As our community rises to meet the urgent call to stop arms deals, we look at the powerful examples of direct actions that enabled just this.
About the film:
- Blockade Documentary is the story of nonviolent actions to stop the shipment of arms from the US to Pakistan during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. In early 1971, Bengalis in the Eastern wing of Pakistan were hoping and demanding their right to govern after a sweeping election victory. However, a humanitarian crisis and an international war swept the Bengal Delta when the military dictatorship cracked down, leading to the birth of a new nation: Bangladesh. Blockade tells the story of how a group of American and Bengali activists protested against the U.S. government's military and economic support for Pakistan during the war by staging a non-violent blockade of Pakistani ships in East Coast ports. Drawing upon rare archival images of the protests and direct interviews with key activists, Blockade offers a powerful reminder of the lengths that ordinary people around the world went to in order to stop the genocide in East Pakistan/Bangladesh.
We will be joined by director, Arif Yousef, to answer questions about the development of the documentary. There will also be an open discussion on topics raised by the film to close.
This event is hosted by Mile End Community Project, a youth and community project helping young people recognise there potential and provide a platform to express themselves on topics of importance to them. The event will take place in BLOC, an inclusive new cinema, arts lab & post-production suite on Mile End Road in East London.