Iara Lee
Encyclopedia
Iara Lee is a Korean Brazilian
film producer
and director
based in New York City
. She is better known as the director of the documentaries Synthetic Pleasures
and Modulations
, as well as for her involvement with the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla
", in which at least nine pro-Palestinian
activists were killed by Israeli naval forces.
She is the founder of the Caipirinha Foundation and a member of the Council of Advisors to the National Geographic Society
.
She is married to billionaire George Gund III, 27 years her senior.
. In 1989, Lee moved to New York City
, where she founded Caipirinha Productions, a mixed-media production company aimed at exploring various forms of artistic expression, such as film, music, architecture and poetry.
In 1995, she released the documentary Synthetic Pleasures
, which deals with the impact of high technology on mass culture. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival
, and won the Jury Award for Best Documentary at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival.
In 1998, she released the multimedia project Modulations
, which traces the evolution of electronic music
. Her most recent film was Beneath the Borqa, a 2000 short documentary film about the lives of women and children under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan
. Lee is also the director of the forthcoming feature-length documentary film, Cultures of Resistance, which celebrates creative acts of political struggle. The film will debut in its final form late in 2010.
Under the banner of Caipirinha Productions, Lee has also organized lectures, photo exhibits and fundraising events.
's groundbreaking concert
in North Korea
.
In 2008, Lee moved to Iran
, where she supported the exchange of cultural projects between Iran and the West. Lee helped produce Iranian rapper Hichkas
' "Ye Mosht Sarbaz (A Bunch of Soldiers)" music video, which was directed and edited by Fred Khoshtinat
. During that time she also worked with US-based peace organizations on efforts to promote peaceful diplomacy between the US and Iran. Also in 2008, after experiencing the 2006 Lebanon War firsthand, Iara created the Make Films Not War campaign.
Iara Lee is a council member of the International Crisis Group
and the National Geographic Society
, as well as a trustee for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology
, North Korea's first privately funded university, the only in the country whose faculty is entirely composed by international professors.
and Egypt
to the territory.
Upon landing in Istanbul, to where the activists from the flotilla were deported, Lee declared that "I go out with exclusive footage (of the attack) in high definition. [... ] I must go back to the USA and show it to the whole world." This tape was subsequently released.
Korean Brazilian
Korean Brazilian is a Brazilian person of full, partial, or predominantly Korean ancestry, or a Korean-born person residing in Brazil. The Korean population in Brazil, the largest in Latin America, is about 50,000.-History:...
film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She is better known as the director of the documentaries Synthetic Pleasures
Synthetic Pleasures
Synthetic Pleasures is a documentary film by Iara Lee that explores the idea of pleasure and futurism.-Awards and nominations:*1996 Sundance Film Festival - Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the Documentary category...
and Modulations
Modulations
Modulations is a multi-media exploration into the history of electronic music, consisting of a documentary film, its soundtrack album, and a book...
, as well as for her involvement with the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Gaza flotilla raid
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea...
", in which at least nine pro-Palestinian
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
activists were killed by Israeli naval forces.
She is the founder of the Caipirinha Foundation and a member of the Council of Advisors to the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
.
She is married to billionaire George Gund III, 27 years her senior.
Film career
From 1984 to 1989, Lee was the producer of the São Paulo International Film FestivalSão Paulo International Film Festival
The São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in São Paulo, Brazil since 1976. In 2004 Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was a member of the jury.-International Jury Award:*2001: The New Country ...
. In 1989, Lee moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she founded Caipirinha Productions, a mixed-media production company aimed at exploring various forms of artistic expression, such as film, music, architecture and poetry.
In 1995, she released the documentary Synthetic Pleasures
Synthetic Pleasures
Synthetic Pleasures is a documentary film by Iara Lee that explores the idea of pleasure and futurism.-Awards and nominations:*1996 Sundance Film Festival - Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the Documentary category...
, which deals with the impact of high technology on mass culture. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, and won the Jury Award for Best Documentary at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival.
In 1998, she released the multimedia project Modulations
Modulations
Modulations is a multi-media exploration into the history of electronic music, consisting of a documentary film, its soundtrack album, and a book...
, which traces the evolution of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. Her most recent film was Beneath the Borqa, a 2000 short documentary film about the lives of women and children under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Lee is also the director of the forthcoming feature-length documentary film, Cultures of Resistance, which celebrates creative acts of political struggle. The film will debut in its final form late in 2010.
Under the banner of Caipirinha Productions, Lee has also organized lectures, photo exhibits and fundraising events.
Activism
As an activist, Lee has collaborated with numerous grassroots efforts and has supported initiatives such as the International Campaign to Ban Cluster Munitions, the Conflict Zone Film Fund, and the New York PhilharmonicNew York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
's groundbreaking concert
2008 New York Philharmonic visit to North Korea
The New York Philharmonic concert in Pyongyang, North Korea, on February 26, 2008 was a significant event in North Korea-United States relations...
in North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.
In 2008, Lee moved to Iran
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...
, where she supported the exchange of cultural projects between Iran and the West. Lee helped produce Iranian rapper Hichkas
Hichkas
Soroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
' "Ye Mosht Sarbaz (A Bunch of Soldiers)" music video, which was directed and edited by Fred Khoshtinat
Fred Khoshtinat
Farbod Khoshtinat , better known by his pseudonym Fred, is an Iranian director, editor, cinematographer, artist, writer, composer, producer, musician and singer.-Early life and education:Farbod Khoshtinat was born in Tehran, Iran....
. During that time she also worked with US-based peace organizations on efforts to promote peaceful diplomacy between the US and Iran. Also in 2008, after experiencing the 2006 Lebanon War firsthand, Iara created the Make Films Not War campaign.
Iara Lee is a council member of the International Crisis Group
International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts around the world through field-based analyses and high-level advocacy.-History:...
and the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
, as well as a trustee for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology
Pyongyang University of Science and Technology
Pyongyang University of Science and Technology is North Korea's first privately funded university. It is founded, operated and partly funded by associations and people outside the country...
, North Korea's first privately funded university, the only in the country whose faculty is entirely composed by international professors.
Gaza flotilla
On May 2010, Lee participated in the "Freedom Flotilla" effort, organized by the Turkish NGO IHH and many other civil society organizations, to deliver a load of 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza and to protest against the blockade imposed by IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to the territory.
Upon landing in Istanbul, to where the activists from the flotilla were deported, Lee declared that "I go out with exclusive footage (of the attack) in high definition. [... ] I must go back to the USA and show it to the whole world." This tape was subsequently released.
Filmography
- Cultures of Resistance (2010)
- Battle for the Xingu (2009)
- Beneath the Borqa in Afghanistan (2002)
- Architettura (1999)
- Modulations (1998)
- Synthetic Pleasures (1995)
- An Autumn Wind (1994)
Interviews
- "TEO MACERO: Interview by Iara Lee", MODULATIONS, September 1997
- "Jon More Matt Black: Coldcut Interview by Iara Lee", Modulations, Summer 1997
External links
- "Iara Lee", Shift
- Iara Lee's Smuggled Out Video from the Mavi Marmara by Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
- What happened to us is happening in Gaza. By Iara Lee. San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
. June 5, 2010.