Befem 2014
Welcome to the 6th BeFem festival – a festival of feminist culture, politics and action!
BeFem is an autonomous meeting space between different feminist communities and individuals where we learn from one another how to live and think outside of the norms and predefined boxes.
Our aim is to come up with strategies of resistance against all forms of patriarchy, sexism, nationalism, fascism, homo- and trans-phobia and the re-traditionalisation of society that we see all around us.
BeFem is also an open space for those who until now have not been part of feminist initiatives but want to explore what the F-word can mean.
Ahead of us are two days of feminist culture, politics and action!
More than 80 speakers, musicians and performers!
Over 1000 visitors expected!
Come join us!
No woman is an island!
|
Program, BeFem Festival 2014.
December 6th and 7th, Kulturni centar Grad (Cultural Center “Grad”)
SATURDAY
12.30 (downstairs)
Opening of the 6th BeFem festival
12.45-14.30 (upstairs)
Migrationpolitics and resistance - a workshop
The crew behind Europa Europa - an antinational cabaret about migration politics - invites to a workshop on migration issues. What does the resistance against the inhuman migration politics look like around Europe and what challenges and opinion trends different countries experience in the fight for a world without borders?
With Nasim Aghili, Bahareh Razekh Ahmadi and Anneli Carnelid
12.45-13.30 (downstairs)
“High-Heeled Shoe Guitar is Set to Take the Stage”: Imaginations and interventions in/about space
On overcoming and/or non-existence of boundaries between fashion, art, music, new technologies, on artistic practice which is becoming/or still is part of feminist strategy, on spaces we (de)construct and/or appropriate, museums that become night-clubs. Jovana Djordjevic will discuss all these topics with Marina Markovic, Darija Medic and Zoja Borovcanin.
13.30-14.15 (downstairs)
Half hour of twitterature
Women and technology. On sexism, misogynist posts and tweets, as well as on strategies and platforms that can be used to suppress them – we'll talk about this from a feminist perspective. Where does feminism stand today in a world of high velocity data flow? What are the new feminist Internet action strategies in the region? How much distance, or how little, is there between us and Donna Haraway and cyber-feminism?
Speakers: Nina Djikic – Okvir (Sarajevo), Biljana Ginova – LGBT activist (Skopje), Sanja Pavlovic – FemWiki (Belgrade), Valentina Pellizzer, OneWorldSEE (Sarajevo).
Moderated by: Dragoslava Barzut
14.30-15.30 (downstairs)
I Want to Ride My Bicycle: new activist platforms
From African villages where bicycles are used to reduce female mortality to street actions of distributing artwork (in the same manner newspapers are distributed in the USA), from the far gone times when women were advised against riding bicycles to the cycle chic movement, bicycles as a means of transportation have continuously been assigned new roles in various social movements and struggles. It used to be that the struggle to keep one's balance on a bicycle might result in “bicycle face” - which, of course, only women were susceptible to. Today, women professional cyclists don't get the same awards as do their male counterparts on Tour de France and other races, women are the ones we see giving out flowers and kisses to winners. Does the bicycle still represent the most inclusive activist platform, does modern sports reproduce gender stereotypes in cycling as well, what are the new trends and means of preventing women to “conquer freedom” with their bicycles and what songs can we find out there that are against women's usage of bicycles – all of this and more on the “I Want to Ride My Bicycle” panel.
Speakers: Nina D. Filipovic, Sanda Brumen, Paola Petric, Papergirl (Radmila Jeremic)
Moderated by: Danilo Curcic
14.45-16.15 (upstairs)
Everything but the Truth
We have been invited to talk about the city, transformations of public space, dictatorship of capitalism and possible community responses, creating new communities within symbolic and physical spaces, and new models of sociability. We'll talk about how we met, what political friendships mean, what our working and living communities are like, what new models of public space are appropriate for the models of sociability we envision, and the means we have at our disposal to translate social and architectural imagination into the field of political reality/ies of the Yugoslav spaces we inhabit.
Speakers: Dunja Kukovec, Iva Cukic, Iva Marcetic, Dubravka Sekulic, Marko Miletic
Moderated by: Marija Ratkovic
15.45-16.30 (downstairs)
First Child is a Girl?
We'll talk with our guests from Macedonia, Tiiiit! Inc. about why has 8th March in Skopje for two years now has been re-conceptualized and redefined, how the First Child is a Girl (Prvo pa žensko?) festival came about, and whether the situation in Macedonian society is really as horrible as our media presents it. Kristina Lelovac, Jana Kocevska and Jana Stardelova will talk about women's issues, abortion, attacks on LGBT activists and the crossroads Macedonian society finds itself on.
16.30-17.30 (upstairs)
AbNormal
Design is ideology. Design is politics.
This talk will introduce the concept of critical design, and how it can add a crucial feminist perspective to design.
Karin Ehrnberger will exemplify how gender is traditionally traded in design and how we can think and act to break free from normative thinking in the design process. Her prototypes of a drill and a hand blender switch typical gendered design codes and thereby effectively reveal hidden norms in artifacts.
Camilla Andersson has made an architectural proposal challenging hetero-normative standards. The drawings problematize family statistics and propose five apartment plans that discuss the most common "deviations" from heterosexual norm - domestic abuse, pay differential, single parents and divorce.
16.45-17.30 (downstairs)
Death to sexism, freedom for feminism
Recently, feminist activism in Ljubljana has become increasingly visible. The representatives of collectives Lezbično-feministična univerza (Lesbian Feminist University), Rdeče zore (Red Dawns), Vstajniške socialne delavke (Uprising social workers) and the feminist choir Z 'borke (a wordplay for female singers and fighters) will discuss how the feminist scene in Slovenia has changed, what brings the women on the scene together and what sets them apart, why have they decided to organise a rally against sexism and the Reclaim the Night* march *Noč je naša!
Speakers: Anja Kocman (Rdeče zore i Z'bork), Vstajniške socialne delavka
17.45-19.15 (upstairs)
Empowering trans youth: trans inclusive sex ed, peer-to-peer e-mail support and everyday struggles in close relationships - the experiences of Transformering.se
The RFSL Ungdom homepage Transformering.se is a unique arena for trans youth visibility and rights in Sweden and Scandinavia. Since 2009, transformering.se has been working with general information as well as direct contact with its primary target group, young trans people. In this presentation, we draw on our experience of supporting trans youth via our peer-to-peer support mail, as an example of NGO’s abilities to empower trans youth in their close relationships and/or in any social challenges they may encounter. We have also aimed to offer a trans inclusive sex ed that challenges cis norms and privileges, and we will share our experiences of challenging language, knowledge and terminology with norm critical perspectives.
Transformering.se is run by RFSL Ungdom, The Swedish Youth Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer rights.
Speakers: Hanna Hannes Hård and Carl Åkerlund
18.00-18.45 (downstairs)
Discussion for Three
with artist Helena Janecic
During this discussion with Helena we will try to figure out who's better: Madonna or Lana del Ray, who is the most beautiful woman in the audience and which cities are good for artists. We will try to talk about comic books and painting in a serious manner, and about what's important in life.
The discussion will be led by Maja Markovic.
19.30-20.00 (upstairs)
Waiting for Axel / 2014 / 18'23''
Short documentary movie by Andrea Celija, Simona Jerala, Slovenia
The storyline follows a young transgender man from Pula who was supposed to start hormonal therapy. However, instead of receiving what psychotherapists and doctors had promised him, he is confronted by an ignorant and unprofessional health care system that seems intent on postponing his hormonal therapy. The movie shows what it's like to wait on personal change – a change that means everything in the world to the individual concerned, and nothing at all for those blocking his way.
Alice and us / r. Alexander Mihalkovich and Simona Jerala / Portugal / documentary / 2014 / 7’
Alice is a feminine transgender person. Authors of the film are trying to make a film about her, but during the film-making process they realize their own mind set is drawing an invisible border between them and Alice. Moreover, directors worked together for the first time and Alexander, who is coming from Belorussia, has some traditional views that clash with a feminist view Simona has. At last they succeed to make a funny, honest self ironical film on facing their own mind set limitations.
20.00-21.30 (upstairs)
Once More /d. Ana Opalić and Noah Pintarić/Croatia/2014./62’
Movie screening and discussion with Noa Pintaric and Helena Janecic – the team behind the movie
The movie follows five friends – four lesbians and one transgender person – during five years (from 2007 to 2013), and focuses on their romantic relationships, friendships, activism and creative work. The movie was created based on the authors' wish to overview the intimate processes in their own lives from a somewhat wider perspective, to detect the specificities of their own life style in relation to the marginalized and discriminated position that their community holds in society, to analyze through the forms through which their intimate life interacts with the political and social realities that define their circumstances, and to do all of that from a personal perspective.
22.00 (downstairs)
Feministic and anti-nationalistic folk music!
Sara Parkman and Samantha Ohlanders deliver Swedish anti-nationalistic folk music in a catchy, flashy and feminist way. Old tunes meet new, traditional Swedish folk songs in mash up of songs from 2014.
After years in rural folk high schools and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm Sara and Samantha now are professionals. Following the success of "En Folkmusikalis Shåw" they now have a new show. This time the dynamic duo is focusing on songs from the self-written repertoire, new texts with social reflection and a lot of humor.
Pussy Polskas and Feministic Folk!
23.00 (downstairs)
Seven Moldy Figs – Women rockers from Zagreb premier performance in Belgrade
00.00 (downstairs)
maRie cheRie & TЯANS / YU-G●! / TЯ●N
SUNDAY
12.00-13.15 (upstairs)
Equalisters – a social media tool to fight misrepresentation
Are you tired of the “expert” always being a white male in all political talk shows on TV? Are you fed up with the excuse “we couldn’t find any women”? Would you like to see more results of your activism?
The Swedish initiative Equalisters work in a very concrete and practical way to change the misrepresentation in media and other contexts. Find out how they gathered more than 60 000 people in their web-based network and how they are helping editors, festival organizers and companies become more heterogenic and diverse.
Speakers: Sanna Beer and SaraBeata Hagström
13.30-15.30 (upstairs)
Art[]Gender[]Art
[A space in between]A seminar and workshop on contemporary art
as strategy in queerfeminist and LGBT movements
By france rose & Helle Grøndahl
We are two artists and gender activists who work with gender identity, LGBT and queer-feminist issues in our art practice. Our goal is to open a space for dialogues around queer identities and queer experiences. At BeFem Festival 2014 we will hold a seminar on contemporary art as strategy in queer-feminist and LGBT movements. In the seminar france rose will discuss a theoretical approach to the space in between polar gender ideals, and Helle Grøndahl will talk about the transdiciplinary platform Art[]Gender[]Art. The workshop will be a practical way of applying the theory and concepts discussed in the seminar. The goal is to provide a safe space in which interested individuals can explore and uncover gender as a social construct through a wide range of activities.
13.00-13.45 (downstairs)
The Internet is for everybody?: Politics of online production of non-normative works and sexuality
The accessibility of Internet communication is conducive to production and visibility of identities, communities and politics that are otherwise stigmatized and part of a minority. People who use Internet platforms (re)produce gender, sexual and political identity categories, and are thus enabled to articulate their personal experiences, needs, goals and political choices, in relation to the ways that their experiences have been (un)recognized by others (within feminist, gay and queer communities and all of society), as well as in relation to the dominant understanding of individuality and sociability. Through a discussion on content of online communications about gender and sexuality we intend to analyze the how social conditions and norms regulate their production and on the specificities of acting in such conditions in the context of Serbian society.
Speakers: Ana Andrejic, Dragan Nikolic and Ana Jovanovic
14.00-14.45 (downstairs)
Cinderella Ruined My Life: Production of patriarchy in animated films
Animated heroes and heroines by their appearance and behavior represent gender role models for children. Through animated films and toys these models are adopted at a very early age. Are we really free while growing up, and how much influence on our identity construction does the media exert?
Come and join us and let's deconstruct our childhoods together.
15.00-16.00 (downstairs)
EconoME – 5 for 5
During this one hour panel we will have an opportunity to hear about personal choices of women who decided to be part of collective initiatives within their communities and create possibility for economically sustainable businesses – businesses responsible in relation to the women who participate in them as well as their local communities.
Speakers: Biljana Pudar – active in family business and Initiative for Women's Cooperative of Strawberry Farmers from Bezdan, Ljiljana Gusic – President of Stanisic Women's Association, who is also engaged in the local municipality, Marina Tucovic – founder of a social enterprise for textile recycling, Hristina Piskulidis – ZAdrugarice from Nis, Sandra Lalovic – ZAdrugarice and Fashion Corner from Nis.
14.45-17.00 (downstairs)
FANZINOTEKET is a mobile workshop where you can create your own fanzine. Do you have something to say, show, share or just need to get out of your system? Come to FANZINOTEKET and get some blank sheets of paper, scissors, pens, glitter and everything else you need to express yourself. Feel free to scroll through fanzines made by earlier partakers. FANZINOTEKET moves wherever there is a need for it to be.
Led by Minda Jalling and the Bang redaction
15.45-17.15 (upstairs)
“Fall oh Force and Injustice” - a guide to action in neo-fascist times
We live in times defined by new forms of slavery, militarization and rising fascism in almost all aspects of life, institutional racism, sexism, dominant nationalistic discourse, traditionalism and provincialism. We live in times characterized by empowered rightist politics, exclusionary and discriminatory discourse in public and media spaces. Women, as all other marginalized groups, are used as political currency of the ever-present capital logic, which transforms all political potential into survival logic. Even though we continuously discuss politics, we however live in a time of political apathy, disempowerment, absence of political imagination and action. One of the most important tasks facing the modern world is to redefine and reconstruct the very concept of politics and/or what is political.
Speakers: Tajana Broz, Nenad Porobic, Josip Sipicic, Celia Shomal and Johanna Palmström
Moderated by: Jelisaveta Blagojevic
17.30-20.00 (upstairs)
The Genius Workshop
Studio Naiv is a group, a workshop, a name.
From conversations with friends and acquaintances we have, mostly among women, seen a pattern. You can call it ”the-good-girl-syndrome”, fear or the deep cuts of patriarchy. The pattern we’ve seen is that few of us dare to be pretentious, naive and free in our creative work. We always think long and hard before we create and we limit ourselves in our creativity.
Therefor we have created The Genius Workshop.
In The Genius Workshop we are going to explore the feeling of being the pretentious male genius. We are going to brag about our art, create unhindered, be torn of creative madness and then be celebrated for it!
We welcome you to a creative explosion. We welcome you to a celebration of yourself filled with glitter and champagne. We welcome you to be the tormented genius.
18.00-18.45 (downstairs)
Duality in Us: A presentation and talk with artist Celia Shomal (Iran/Netherlands)
We will meet an artist whose work is based on personal experience: she is a young Iranian woman, an immigrant in Netherlands, facing a strong contrast between these two societies. In art she sees poetry, life energy and resistance – which she says is necessary. She is fascinated by feminist ideas and post-colonial development of the East and the West.
Discussion is moderated by Ivana Smiljanić.
19.00-19.45 (downstairs)
I Believe in Conscious Solidarity
Dzuvljarke – Lesbian Existence of Roma Women is the first study and story of lesbians in the Roma community. The study was initiated by feminist lesbian Vera Kurtic from Women's Space (Zenski prostor) – an organization dedicated to empowering women from marginalized social groups in Nis. Our discussion with the author aims at bringing us closer to the cruel reality of Roma women who have decided not to be dependent on men, and who live in firm silence and resistance within their Roma communities and society in general. By talking about this issue we will create a possibility to connect lesbians from various unspoken Roma woman existences with other women who love women.
Talk led by lepa mladjenovic.
20.00-20.30 (downstairs)
DEFENSE.
Feminist exchange of art-activist ideas
Directed by: Romana Caran
Production: ACT Women
The documentary movie DEFENSE contains an overview of ACT Women's work. In 2012 ACT Women celebrated 10 years of existence and 10 years of performing socially engaged street performances in Serbian towns as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women campaigns. They also organized a festival bearing the same name – DEFENSE – in 2012 in the aim of creative exchange and affirming feminist culture as a space for differences, dialogue, understanding and learning. They brought together feminist organizations, festivals, initiatives, collectives and individuals from the region who employ socially engaged art. The festival showed how rich this marginalized scene - this “peripheral” scene – actually is!
21.00
Hor(or)hor – is it a choir?
21.30
An Evening with Madam Monoquelle.
Welcome to an unforgettable experience.
You'll be in good company.
Don't stand at the door, come into the cabaret!
The immortal, notorious, and freshly shaved – tonight she is here in person and here only for you – Madam Monoquelle!
22.15
ROME IS NOT A TOWN
A compote of arrogant and powerful rock with strong nuances in the ambivalent melodies complemented by straight forward and hard hitting self confident lyrics. The remains of the music scene that once put Gothenburg on the map are being picked up by ROME IS NOT A TOWN, reconstituted into something fresher sharper and scarily vibrant.
23.00-00.00
Women's Anti-Fascist Front of Yugoslavia - Wild Party
An evening of typical music from our former country, as selected by Direktor and Koviljka “Coco” Granata.
For the first time on BeFem we will enjoy songs of mass destruction, hits of the month, Adriatic romance, pearls of Yugovision, ceremonial performance soundtracks, anthems of disco clubs, summer terraces, student excursions, student dorms and Yugoslav National Army barracks! Let's dance together to mellow tunes and childish lyrics!
Throughout the festival:
www.romaroom.com
Come into Maja's, Jelena's or Zivka's room via virtual photographs. Find short movies, audio notes, photos... Through this interactive content you will find stories of Roma women... and that's just the beginning...
Roma room – web documentary – author Sandra Mandic (Lupa Studio).
Silent Disco Corner 2
Femix group showcases their musical compilations Femikseta – which promotes local women's bands and composers.
Great Aspiration, Helena Janecic's exhibition
The drawings shown in this series are a selection from my sketch book, and show how I understand the world and various relationships.
They are dedicated to the little things and their aspiration to become important.
Think Inside the Box with Pernilla Johansson
Do you have a dilemma connected to your activism, the role of civil society in democratization process, or your personal (feminist) development?
Take the chance to discuss this with our oracle from California, Pernilla Johansson, who has life long experience of dealing with these and similar issues. Step inside the box and search for clarity!
BeFem “Beyond the Box” Photo Corner
Scandinavian Corner
BeFem Café
The café and bar in KC Grad is open from 13.00 every day
Follow everything that’s going on at BeFem festival via hash tag #BeFem2014
Performers, BeFem Festival 2014

Marina Marković

Lazara Marinković

Zoja Borovčanin

Nina Đikić

Biljana Ginova

Sanja Pavlović

Nina Đurđević Filipović

Sanda Brumen

Paola Petrić

Papergirl

Danilo Ćurčić

Dunja Kukovec

Iva Čukić

Iva Marčetić

Dubravka Sekulić

Marko Miletić

Marija Ratković

Tiiiit! Inc.

Karin Ernberger

Kamil Anderson

Anja Kocman

Danijela Zajc

Danaja Grešak

Ustaničke socijalne radnice

Hana Hejnz Hard

Karl Akerlund

Helena Janečić

Maja Marković

Noah Pintarić

Sara Parkman & Samanta Olanders

Seven Mouldy Figs (7MF)

maRie cheRie je Lana Prerad

Frans i Hele

Ana Jovanović

Dragan Nikolić

Ana Andrejić

Milica Batričević

Mina Damnjanović

Nemanja Marinović

Aleksandra Vladisavljević

Minda Jalling

Johanna Palmström

Tajana Broz

Nenad Porobić

Josip Šipić

Celia Eslamieh Shomal

Studio Naiv

Lepa Mlađenović

ACT Women

META ERŽENIČNIK

Rome is Not a Town
