To mark World Press Freedom Day, we are excited to be teaming up with Take One Action! to host a screening and discussion of RADIO SILENCE – a powerful portrait of unstoppable Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui as she fights misinformation, corruption and violent threats to press freedom.
THE FILM
Radio Silence | 2019 | Juliana Fanjul | Switzerland, Mexico
“A rare insight into the woman whose name has become synonymous with press freedom in Mexico”
The Guardian
Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui has been fighting misinformation and governmental corruption for years, in one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist.
After exposing a major corruption case, Aristegui is promptly fired from her long-standing post as a radio host. Buoyed by an outpouring of public support and her own team’s determination, she resolves to pursue her fight for press independence and government accountability on the internet (where her programme now regularly attracts up to 18 million viewers).
Director Juliana Fanjul takes viewers into the heat of the action, following Aristegui and her team as they doggedly seek to pursue their investigations and uncover inconvenient truths. She captures the frantic pace of their work – and the huge toll they experience in light of death threats and intimidation – in a profound reflection on the nature and future of democracy.
The film will be available via Vimeo on Demand between Saturday 1 May – Monday 3 May on a pay-what-you-can basis.
THE Q&A
Radio Silence: The limits of press freedom from Mexico to Scotland
Join us at 8.00pm on Monday 3rd May (World Press Freedom Day) for a live conversation to explore the limits of press freedom in Mexico and Scotland, and how we can defend the rights of those who risk their lives fighting misinformation.
Guests:
Bashabi Fraser
Professor Bashabi Fraser is an award winning poet, writer and academic. An Honorary Fellow at the Centre for South Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh, she was made a CBE for services to education, culture and integration this year. She is an active member of Scottish PEN’s Board of Trustees and Writers at Risk Committee, which campaigns for freedom and justice for imprisoned and persecuted writers all over the world.
Elizabeth Saens Diaz
Elizabeth Saens Diaz is the Secretary of PEN Chiapas Multicultural, and an active member of the Board of Directors. PEN Chiapas Multicultural is founded on the diversity of languages and cultures that coexist in the Chiapas territory of Mexico. As a centre of PEN International, the centre campaigns for writers’ free expression and linguistic rights and supports a diversity of cultural expressions.
Nick McGowan-Lowe
Nick McGowan-Lowe is an organiser for the Scottish National Union of Journalists. Prior to that he spent 21 years as a freelance photographer, beginning his career at The Scotsman newspaper, and going on to work for a wide variety of publications throughout the UK.
Booking Information
While the film will be available to watch from 1-3 May, we recommend you join us for the full “live” viewing experience:
1. Get your ticket for the film
2. Register for the live Q&A
3. Start watching the film at 6.30pm on Mon 3 May
4. Join us for the live Q&A straight after at 8pm (via Zoom)
Book a place at the Q&A event
- The film has an age recommendation of 15+ years
- The film has Spanish audio and English language captions
- The Q&A will take place on Zoom. Live captioning is available on request – please let us know by 19 April if you would welcome this.
- The film has a run time of 76 minutes. The Q&A will last no longer than 45 minutes.
- Please contact info@takeoneaction.org.uk if you have any questions about access for this event
