Sunday Matinee:
RADIOACTIVISTS. Protest in Japan since Fukushima

6:00 P.M., the 3rd of March, 2013 @ WerkStadt, Emserstr.124

WerkStadt presents Radioactivists: A documentary about the uprising and protest culture in Japan after the nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima in March 2011.

Free entrance!

RADIOACTIVISTS. Protest in Japan since Fukushima
Germany/Japan 2011, 72 min.
http://radioactivists.org

About the film:

Since the catastrophe on March 11, Japan is experiencing socio-political tremors of historical significance. Especially in Tokyo the political interest grows and forms a protest against the government, TEPCO and the Nuclear Safety Agency.

Street protests in Japan are considered a rather rare sight. The present protest culture in Japan seems to be not really well-established, compared to other countries. There is merely one exception: Shiroto no ran "Amateur's Revolt", a group of creative activists, who fight for more freedom in public space and an inventive Do It Yourself-culture in the alternative area of Koenji, Tokyo.

The activists involved in Shiroto no ran organized the biggest demonstration in Japan since the 1970s, which took place on April 10th, just one month after the earthquake. This protest gathered more than 15,000 people demonstrating against nuclear power. Furthermore, the mobilization of those anti-nuclear protests brings up a lot more subjects of discussion, for instance the work- and living conditions in the nowadays capitalism and globalization.

The documentary Radioactivists wants to explore the Japanese protest culture under the effects of Fukushima and to illuminate the backgrounds of the current movements, protests and critical voices, which keep getting louder, not only in Japan.

WerkStadt

The WerkStadt is a non-profit platform for contemporary art and culture, with two locations: WerkStadt, Emser Straße 124, where we have a fully equipped dark room for photography (now with one of the few large format enlargers in the city), a wood workshop, a writing studio, artist studios, project room and bar area. The second location, the WerkStadt Kunstsatellit at Nogatstraße 39, consists of artist studios used primarily for installation works of different kinds.

As well as monthly exhibitions we also organise an array of cultural events, such as ART CLINIC where different artists present there work for discussion and critical debate on the first Monday of every month.