is troubling but not surprising. Waziyatawin’s point of view, which I share, threatens the dominant culture. The protectors of the corporate state will attempt to intimidate and silence, those who deconstruct the systems that enslave and destroy the land and have the courage to say what we must do in order to preserve what’s left of the planet. At times like these is when have to show solidarity and unity and tell the people up top that we are not afraid.

Back from Mexico

Published by Resister on 2011/01/03 in Blog. 0 Comments

I’ve been back from Mexico for a couple of weeks and have been buried in the madness of booking and organizing a 60+ date tour. The shows in Mexico went beyond my expectations. I was a little worried that the subtitles moved to fast, but nobody seemed to mind and the response was amazingly positive. Now I get ready to show to completely different audiences in North America. The END:CIV tour kicks off this weekend at Denman Island in British Columbia. I posted the first 10 gigs of the tour here http://submedia.tv/endciv/tour/ and I’ll be adding more in the coming weeks. If you don’t see the city in the list and would like to book a screening, simply contact me and tell me where you are located. I will not be going to all 50 states, but I would love it if screenings are organized in areas I will not be visiting. Also, I plan to tour Japan, Australia and Europe in the fall, so if you live in those areas and have ideas of where to screen, do get in touch.

The DVD has been selling extremely well and it looks like we’ll have to press some more by the end of January. I’ve already gotten two more translations, Italian and Romanian, but i am still missing French subs, which is pretty key. I’d love to have those done for the next round of DVD’s, so if y’all know people who’d be down for this send them my way. On a more ambitious note, I’ll be pursuing translations in Cantonese and Mandarin. All in all, the plan is to have a many translations done for when we launch END:CIV on the web as a pay what you want download on May Day 2011.

Finally, I’ve purchased a van to take me all around the country. It’s an old camper van with low mileage and a lot of character. I have not owned a car in over five years so this kinda feels like new territory. I need to do some upgrades and repairs on the van (yet to be named) but I still have about a month before I take off for good.

With that said, thanks again for all the support y’all have given me during the production of END:CIV. I feel the timing of the release is good, and I feel people in North America and beyond are ready to receive a good dose of radical analysis.

Have a great year, and I hope to meet y’all during my travels.

cheers//frank