For archive purposes, we’re reposting the old Katalyst Blogspot from 2009-2012 here.
“Addicted in Afghanistan” now available to stream or download!
Sharron Ward posts:
It is with great excitement that we can finally announce our multi-award winning feature length documentary “Addicted in Afghanistan” is now available to stream or buy to download here!
Thanks to Distrify you can watch this film and if you embed it on your own blogs or websites, you get to earn revenue from film sales! Please see the Addicted website for further details about the film.
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Filming the “Accidental Activists”
As I am about to head back out to Libya to continue filming my documentary “Libya: After the Fall” and to film other stories about the many challenges Libyans face on the bumpy road to democracy, I wanted to take a moment to write about some of my experiences filming in Tripoli back in November & December 2011. I initially wanted to make a film about the revolution itself entitled “Libya February 17.” It was to be a documentary recounting the brave stand many ordinary Libyans took to defy the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. Armed with little but a tripod, my camera and a few contacts, I hit the ground running in Tripoli back in November 2011. This post will mention just a few of these wonderfully brave Libyans I met.
Sharron Ward filming at Gaddafi’s Bab al Aziziyah compound Tripoli, Libya
“These are our streets, and these are our alleys,” the protest leader read. “For we vow to you, shameful and disgraceful Gaddafi, not you nor your battalions, nor your snipers, nor your mercenaries, however many they are, will terrify us anymore, and we will not back down on our revolution and uprising, no matter how great the sacrifice.” Protest declaration, Safia Mosque, Fashloom Tripoli, 7 April 2011.
I had watched this small nervous protest filmed at dawn on YouTube. I remember journalists at the time trying to verify that this protest was indeed from inside Tripoli. The distinctive double-towers of Safia Mosque however, were unmistakable. Safia Mosque was positioned in the border area of the Fashloom district in Tripoli, a well-known anti-Gaddafi area of resistance. But little was known of the true extent of the uprising inside Tripoli itself. Most of the world’s foreign media were held virtually captive inside the Rixos Hotel unable to venture out into the streets of Tripoli without a Gaddafi minder watching and listening to their every word and movement. Few Tripoli residents dared to speak their real feelings at their hatred of Gaddafi and his Regime for fear of being immediately arrested, tortured, or killed.
Safia Mosque protest
But word was getting out in the form of defiant statements, and shaky handheld camera phone footage of protests on the streets of Tripoli via social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Suddenly ordinary housewives, doctors, IT consultants and students found themselves as “accidental activists” tweeting and face-booking the Revolution. There was an online battle and a covert underground war quietly being waged in the mosques, streets and homes of Tripoli residents.
When the Fashloom protest was broadcast on Al Jazeera, it prompted Gaddafi officials to deport their correspondent Anita McNaught out of the country. They claimed that the footage was fabricated. Arming myself with a camera and a tripod, I headed to Tripoli after the liberation of Libya, intent on tracking down these not-so reluctant revolutionaries.
Libya is a small but incredibly proud country of roughly 6 million people, and in Tripoli itself I was struck not only by the unwavering helpfulness of the Libyans I met, but also by the fact that everyone seemed to know everyone else. In a bizarre series of six degrees of separation I met an activist, who knew another activist, who knew another activist.
I had known of the work of the Free Generation Movement, an anonymous group of internet activists living in Tripoli who had posted defiant statements and videos on YouTube. The group was formed by Niz Mhani an unassuming British-Libyan Surgeon originally from Cardiff, with his family and friends. His sister Mervat, along with their cousins Hamza and Moktar Mhani were instrumental in devising audacious acts of civil disobedience such as burning the biggest billboard of Muammar Gaddafi inTripoli in broad daylight.
The billboard of Gaddafi FGM burnt down in Tripoli
I finally met the softly-spoken and diminutively framed Mervat, after repeated calls to her mobile (the Libyana telecom network in Tripoli was never very reliable) – as she was scurrying in between her numerous appointments, workshops and motherly duties. Mervat a housewife and mother of two young children, knew she could not stand idly by as the people of Benghazi were about to be massacred in early February. “As women we couldn’t come out and protest – it was just too dangerous. Gaddafi was killing people in the streets, but this is what we could do.” She says referring to her undercover activity sewing the independence flag, making flag drops and filming defiant videos with her friends and family. Even so, her life was in danger.
Mervat Mhani (centre) & members of the Free Generation Movement
As the work of the Free Generation Movement became infamous, Niz Mhani was denounced on Libyan state television as a “rat that should be found and hanged.” On July 23 2011, Mervat and her husband were interrogated for hours by the Mukhabarat el-Jamahiriya, the Libyan secret intelligence. Her cousin Hamza was arrested and detained and a senior intelligence official chillingly promised him “If I find out you are the guys we are looking for, I will kill you myself with my bare hands.” They were told that the Free Generation Movement was “target number one” for the Gaddafi Regime. This prompted Niz and Moktar to go underground and pretend that they were doing humanitarian work in Tunisia.
Unsurprisingly, Mervat knew exactly who the protestors were at the Safia Mosque. It was her friend and neighbour, Zahraa Salaah whose father, brothers and Uncle went out on that protest. She took me to visit them on my last night in Tripoli. In a well-to-do suburb, Zahraa a medical student, and her family told me about the protest and about the videos she had filmed with the Free Generation Movement. “We chose the Fashloom area specifically for that protest because Gaddafi kept taking journalists there saying that Fashloom was with Gaddafi, that the people loved Gaddafi, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. We had to speak, we had to get our voice out – it was killing us not to be able to speak.” Along with her family, Zahraa and the Free Generation Movement plotted their resistance activities virtually under the noses of the Gaddafi Regime, as Aisha Gaddafi lived just around the corner.
The brave Safia Mosque protesters
You can see the short film about the FGM Movement for The Guardian “Tripoli Underground” series here.
I was following the numerous “Twitterists” – Twitter Activists online and with over 50,000 followers, one of the most prolific was the Libyan Youth Movement. They were tweeting protest videos and news from Libya during the very first protests in Tripoli and beyond. One of the key members of this group was Ayat Mneina, a Canadian-Libyan now living in London. Ayat was a student studying medicine & public health (everyone in Libya it seems aspires to be a Doctor or similar), and she was in Tripoli attending the Libyan Women’s Peace Platform conference, one of the many NGOs to have sprung up after the fall of Gaddafi.
Ayat Mneina
A few days later, I managed to meet up with her in the Tripoli suburb of Janzour – another notorious revolutionary stronghold. She told me about a young medical intern called Mohammed Ali Leghuil, who witnessed first-hand seeing protesters shot at with heavy-calibre weaponry on the fateful night of February 20. On that evening Saif al Islam Gaddafi had broadcast his chilling “Rivers of blood speech” which had prompted hundreds of protesters to take to the streets in anger and march to Green Square. I met and filmed Mohammed Ali, and he told me, “on that night Gaddafi forces killed their way into Green Square. The shooting began from around 3 am and didn’t stop till at least 7 am. It was a blood bath.”
Fearing for his life, Mohammed Ali fled Libya heading to Tunisia, where he joined the Tripoli Brigade fighting in the Nafusa Mountains, before making their final assault on Tripoli. It was during the Battle of Bab Al Aziziyah – Gaddafi’s feared Tripoli compound – that his best friend Nader Mabruk Beurewin – a 25 year old Canadian-Libyan was killed on the same day that Tripoli finally fell. You can see the short film I made about Shabab Libya and Mohammed Ali here.
Mohammed Ali with his former brigade, the Tripoli Brigade, Martyr Square
By another ‘Libyan’ coincidence, I was interviewing another young Canadian-Libyan woman, Issraa Murabit whose family had set up the NGO the Voice of Libyan Women. She casually mentioned to me that on the following Thursday they were going to be conducting a workshop for women in Zawiyah, where she happened to live. She then went on to mention that her father was the famous “rubber bullet doctor – Doctor “M.” Doctor “M” had spoken out anonymously to the world’s media during the brutal crackdown of Zawiyah by Gaddafi’s forces. It was during an interview with the UK media when asked if Gaddafi was using live bullets or plastic bullets, that Dr Murabit (his face now being shown) – incredulously responded “Are you joking? These are real bullets!”
So I hitched a ride with Dr Mohamed Murabit and his family to Zawiyah where Mohamed showed me around Zaiwyah Hospital and Martyr Square where the mosque itself was attacked. It turned out that his son Ferras Murabit had met Alex Crawford and the Sky News team as they were all taking cover from live fire. Ferras had joined the protestors who were attempting to march from Zawiyah’s Martyr Square to Tripoli on Friday March 4 2011, before they were attacked by the Khamis Brigade. Ferras himself was in the ambulance with Alex Crawford and her team as they were fired upon en route to Zawiyah Hospital. “Later on I could see bullet holes in the ambulance that were like inches above my head from where I was sitting – that was pretty scary,” he said. It was at the hospital that “Dr M” met Alex Crawford and her team and he helped them in their incredibly brave efforts to expose the brutal crackdown in Zawiyah.
Dr Mohamed wrly joked with me that “maybe in other countries, protesters would be met with rubber bullets – but in Libya it’s the real thing or nothing.” He showed me around Zawiyah Hospital pointing out the numerous bullet-hole marks that had been hastily plastered over.
Mohamed himself was arrested three times by the Mukhabarat and was tipped off at a checkpoint that he was on the wanted list to be arrested again, and so he had to “lay low for a while.” A warm, generous and humorous man, Mohamed wryly joked, “When the intelligence police say ‘can you just come with me for 5 minutes’ – it can turn into 10 years … or in fact death. So when someone says ‘just come with us for five minutes’ you know you’re in trouble.” You can watch Dr M’s story here.
Dr Mohammed Murabit in Martyr’s Square, Zawiyah
Through another Twitterist I was filming, I heard about a young IT Consultant named Ziad Labib. Ziad first tried to defy Gaddafi’s rule by joining the “electronic army” on Facebook and YouTube. His efforts were thwarted when Gaddafi cut off the internet and so he smuggled his way to Nalut in the Nafussa Mountains where he trained to join a Tripoli sleeper cell. Having been captured by Gaddafi security on the way back in to Tripoli, Ziad found himself incarcerated in the notorious Abu Salim Prison – site of the 1996 massacre where around 1,200 prisoners were killed.
Ziad was captured on the 8 June and spent 77 days banged up in the prison, before the liberation of Tripoli on the 24 August 2011. He doesn’t hesitate to reel off the number of days or dates, as it’s etched in his mind and on the walls of his cell. The prison itself, now in a state of disrepair plays host to a steady stream of ghoulish tourists, eager to see for themselves the site of a once feared institution. Ziad has only been back to the Prison once before, and this time we were met by a member of the Misrata Brigade who said he was the first one to arrive at the prison with a rifle and broke the first lock off the prison doors. “I owe this guy my life,” said Ziad, as it was later found that a certain number of prisoners were due to be executed on the 1 September. Ziad was one of those chosen to be killed, having been given a red “execution suit.” Watch his story here.
Ziad Labib at Abu Salim prison, Tripoli
A member of the Misrata brigade who said he was one of the first to liberate the prison.
Ziad Labib & Sharron Ward in Abu Salim Prison, Tripoli
These are just some of the voices from Tripoli I filmed. There are many, many more. They wait in hope & optimism that their sacrifices for a new Libya will not be in vain.
You can see the full “Tripoli Underground” Series on The Guardian site here.
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Cannes in a Van – the documentary now available to rent or download
Very excited to announce that after filming the ubiquitous Cannes in a Van team on their very first exploit to the 60th Cannes Film Festival, we are finally launching the film on DIY Distribution system Distrify! You can now click to buystreaming of the film to view or buy to download! It’s been a while since we filmed the Cannes in a Van lads back in 2007, but we think it’s better late than never!
Monday, 27 June 2011
Gracias Ambulante!
Producer Sharron Ward with Ambulante Film Festival team in Morelia, Mexico March 2011
Q & A for Addicted in Afghanistan at Ambulante Film Festival, Morelia, Mexico
Hola Mexico!
Policia Federal, Morelia Mexico
I wasn’t sure whether it was unnerving or reassuring seeing masked armed police driving around the town of Morelia, Mexico whilst I was visiting their beautiful colonial city. I was here at the invitation of the Ambulante International Film Festival, a wonderful travelling documentary film festival which roves around Mexico screening films in a variety of outdoor and indoor environments.
Having landed in Mexico half awake, I was subjected to an intriguing Customs technique at Morelia airport. I was “invited” to push a button lottery-style by one of their Officers. When it turned “Red” I was told I had won the dubious “prize” of a baggage search … I think they saw me coming there, I’m sure it was rigged!
Having nothing of interest in my bag apart from knickers, DVDs and an impressive array of electrical adaptors (well you never know what country you may end up in), the Customs Officer glumly waved me on. Perhaps he thought I was his next big drug bust, having just come from the well-known smuggling route of London via Houston, Texas? Undeterred by this, another Customs Officer then wanted to check that my bag really was indeed my bag (err yes it is.) I was then scooped up by the lovely Ambulante crew and taken to one of the best boutique hotels I think I’ve ever had the joy of staying in. Not only was it furnished in the colonial Spanish style that I love – (all rustic wooden hewn furniture, wrought iron candelabra, mosiac-tiled water feature in the courtyard), but it had THE biggest and MOST comfortable bed I think I have ever slept in. Oh yes. Welcome to Mexico.
The first order of the day was to attend one of the very many long lunches that Ambulante hosted. A typical 3 hour, 3 course affair, which was always at a fabulous colonial style restaurant – always very dark and shady inside to provide relief from the intense mid-day Mexican sun.
On arrival at the Resturant, I was asked by Ricardo the Director of Ambulance Film Festival, if I had done any research on Morelia? Why no I said, I had a general look at Mexico and obviously the drug situation wasn’t good, but I hadn’t been able to find anything about Morelia. Ah he said only Morelia is in Michochan state – which happens to be the home of “La Familigia” – Mexico’s most brutal and ruthless drug cartel. Ah lovely I said, that’s just lovely. Hmmm so that’s why there were armed police on the streets. No matter, after barely being able to walk -(how long does it take to digest a 3 course meal?), it was on to one of the many Q&As for our film Addicted in Afghanistan.
What I found particularly interesting , was the similarities of Afghanistan & Mexico. Two countries utterly blighted by drugs and the ensuing war on drugs. The curse of heroin blights Afghanistan – and cocaine, methamphetamines & marjuana equally blights Mexico. Those in the audience felt that like Afghanistan, Mexico was a developing country that no one gave a toss about. One Mexican man commented that “no one in the USA cares about the Mexican drug problem here, unless an American gets killed.” He was presumably referring to the recent shootings of two US Customs Officers near Mexico City.
Another audience member commented that the problem with the Mexican President – Felipe Calderon, was that he was not tackling the root causes of the drug crisis in Mexico. Why did so many poor Mexicans and farmers join drug cartels? Because they were poor. Because there were no jobs. Caledron was not tackling unemployment in Mexico but rather deploying the Federal Police and the Military to “crack down” on the cartels – which only resulted in bloodshed and retaliatory ambushes and attacks. By the end of 2010 the general estimate is that around 36,000 people have died in the drug wars in Mexico. A substantial number have been innocent by-standers caught up in the cross-fire. A seemingly hopeless situation with no end in sight.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Addicted in Afghanistan: Theatrical Trailer now online!
Addicted in Afghanistan Theatrical Trailer from Sharron Ward on Vimeo.
Finally, we’ve got the theatrical trailer for Addicted in Afghanistan online.
Only about a year or so after we should have!
Daniel Ellsberg: The Most Dangerous Man in America
Sharron Ward, Daniel Ellsberg & Filiz Wainwright
Back in October 2010 we had the great privilege of meeting & filming Mr Pentagon Papers himself Daniel Ellsberg. Daniel was in London attending the Iraq War Logs Press Conference in support of Julian Assange & Wikileaks, and participated in the Frontline Event: In Conversation with Julian Assange & Daniel Ellsberg. Despite being nearly 80, Daniel Ellsberg has been arrested 80 times for civil disobedience at anti-war protests.
Monday, 27 December 2010
2010 Katalyst Roundup: an unfeasibly large blog post
Julian Assange & Daniel Ellsberg
Well! What a whirlwind year 2010 has been for the Katalyst team. Our feature length doc Addicted in Afghanistan kept us very busy as it was rolled out around the international festival circuit. To date Addicted has been selected at over 30 film festivals world-wide. The film had it’s world premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest before it went on to screen at IDFA in the First Appearance Competition. As we haven’t blogged for some time (sorry!) we’re now making amends with an unfeasibly large 2010 year-end round up.
February started with the U.S. premiere of Addicted screening at the prestigious Documentary Fortnight at the Museum of Modern Art.
February and March also saw a trip down under to New Zealand for Sharron Ward as she attended the 2010 edition of DocEdge the New Zealand Documentary Film Festival. Keen to get an update on the state of the New Zealand documentary scene, it was sad to note that funding for international feature length docs in kiwiland is very thin on the ground.
This isn’t helped by the fact that NZ broadcast channels have very little feature length slots for commission or acquisition, and if it wasn’t for NZ’s Documentary Channel or for Maori Television there would be very slim pickings indeed. Most kiwi doc makers lamented that it was very difficult to get match funding at overseas doc forums; when their own national broadcaster wouldn’t put up any funding themselves! A very sad state of affairs, especially as New Zealand has some incredibly talented documentary makers.
February also saw a special screening of Addicted at the US Embassy in Kabul.
In March we had one of the first London screenings for Addicted, which served as a fundraiser for AfghanAid at SOAS, University of London. Social media blogger Fiza wrote a great blogspot about the screening.
Jawed & Sharron were also interviewed by BBC World Service about the film and the widespread problem of drug addiction in Afghanistan.
In March, Producer Sharron Ward then headed off to Paris to present Addicted at the ECU – European Independent Film Festival where Addicted was awarded “Best European Documentary Feature.”
Sharron Ward at the ECU Film Festival Paris
Sharron Ward also set sail for Greece to present Addicted at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival in March and participated in a press conference and Q& As to a very lively and attentive international audience. Thessaloniki is an important film festival and the Greeks are great lovers of docs – a wonderful selection of films was on show and fabulous hospitality all round.
Sharron Ward giving a press conference at Thessaloniki Film Festival
April saw one of our films in development being accepted into the Greenhouse programme. Hijacked! The World’s first hijacking is a compelling personal story from Ada-Maria Ichim about her grandfather, the pilot of a commercial airline which was hijacked in 1947 during the height of the Stalinist Communist regime which brutally ruled Romania for over 40 years. Ada is now continuing to develop the film through her company Hatch Films and we wish her the best of luck in realising this incredible tale.
Director of Addicted in Afghanistan Jawed Taiman attended the Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival in Doha, Qatar also in April.
We sadly didn’t make it all the way to Hawaii to attend the Honolulu International Film Festival to receive the “Aloha Accolade Award for Excellence in Film making,” but we promise to get down there next time!
Addicted was also in Official Selection at the Norwegian International Documentary Film Festival in Volda. April also saw a nomination for Addicted as “Best Documentary” at the Milan International Film Festival.
Addicted screened to local Afghans for the first time at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, where the young Afghan students received the film somewhat controversially.
May was a big month for Addicted having it’s German premiere at Dokfest Munich & it’s Spanish Premiere at DocumentaMadrid10. Producer Sharron was in attendance at both festivals to field Q & A sessions.
Iran’s Press TV Cinepolitics show also swung by to interview Sharron Ward and to review Addicted in Afghanistan. Despite there being some reservations about appearing on the Iranian state-run broadcaster, the broadcast seemed fairly balanced and relevant points were raised.
Addicted also screened at the International Harm Reduction Conference in Liverpool.
Jawed Taiman was interviewed for Press TV’s Rattansi & Ridley show about the issue of drug addiction in Afghanistan.
Addicted was also awarded a Golden Palm Award for Excellence in Film making at the Mexico International Film Festival in May.
Keeping on a drugs related theme, Current TV UK screened Heroin: Facing the Dragon a 1 hr doc on Cassie & Sarah two English woman addicted to crack & heroin, who endured a radical detox programme in a Buddhist Monastery in Thailand. Associated Produced & co-filmed by Sharron Ward back in 2004 it was great to see this doc (Directed & Produced by Richard Higson), finally screening. For those interested in the Buddhist Monastery which has an admirable track record in the holistic treatment of drug addiction please see Thamkrabok Wat. You can now watch the full documentary on Youtube.
June saw another award – the Golden Ace Award for Addicted in Afghanistan at the Las Vegas International Film Festival – unfortunately we didn’t make it over to Sin City to collect the award!
Austrian audiences got to see Addicted at the Film Archiv screening in Vienna. Jawed Taiman was interviewed on CBC News Canada regarding a story about Canadian troops suspected of smuggling heroin out of Afghanistan.
July saw Addicted screening at the Tricycle Cinema in London as part of The Great Game: Afghanistan season. Armenian audiences also had a chance to see Addicted at the Golden Apricot – Yerevan International Film Festival.
In August, Addicted screened in the “Spotlight on Afghanistan” programme at Dokfest Kosovo.
September also saw Addicted back Stateside at the Napperville Independent Film Festival.
Addicted was invited to screen at the 2010 edition of the Reykjavik International Film Festival and producer Sharron Ward pitched up to field a Q&A after the screenings and to participate in a panel on the many issues facing Afghanistan & Palestine with other invited film makers.
David Edelstein from the New York Magazine talked about our film as well as many other Icelandic bloggers.
Sharron Ward giving Q & A at Reykjavik International Film Festival
October saw Addicted at MediMed, Spain, Festival des Liberties in Belgium, Miradasdoc Tenerife, Docs DF Mexico, and1001 Istanbul International Film Festival.
October also saw us team up with Oscar-nominated director Judith Erhlich filming a potential feature length documentary on the controversial whistle-blowing website Wikileaks and it’s ever more controversial founder Julian Assange. We filmed the press conference revealing the Iraq War Logs to the world billed as “the world’s biggest military leak in history…” Making history of our own we were the only film crew allowed in to film the Wikileaks team briefing before announcing the leak to the world press, and what is believed to be the first time that legendary Whisteblower Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame, actually met his protege Julian Assange in the flesh.
Filming two infamous whistleblowers in the same room at the same time was quite a coup. Even better was the two of them sitting down to chat “In Conversation” at the Frontline Club, where Judith Erhlich – who co-directed the documentary “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg & the Pentagon Papers” was also in attendance. Katalyst were thrilled to host Judith in London.
November saw us back at Sheffield Doc/Fest for another exciting round of panels, discussions, meetings with fellow filmmakers and execs and of course the obligatory parties and roller disco …
Addicted screened at the Pravo Ljudski Human Rights Film Festival in Sarajevo in November and was shortlisted for a 2010 Grierson Best Newcomer Award. Jawed Taiman also received the honour of serving on the First Appearance Competition Jury at the 2010 edition of IDFA.
In November we started filming a new 1 hour documentary for the UK market as well as beginning research & development on another international feature length documentary, to be revealed in 2011. We also launched the dedicated Addicted in Afghanistan Website.
That about wraps up 2010, no doubt we’ve left plenty out, but with all that action we’re looking forward to an even better 2011! And we promise to blog more regularly in 2011. Promise …
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Addicted selected for Sheffield Doc/Fest Meet Market
Addicted producer Sharron Ward with Isabelle Fauchet Collier
We were very pleased when our film Addicted in Afghanistan was one of the 53 projects selected out of 385 applicants to attend the Sheffield Doc/Fest Meet Market in November 2008. We had many productive meetings with a number of International Commissioning Editors, Distributors and Financiers. We look forward to realising future commissions and acquisition deals for Addicted.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Katalyst Productions is very pleased to announce that we are producing an observational documentary “Addicted in Afghanistan” in co-production with up and coming Afghan film maker Jawed Taiman of Film FX Zone. You can see a clip from the taster tape linked below, originally filmed in November 2007. Jawed has just finished filming for 3-4 months with Jabar & Zahir, our two boys who are sadly addicted to heroin in Kabul, Afghanistan.
We’re also very pleased to announce the kind support of development funding from the Jan Vrijman Fund from the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA).
Facebook Group for Addicted in Afghanistan
Just to update the link:
https://www.facebook.com/AddictedinAfghanistan
Sharron Ward is an Emmy & RTS award-winning documentary filmmaker. Check out Sharron Ward’s website here and her production company Katalyst Productions here.
Katalyst Blog 