Laborfest: Films: Press & Lost Signal of Democracy

Press (100 min.) (2011) (Turkey) Directed by: Sedat Yilmaz

This is a drama about the struggle of Kurdish journalists to produce their newspaper Özgür Gündem. Under severe repression and intimidation, getting out a newspaper is a deadly danger. The story centers around the Kurdish journalists in Diyarbak?r, the largest Kurdish city in Turkey.

Özgür Gündem is under siege. After exposing human rights abuses in the city of Diyarbak?r, the journalists of Özgür Gündem become the target of increasingly ruthless government-sanctioned intimidation. Press tells the story of the Özgür Gündem offices and Kurdish journalists in Diyarbak?r.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxjVpLNqna0

AWARDS:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4304256/awards?ref_=nm_awd
2011: Ankara International Film Festival. Won: Best Screenplay, Most Promising Director
2010: Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. Won: Best Film-Special Jury Award
2011: Istanbul International Film Festival: Won: Special Prize of the Jury, FIPRESCI Prize, FACE Award
2011: Taormina International Film Festival: Nominated: Golden Tauro

Lost Signal of Democracy (52 min.) (2014) (Greece) Directed by: Yorgos Avgeropoulos

This film recounts the autocratic shutdown on June 11, 2013 of the Greek ERT public broadcast system by the rightwing government of former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. The government said it cost too much to operate and they needed to trim expenses. The workers and their union resisted and organized the first occupation of a national public broadcasting system.

This blatant mass censorship brought a tremendous backlash from the people of Greece as well as outrage around the world.

This film shows the occupation from the inside by the media workers themselves. These workers and the Greek working class refused to accept the closure of their public broadcasting system. The struggle still continues in Greece as workers continue to fight massive austerity and privatization.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jx7HtCb7AY
See also:
http://www.laborfest.net/2016/2016schedule.htm

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