PUSHBACK Talks
Landlords without faces, apartments without tenants. In 2019, filmmaker Fredrik Gertten released Push, an award-winning documentary that explores the unaffordable, unlivable city, and the growing global housing crisis. Following the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, the film sought to understand why cities around the world are becoming increasingly expensive.
In June of 2020, Fredrik and Leilani teamed up again to continue the conversation they began with the film, and PUSHBACK Talks was born. Since then, PUSHBACK Talks has grown into an exploration of the social, political, and economic forces that shape our world, and of the actions people are taking to push back against inequality, corruption, authoritarian systems, poverty, war, and the shift towards far-right conservatism.
Join the Filmmaker (Gertten) and the Advocate (Farha) as they dissect these topics, uncover the connections between them, and search for solutions. How can we, as individuals, movements, and communities, fight back – push back – to build societies where every human being has the right to live equally, freely, and with dignity?
Listen to PUSHBACK Talks and join the conversation for a better, fairer world.
For more about PUSH and to view it: www.pushthefilm.com
For more about Leilani Farha and her organization, The Shift: www.make-the-shift.org
For more about Fredrik Gertten and his other films: www.wgfilm.com
If you are interested in watching his newest documentary: www.breakingsocialfilm.com
PUSHBACK Talks
Defending Exarcheia: Athens Neighborhood Takes on the Big Guns
For years, the Athens neighborhood of Exarcheia Square has been under attack by right-wing politicians. The area, along with nearby Strefi Hill, is a long-standing bastion of political resistance full of cafés, squats, and social centers, and the last remaining free public space in the neighborhood.
Now, the City has begun construction on a metro station without the proper permissions and against the will of the residents – who have taken to the streets in protest. As the people fight to preserve this cultural landmark and the way of life it represents, Fredrik and Leilani sit down with Eva Betavatzi (European Action Coalition), Nikolaos (No Metro in Exarcheia Assembly), and Christina (Defense of Strefi Hill Assembly) to discuss how gentrification is used as a political tool, and the power of a community that pushes back.
Sign the petition to save Exarchia Square
You can learn more about our guests and support their cause using the links below:
- European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and to the City : Twitter, Facebook
- Open assembly for the Defense of Strefi Hill : Twitter, Blog (in Greek)
- Open assembly "No Metro in Exarcheia Square" : Twitter, Facebook (in Greek)
Learn more about the Strefi Hill area of Athens (in English):