THE ART OF PEACE : MEDELLIN
Life is hard in Medellin’s Comuna 13. Joblessness, poverty and the constant pressure to join or defy the trigger-happy drug gangs make the toughest corner of one of the world’s toughest cities a challenging place to elbow your way into adulthood. Filmed in March 2019, The Art of Peace is an In Place of War film that explores how hope, rhythm and tenacity are empowering artists and musicians to escape the violence of the city. Directed, Shot & Cut by Si Mitchell & Charlie Miller
IN PLACE OF WAR : RISING FROM THE FLATS
Lavender Hill, near Cape Town in South Africa - It's considered a no-go area, one of the most dangerous places on earth, completely under resourced in terms of any kind of community assistance, charity or creative engagement. In Place of War is there - meeting past and current gang members to understand how creativity, arts and entrepreneurship could make a difference in the community. We are being showed around by former notorious gang member, Turner Adams, who would like to work with In Place of War to provide more opportunities for his community.
In Place of War is a global organisation that uses creativity in places of conflict as a tool for positive change. We enable grassroots change-makers in music, theatre and across the arts to transform a culture of violence and suffering into hope, opportunity and freedom.
This film documents In Place Of War’s initial meet with the community of Lavender Hill. Since this trip In Place Of War have managed to secure most of the funding required to build a new creative space. The hope is that this space will offer an alternative to the gang violence for young people in the community. We’re now hoping to go back out early 2019 to document the next phase of this incredible work.
IN PLACE OF WAR : A TRACKSIDE STORY
In Place of War has worked with creative communities in some of the most challenging context in the world. In Place of War is a support system for community artistic, creative and cultural organisations in places of conflict, revolution and areas suffering the consequences of conflict.
2017 saw The Mono Grande team up with In Place Of War to help them begin communicating the stories of their work. Along with documenting projects all over Europe, The Mono Grande went to Soweto, South Africa to tell the amazing story of their work with Trackside Creative.
SI MITCHELL'S 'BORDERLAND'
When the shells rain in it's easy to pick out the victims from the bad guys. But in the porous borderlands of Lebanon and Syria it's not as black and white as we are led to believe. Allegiances are formed - keenly and reluctantly - that straddle both ancient sectarian loyalties and the ruthless pragmatic need of the moment.
Meet Nabhan, shot through the penis but ready to finish the Jihad against the tyrant Assad and four year old Omran, 'The Littlest Spy', shot in the leg escaping Homs. In the north young Sunni men shoulder anti-tank mines and hop three-up onto rickety Chinese motorcyles and head into the Syrian hills. In the south of Lebanon Shia civil war veterans tell us they are training their children to fight for Bashar in the wider battle to come.
Borderland is TMG filmmaker; Si Mitchell's journey into the often contradictory and confusing Levantine world where one man's liberator is another man's despot and no battle can be viewed separate from history or the agendas of all the world's players. Shot in December 2011-January 2012 in the Lebanese Syrian borders, the hills outside of Homs and the streets of Beirut. The film was screened at London's Frontline Club on 01/02/13.
MEET RAOUL MAMANI
Meet Raul Mamani Mamani, an indigenous farmer who, along with his wife and kids, grows some of the world's finest coffee on his few steep acres in the hills along the Peruvian Bolivian border. We thought Raul was a cool customer so we shot this short profile of him. Freeman Trading (who Raul refers to in the piece) are an independent UK coffee importer - and you can buy Raul's coffee from them. It's good stuff.
