Cine Foundation International
Encyclopedia
Cine Foundation International is London-based non-profit film company and human rights NGO "aiming to 'empower open consciousness through cinema'". The foundation was formed in December 2010 by American
filmmaker Jesse Richards
, founder of the Remodernist film
movement, South Korean film critic Blue Un Sok Kim and British
filmmaker Tobias Morgan, formerly the developer of "The Garage" on Mubi. Morgan resigned Autumn 2011 handing the Chair to Jesse Richards.
On 3 January 2011, CFI announced their launch of a campaign of protest films and public actions calling for the release of imprisoned Iranian
filmmaker Jafar Panahi
. "The campaign will include protest films that speak to human rights issues in Iran and throughout the world, six of which are commissioned feature-length, plus twenty shorts. Participating filmmakers may act anonymously or through pseudonyms since voicing their stories can be dangerous. The films, which will address themes of nation, identity, self, spiritual culture, censorship and imprisonment, will be aimed for public, web and various exhibition media". In January 2011, filmmakers Béla Tarr
and Lav Diaz
joined the foundation's Board of Directors, and in February Fred Kelemen
joined the Board of Directors.
Also in January 2011, CFI deployed a video protest mechanism called WHITE MEADOWS (named for the Mohammad Rasoulof film of the same title) and developed by Ericson deJesus (of Yahoo!
and frog design) at the request of the foundation. The video mechanism "allow(s) anyone in the world to record a short video statement about Panahi and Rasoulof. There will be an ESCAPE button at top, allowing quick exit for those in countries where recording a statement would be dangerous. There will be an option to have the screen black, and soon, voice distortion. The video statements will be recorded as mp4s, giving them maximum transmedia capacity, which essentially makes them broadcastable from any device that can show video". Users can also use the mechanism to comment on how they would "like to see as an international response by the film industry", comment on the state of human rights in general, or to "report a human rights abuse to the world".
Late in 2011, CFI launched #OccupyCinema, an ongoing collective project in collaboration with the global Occupy movement
. The project encompasses "public space projections onto buildings or other public surfaces—broadcasting films, video documents or live feeds, with the intention of decentralising traditional broadcast monopolies and information power structures where these interfere with freedom of speech or otherwise compel human beings to surrender to the agendas of ethically bankrupt regimes." On November 1, #OccupyCinema will launch public displays of films in New York City, Dallas, Kansas, London and Paris, with more to follow over the next week.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
filmmaker Jesse Richards
Jesse Richards
Jesse Richards is a painter, filmmaker and photographer from New Haven, Connecticut and was affiliated with the international movement Stuckism.-Early life:...
, founder of the Remodernist film
Remodernist Film
Remodernist film developed in the United States and the United Kingdom in the early 21st century with ideas related to those of the international art movement Stuckism and its manifesto, Remodernism...
movement, South Korean film critic Blue Un Sok Kim and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
filmmaker Tobias Morgan, formerly the developer of "The Garage" on Mubi. Morgan resigned Autumn 2011 handing the Chair to Jesse Richards.
On 3 January 2011, CFI announced their launch of a campaign of protest films and public actions calling for the release of imprisoned Iranian
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
filmmaker Jafar Panahi
Jafar Panahi
Jafar Panahi is an Iranian filmmaker and is one of the most influential filmmakers in the Iranian New Wave movement. He has gained recognition from film theorists and critics worldwide and received numerous awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Silver Bear at the...
. "The campaign will include protest films that speak to human rights issues in Iran and throughout the world, six of which are commissioned feature-length, plus twenty shorts. Participating filmmakers may act anonymously or through pseudonyms since voicing their stories can be dangerous. The films, which will address themes of nation, identity, self, spiritual culture, censorship and imprisonment, will be aimed for public, web and various exhibition media". In January 2011, filmmakers Béla Tarr
Béla Tarr
-Life:Tarr was born in Pécs, but grew up in Budapest. Both of his parents were close to theatre and film: his father was a scenery designer, while his mother has been working as a prompter at a theater for more than 50 years now...
and Lav Diaz
Lav Diaz
Lav Diaz or Lavrente Indico Diaz is a Filipino independent filmmaker, born in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao, Mindanao, Philippines, on December 30, 1958....
joined the foundation's Board of Directors, and in February Fred Kelemen
Fred Kelemen
Fred Kelemen is a European film director, cinematographer and writer. The late Susan Sontag helped to promote Kelemen's work in the mid-1990s, comparing it to the likes of Alexander Sokurov, Béla Tarr and Sharunas Bartas...
joined the Board of Directors.
Also in January 2011, CFI deployed a video protest mechanism called WHITE MEADOWS (named for the Mohammad Rasoulof film of the same title) and developed by Ericson deJesus (of Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
and frog design) at the request of the foundation. The video mechanism "allow(s) anyone in the world to record a short video statement about Panahi and Rasoulof. There will be an ESCAPE button at top, allowing quick exit for those in countries where recording a statement would be dangerous. There will be an option to have the screen black, and soon, voice distortion. The video statements will be recorded as mp4s, giving them maximum transmedia capacity, which essentially makes them broadcastable from any device that can show video". Users can also use the mechanism to comment on how they would "like to see as an international response by the film industry", comment on the state of human rights in general, or to "report a human rights abuse to the world".
Late in 2011, CFI launched #OccupyCinema, an ongoing collective project in collaboration with the global Occupy movement
Occupy movement
The Occupy movement is an international protest movement which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality. The first Occupy protest to be widely covered was Occupy Wall Street in New York City, taking place on September 17, 2011...
. The project encompasses "public space projections onto buildings or other public surfaces—broadcasting films, video documents or live feeds, with the intention of decentralising traditional broadcast monopolies and information power structures where these interfere with freedom of speech or otherwise compel human beings to surrender to the agendas of ethically bankrupt regimes." On November 1, #OccupyCinema will launch public displays of films in New York City, Dallas, Kansas, London and Paris, with more to follow over the next week.