Rising Up Film Screening and Fundraiser
176 Gulshan Ave
Dhaka 1212
Bangladesh
Women in Leadership is pleased to invite you to a sample film screening and the launch of a fundraising drive for the future film Rising Up to Climate Change: Storytelling with Saris. The film looks at the impact of climate change on women from Katakhali Village on the island of Barobaishdia in Patuakhali District through the lens of the Storytelling with Saris climate art advocacy project. It also follows the stories of Americans and Europeans who are making climate pledges on saris to reduce their carbon footprint. Unless the world takes immediate action, Bangladesh could lose 20% of its land, displacing 30 million people. Women disproportionately suffer the impacts of climate change because of cultural norms and the inequitable distribution of resources and power, especially in developing countries. Women’s leadership is also critical to addressing climate.
The all-woman film team includes Monica Jahan Bose, Leena Jayaswal, Nandita Ahmed, Shefali Akhter Shetu, and Executive Producer Preema Nazia Andaleeb, as well as the women of the Katakhali Cooperative.
Bangladeshi-American artist Monica Jahan Bose and Dhaka-based cinematographer Shefali Akhter Shetu are going back to Katakhali Village, Barobaishdia Island, Bangladesh on December 31 for eight days of advocacy, training, art, and photography and filming. We are purchasing several small cameras and training a number of women to self-document with film their lives and climate events such as extreme storms, cyclones, untimely rains, drought, and resulting damage and effects. We will be doing climate advocacy writing workshops with the women of the Katakhali Cooperative so that they can write to their local and central government representatives to seek help in adapting to climate change, such as affordable access to salt-resistant varieties of rice, and maintenance and repairs of the cyclone shelter and the levy (to reduce storm surge). There will also be climate knowledge sharing and resilience workshops to assess whether climate adaptive farming techniques are working, and to test the drinking water supply for salt, a common public health problem in coastal areas. All of this will be documented in film to tell the story of Bangladesh’s brave fight against climate change. The goal is to empower individuals and communities around the world to take action to save our planet from climate change.
Please join us for a screening of a 15 minute sample of the film followed by discussion. We are looking for partners to finish this important project highlighting women’s stories and their leadership in addressing climate change. Thank you so much for your support and time.
For confirming your participation, please fill up this form – https://goo.gl/forms/SgGA21aWwMhj94xY2
__________
The event will be hosted by Women in Leadership and its President, Preema Nazia Andaleeb. Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Andaleeb is one of Bangladesh’s most recognized contemporary artists. She works in painting, video, and performance and has exhibited widely in Bangladesh and internationally. She is the Director and Creative Editor of Bangladesh Brand Forum. She is the President of Women in Leadership, which seeks to inspire women’s leadership in the business and creative sectors of Bangladesh. In 2014, she received the prestigious Ananya Award for outstanding woman artist in Bangladesh. She is an Executive Producer of the Rising Up to Climate Change film.
Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist, lawyer, and activist whose work spans performance, painting, film, photography, printmaking, and interdisciplinary projects. As an artist originating from Katakhali, Bangladesh, Monica brings her history into contemporary art, translating these experiences into immersive work. She is the creator of STORYTELLING WITH SARIS, a long-term collaborative art and advocacy project, which has been featured around the world, including recent exhibitions and art actions in Paris, Hawaii, and Washington DC. In 2015, Bose partnered with the International Centre on Climate Change and Development to create a climate awareness workshop in Katakhali, Bangladesh. Alongside her art practice, she practiced and taught environmental and human rights law for many years. Monica has received numerous commissions and awards for her interdisciplinary art work.
For more information and bios of the full team see http://storytellingwithsaris.com/bios/
