Residents of Rio's favelas resist forced evictions as Brazil prepares for the World Cup & Olympics
Message from the Director
Dear friends, The journey of this film began in 2006, when I moved to Brazil to work with favela youth in a participatory photography initiative. When I heard about the human rights abuses taking place as Brazil began preparing for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, I knew that this film had to be made. Since moving back to Canada, I have taken eight extended trips to Rio over four years, capturing the stories as they emerge and equipping a number of community residents and activists with professional video recording equipment to collaborate with me on the feature-length documentary State of Exception.
These are stories that FIFA and the IOC do not want the world to hear. Forced evictions, one of the main points of focus in this documentary, are illegal under international law. Please support this campaign so we can finish the film before the 2016 Olympics. Help us get these inspiring untold stories out there and add your voice to the chorus of those calling for change! We can't do this without you, and every ounce of support is greatly appreciated.
With gratitude, Jason O'Hara
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Residents of Rio de Janeiro’s iconic favelas band together to resist forced eviction from their homes to make way for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. State of Exception is an inspiring David and Goliath story of human resilience, and about families uniting in a common struggle against overwhelming forces in defense of their greatest life asset: the social fabric of their communities. We follow our extraordinary cast of characters through the tumultuous few years in advance of the spectacle events, providing the audience with an intimate portrait of their lives transformed.
State of Exception is a participatory film. Inspired by Brazil's own Paulo Freire and his concept of participatory democracy, this model puts creative tools in citizen hands to collaborate in the telling of their own stories.
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We're fans of these events, just like many of you are. That is why it is so vital that we confront the ugly underbelly because we are all implicated in this story as consumers of these mega-spectacles. When the "eyes of the world" turn to Rio again in 2016 for the Olympics as they were this year for the World Cup, we want the world to see these mega sporting events for what they've truly become - money-grubbing spectacles with no regard for human rights or social justice - and demand change! It does not have to be this way. These events produce such extraordinary revenue streams (the combined budget of both events in Brazil is estimated to be in excess of $40 billion) that it would be so simple to do them right, and to act in a manner that's consistent with which the values that the
World Cup and Olympics claim to promote (fair play, goodwill, unity,
etc.).
Event critic Helen Lenskyj has noted: "These projects, massive in their scope
and scale, cost many billions of public dollars and leave behind ambiguous
legacies. Nearly every global mega-event has resulted in financial losses for
the host, temporary cessation of democratic process, the production of
militarized and exclusionary spaces, residential displacement, and
environmental degradation."
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See the sidebar for details.
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We need to raise $22,200 to finish this important documentary.
With $22,200 we will hire people to complete these aspects of the film:
- Working with us to edit 300+ hours of raw footage
- Official translation and transcription work
- Original musical score
- Professional sound mix and colouring
Whether or not we meet our goal, this film will be made! There has been too much blood, sweat, and tears invested in this project over the past four years to abandon it, we've never let lack of resources stop us before and we certainly won't now. The people of Rio deserve to have this story told, and told well!
Film production is scalable: the more money we raise, the better the final product will be, and the more we can invest into promotion for the film once it's released.
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* SPREAD THE WORD! Use the Indiegogo sharing tools above to let others know about this campaign.
* WRITE ABOUT THE ISSUES ON YOUR BLOG/WEBSITE! Let us know if you'd like to do an interview with director Jason O'Hara, would like him to contribute an op-ed to your publication, or if you would like us to send you a press kit.
* BECOME PART OF OUR CORE COMMUNITY! We're looking for people who are passionate about human rights to join us in this important work. Members of State of Exception's core community will help us present these issues to the world by utilizing social media to post about the film, as well as working with us to think of creative ways to get the story out there (school/community screenings, special events).
* DOWNLOAD & SHARE THE IMAGES BELOW!
The beauty of crowdfunding campaigns is that you can
directly support projects that would not see the light of day under traditional funding models. While much of documentary funding comes from broadcasters, because of the commercial opportunities of the World Cup and Olympics,
most broadcasters won't touch this film. By supporting this project, you are joining a growing international community of concerned citizens who refuse to stand by watching idle as Brazilians' human rights are dragged through the mud for the sake of our entertainment.
Welcome to our community - be ready to be inspired by incredible stories of human resilience. Let's show them that we aren't content for this issue to be swept under the rug any longer! This film would not be possible if not for your help.
THANK YOU.
Our Partners & Supporters:
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