Testing Assembling #29 At the behest of one of the regular contributors to our assemblies, writer/thinker Nazan Ustundag, we organized with the Rojava Film Commune, the first of what we hope to be a series of virtual screenings related to assemblies. We have called this series Cinematheque Transversal. Responding to the commune's film The End Will Be Spectacular this is a wide ranging discussion touching on the questions of state violence, colonial processes, and the role of stories and art in the context of such struggles. Some notes below from the original invitation: This week’s meeting with the Rojava Film Commune comes through our efforts to continue thinking together both the struggles for autonomy in Rojava and other corners of our worlds, as well as questions of violence which we began to open in our last assembly organized with Nazan. As a follow up to that assembly, Nazan proposed watching together this film which for her helps us grasp certain concerns or makes more apparent questions which we cannot ignore in the context of our various struggles. We share below a short text by Nazan further situating our meeting. Further below we will share details for the screening of the film we are organizing Saturday night as well as further reading for those who are interested. From Nazan: Dear Friends, The film is based on true events and my piece “Bakur rising” gives some idea on the circumstamces in which these events unfolded. The period depicted in the film was an extremely traumatic time for us for many reasons we might discuss in our meeting. I watched this film a month ago and it helped me a little bit to give meaning and accept what happened. There are a few things ı like about the film particularly. Most importantly this is a film that does not depict pain and call for empathy despite the disaster that befall on the people during that time. It does not address law or human rights. It deeply engages with emerging ontological questions of our times along with the ethical and adresses the question of how one should live. I hope that it resonates for you as it has for me and opens the space for our continued thinking together.. Text by Nazan: https://roarmag.org/magazine/democratic-autonomy-municipalism-kurdistan/ Talk by the Commune: https://vimeo.com/387651199 |