We have had an amazing year so far – so much feminist art activism happening in good ole London Town and all over the world. All of our Storm in a Teacup energies have been focused on the release of the “Lets Start a Pussy Riot” which was released via Rough Trade records on the 24th of June. If you haven’t already got yourself a copy, you can buy it for £20.00 at any Rough Trade shop or online – all profits go directly to Pussy Riot. You can see some of our great coverage here;
If you missed the book launch at Yoko Ono’s Meltdown Festival at the Southbank Centre you can see the full panel discussion and Pussy Riot interview here;
Please see below for the latest Feminist Art event and party listings for London and beyond! If you would like your event listed – get in touch; storminateacup2009@gmail.com
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OPEN SUBMISSIONS | GET INVOLVED
FEMINIST ACTIVISM
LOSE THE LAD MAGS CAMPAIGN – UK FEMINISTA & OBJECT The Lose the Lads’ Mags campaign, lead by UK Feminista and Object, is calling on Tesco to stop selling sexist, pornographic lads’ mags. Make your voice heard! >If you’re based in London, come to Tesco’s AGM on Friday 28th June and ask shareholders to urge Tesco to #losetheladsmags! Click here for details. > Tweet Tesco’s shareholders now via the Lose’ the Lads Mags website. For more details about the campaign visit www.losetheladsmags.org.uk
FREE PUSSY RIOT Support the Russian feminist punk group, who have just been handed a 2 year sentence for hooliganism and religious hatred. Find out how to support; FOR LATEST NEWS & DONATE: http://freepussyriot.org/
UK Feminista London Activist Group: UK Feminista has set up a new London-based feminist activist group. Over the coming year the group will be staging a series of creative, bold actions to challenge sexism and provide visible resistance where women’s rights are under threat. The group meets on the first Monday of each month. Email to get get involved; activist@ukfeminista.org MORE INFO:http://ukfeminista.handsupstaging.com/take-action/uk-feminista-action-group/
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ART | MUSIC | PERFORMANCE
OPEN SUBMISSIONS | GET INVOLVED
Underwire Festival 2013 Submissions || Female film talent wanted! UnderWire Festival is looking for short film submissions. Directors, Producers, Writers, Editors, Cinematographers, Composers and Film Journalists can all be part of the competition to win plenty of awards. Submit hereDEADLINE: Wednesday 31st of July MORE INFO:http://www.underwirefestival.com/
Storm in a Teacup collective plan to put on some great feminist friendly art parties in 2013 and beyond and always looking to collaborate – so contact us if you would like to get involved.storminateacup2009@googlemail.com
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COMING UP IN JULY
7 July || Stand up for Women @ Garrick Theatre, Leicester Square. Fantastic comedy evening to support women’s charities at West End Theatre. With Andi Osho, Lucy Porter, Josie Long and other award-winning TV Comedians. Supporting Women’s Aid, No More Page 3, Rape Crisis. (Tickets £25/£35) MORE INFO: www.standupforwomen.org.uk FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/674101259272349/
11 July || Wadjda special film screening @ Soho Hotel, 4 Richmond Mews. New feature film due for general release on the 19th of July, written and directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour – the first female filmmaker from Saudi Arabia and also the first feature film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia. 7pm, FREE. Please RSVP nichola.jewitt@freud.comMORE INFO:https://joinourteaparty.org/2013/07/06/wadjda-special-screening/
17 July || Bloody Ice Cream @ The Grosvenor, SW9. Live bands; Tunabunny (USA), Ethical Debating Society & My Therapist Says Hot Damn. 8pm, £5.00 on door. FACEBOOK EVENT:https://www.facebook.com/events/520851681295568/
20 July || Dick & Fanny Summer Party @ Dance Tunnel, E8 2PB VIRGINIA (BERGHAIN / BERLIN), KIM ANH (CLUB BOOBYTRAP / LA) and SANJAY (DROP THE NEEDLE / LONDON) FACEBOOK EVENT:https://www.facebook.com/events/292530977560200/
22 July || She Growwls @ Ram Jam Club, Kingston on Thames. All female lineup of spokenword & comedy. In association with IYF and The Feminist Library. 6.00pm £5.00 FACEBOOK EVENThttps://www.facebook.com/events/535620389814054/
25 July || Guided Missile Presents; Bis, Ace City Races, Ethical Debating Society @ The Lexington. Blimey! It’s BIS.. playing a rare, one-off gig for Guided Missile here in London. Support comes from Glasgow’s Ace City Racers and London’s The Ethical Debating Society.19.30pm. £11.00 FACEBOOK EVENThttps://www.facebook.com/events/534136446624696/TICKETShttp://www.wegottickets.com/event/220343
2 August || Fanny Pack @ The Waiting Room. 90’s disco for Rebel Grrrls and Nancy Boys. 10pm-3am. £3 entry before 11:30pm, £5 after FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/558863747498864/
17 -18 August || UK Feminista Summer School 2013 @ Birmingham University Join hundreds of people from across the UK for a unique weekend of hands-on training in taking action for gender equality. Summer School 2013 is open to all, and is perfect for seasoned campaigners and new feminists alike. Whether you’re seeking inspiration, skills or solidarity, this event is for you! MORE INFOwww.ukfeminista.org.uk/event-details/summer-school-2013FACEBOOK EVENThttps://www.facebook.com/events/392276737551726/
18 -19 August || Revolution – Pussy Riot Commemoration Festival @ Islington Mill, Manchester. £12 for both days of gigs. TICKETS: http://www.wegottickets.com/f/6352
MONDAY 19 AUG headliner is PRINCESS CENTURY (aka Maya Postepski of AUSTRA/TRUST – from Toronto) making her UK DEBUT!! (www.facebook.com/princesscentury) Maya’s latest solo album Lossless (released April 2013) was inspired by the Charles Manson murders, lending a distinct intensity and creepiness to its dark synth vibes. She is currently playing to sellout crowds around the world as drummer for AUSTRA (www.austramusic.com).
29 August || Breakfast with Apollo # 6 The Butterflies Audiovisual EP Launch @ Rattlesnake of Angel, N1 0NY. Gloom-pop solo artist She Makes War presents the glittering launch party for the “Butterflies” Audiovisual EP, with a headline set plus the premiere screenings of all six videos from the release! 7pm BUY TICKETS:http://www.wegottickets.com/event/224434FACEBOOK EVENT:https://www.facebook.com/events/540940459302726/
New feature film WADJDA is on general release from the 19th of July. Written and directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour – the first female filmmaker from Saudi Arabia and also the first feature film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia.
Storm in a Teacup supporters are invited to a special screening on 11th July at Soho Hotel followed by a Q&A with director Haiffa Al-Mansour. Please RSVP: nichola.jewitt@freud.com
Wadjda has been critically acclaimed at film festivals around the world, and it’s now being released in cinemas across the UK on 19th July – see trailer here:
As well as Haifaa being something of a trailblazer, the film has been commended for its subtle treatment of the issues and obstacles facing women in Saudi Arabia on a daily basis, focusing on a teenager, her school friends, teachers & mother.
The film has also been heralded for its social impact, apparently inspiring more women to take up cycling, something very much frowned upon by the conservative leadership.
SYNOPSIS
WADJDA is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she shouldn’t be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda’s mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself.
At first, Wadjda’s mother is too preoccupied with convincing her husband not to take a second wife to realize what’s going on. And soon enough Wadjda’s plans are thwarted when she is caught running various schemes at school. Just as she is losing hope of raising enough money, she hears of a cash prize for a Koran recitation competition at her school. She devotes herself to the memorisation and recitation of Koranic verses, and her teachers begin to see Wadjda as a model pious girl. The competition isn‘t going to be easy, especially for a troublemaker like Wadjda, but she refuses to give in. She is determined to continue fighting for her dreams…
Haifaa Al-Mansour | Biography
Haifaa Al-Mansour is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia and is regarded as one of the most significant cinematic figures in the Kingdom. She finished her bachelor’s degree in Literature at the American University in Cairo and completed a Master’s degree in Directing and Film Studies from the University of Sydney.
The success of her three short films, as well as the international acclaim of her award winning 2005 documentary Women Without Shadows, influenced a whole new wave of Saudi filmmakers and made the issue of opening cinemas in the Kingdom a front-page discussion. Within the Kingdom her work is both praised and vilified for encouraging discussion on topics generally considered taboo, like tolerance, the dangers of orthodoxy, and the need for Saudis to take a critical look at their traditional and restrictive culture.
Through both her films and her work in television and print media Al-Mansour is famous for penetrating the wall of silence surrounding the sequestered lives of Saudi women and providing a platform for their unheard voices
TABBY FARRARwww.tabbysotherblog.tumblr.com Feminism through the memories and lessons learnt of a converted glamour model, Norwich girl Tabby’s performances look at what everyone else thinks it means to be a woman today, as well as at the strange dilemmas of the modern world as a whole.
NIKKI MARRONE www.mayyourpengracethepage.blogspot.co.uk Nikki Marrone is a published writer, performer and workshop leader from Cambridge who in 2012 took her poetry from page to stage and has been performing spoken word across the UK ever since.
A.L.MICHAELwww.almichael.com A.L. Michael is a novelist and creative writing workshop leader. She has a BA in English Literature with Creative Writing, an MA in Creative Entrepreneurship and is about to start an MsC in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes. She likes green tea, tacky jumpers and anything with a fox on it. Her debut novel ‘Wine Dark, Sea Blue’ was published in May by Stairwell Books.
BISHA ALIwww.bishakali.com Bisha Ali will be making us laugh with some comedic refreshment. Her act is fresh from the Royal Court Young Writers programme.
ROBYN-ASTRID www.robynastrid.co.uk Providing a mixture of poetry and music, Robyn Astrid will move us with her dark words and dulcet tones. Hailing from Kingston, this local delight will end the evening.
Are you a woman working as a director, producer, writer, composer, cinematographer, editor, actor or sound designer? Are you or do you know of any outstanding female talent working in film aged 15-25?
Or are you a martian, beaver, teapot, man, boy, elephant or stone who has made a film with a woman working as a director, producer, writer, composer, cinematographer, editor, actor or sound designer?
Then Underwire is for you! There really is no excuse if you’ve a short film under 20minutes. We’ll consider anything that moves from artists films to music videos to docs to dramas.
And don’t forget, there’s more than just a glass of bubbles for our category winners. We work really hard with our awards partners to support our winners with access to training, memberships, mentorships and more.
You can find out about what some of our previous winners have been up to since their awards at www.underwirefestival.com and be inspired. We certainly are.
So you have until midnight on Wednesday 31st July to complete the online application form and send us a DVD or link to your film. Submit here
STORM IN A TEACUP is a London-based collective set up with the aim of promoting women in the arts.
Fed up with finding no platform for our amazingly talented female musician, writer, poet, artist and illustrator friends we decided to do something about it.
Following the successful launch of our zine and clubnight we want to spread the word and get as many people as we can to join our group. So whether you want to play a gig at one of our events, write for the fanzine or just want to meet like-minded people, then join our group and get in touch.
In 2010 STORM IN A TEACUP helped to programme LADYFEST TEN festival celebrating 10 years of the feminist arts DIY subculture with a 3 day festival of music and arts. In 2011 STORM IN A TEACUP were invited to be a part of the first ever Women of the World Festival at the Southbank Centre and created a limited edition commemorative Zine. SIATC were digital advocates for the 2012 festival.
Since 2011 STORM IN A TEACUP have also actively supported East London Fawcett Group and their campaigns.
In 2012 Storm in a Teacup joined together with two other collectives; Girls Get Busy & Not So Popular to start a super collective; LETS START A PUSSY RIOT in order to fund raise and raise awareness about jailed Russian punk band PUSSY RIOT. The LETS START A PUSSY RIOT
In 2012 Storm in a Teacup joined forces with Girls Get Busy zine and Not So Popular to form Lets Start a Pussy Riot collective. In June this year, Rough Trade Records published “Lets Start a Pussy Riot” book, a collection of artistic responses created in collaboration with Pussy Riot. Storm in a Teacup also publishes monthly feminist event listings happening around London.
Storm in a Teacup are currently organising a University tour for the Let’s Start a Pussy Riot book published by Rough Trade Records.