Fly So Far premiere in El Salvador has been cancelled.

Due to the pressure of conservative forces in the country the premier of Nuestra libertad ( Fly So Far ) has been cancelled. We hope we will be able to screen the film for the Salvadoran audiences soon.

The press release:

Salvadorean premiere in cinemas of Fly So Far (Nuestra Libertad), suspended.

To all filmmakers and artists in El Salvador and the world, national and international journalists, students, collectives, institutions, international organizations, and the international community in general:

The independent production company Pråmfilm, together with the director of the film Fly So Far (Nuestra Libertad), call for solidarity for the right to freedom of expression.

Fly So Far (Nuestra Libertad), a film made by Salvadoran and international filmmakers, tells the stories of Salvadoran women unjustly criminalized for an obstetric emergency. The protagonists of the film have received sentences from 30 to 50 years in prison due to the total criminalization of pregnancy termination in El Salvador. 

Fly So Far (Nuestra Libertad) tells the stories of resilience, sisterhood and the struggle for freedom of women who have been unjustly criminalized. Thanks to the great attention and recognition the film has received internationally, with a run of 50 international film festivals and 18 awards, their stories have become known in many different contexts. Our goal as a production team has been to contribute to the dialogue and reflection on women’s right to decide, not only in El Salvador but everywhere around the world.

In recent months we have collaborated with the cinema to make possible the premiere of our documentary in Salvadoran cinemas. The premiere was supposed to take place on August 18th of this year. Unfortunately, last August 14, the cinema received a letter from groups opposed to the right to decide (Pro-Life), in which they presented legal threats and defamatory arguments against the protagonists of the film to stop its premiere. After analyzing the possible legal consequences of such threats, the cinema determined that the arguments of these groups were not valid. However, in the context of the current State of Exception in El Salvador, there is no legal certainty or constitutional rights that would guarantee that a possible legal process would proceed according to the logic of the law. Because of this, the cinema has decided to suspend the film’s premiere.

With deep indignation we call on the international organizations working for human rights to express their rejection of this violation of the right to freedom of expression. We also call on to stand in solidarity with the protagonists of the film, who have been subjected to a campaign of defamation, mainly through social media.

We call on those who work and produce art in El Salvador and the rest of the world to keep abreast of this case and express their solidarity for the free creation and dissemination of art with #OurFreedomOfExpression. #NuestraLibertaddeExpresion

Katwe ( arbetstitel ) vinnare av Tempo Pitch

Vårt projekt Katwe, regisserat av Nima Shirali och producerat av Patrik Öberg, vann Tempofestivalens pitchtävling. Tävlingen är en plats för nya dokumentärfilmsidéer att synas och tävla om ett utvecklingstöd på 90 000 kr.

Juryns motivering: Regissören närmar sig ett tragiskt öde och en komplex situation med ett hänsynsfullt tilltal i starka visuella scener.  Huvudpersonerna får berätta till punkt om hur de blivit offer för omständigheter de själva inte råder över. Hoppet ställs till inhemska politiker och utländska företag med nya löften om investeringar – men är de verkligen att lita på?

Världspremiär på Seattle International Film Festival – Fly So Far vinner internationella priser

Priser

Ibero-American Cinema Competition Grand Jury Award, Seattle International Film Festival 2021

Activist Award, Movies that Matter Festival 2021

Regional Award, One World Human Rights International Film Festival Czech Republic, 2021

Human Rights Award Special Jury Mention, One World International

Human Rights Documentary Film Czech Republic, 2021

Best Film Award, One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Brussels, 2021

Central American Film Competition Best Film Award, Costa Rica International Film Festival, 2021

Screenings

Tempo Documentary Festival, March 2021

Seattle International Film Festival, March 2021

Movies that Matter Festival, April 2021

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, April 2021

One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, May 2021

DOXA Documentary Film Festival, May 2021

Biografilm Festival, June 2021

Costa Rica International Film Festival, June 2021

Doc Cévennes Film Festival, July 2021