CANADIAN FILMMAKER BEATEN BY MILITARY POLICE IN RIO
LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO COMPLETE DOCUMENTARY
ABOUT FORCED EVICTIONS FOR THE 2014 WORLD CUP & 2016 OLYMPICS
Jason O’Hara made international headlines in July 2014 when he was assaulted and robbed by
several military police in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while the final game of the FIFA World Cup was taking
place a few hundred yards away. Notably, this beating took place just after O’Hara completed a film
about police brutality in Rio’s favelas.
Most fans of the World Cup and Olympics are unaware that human rights violations often take place
when a city hosts these mega sports events, as the rule of law is temporarily suspended in what’s
known as a “state of exception.” Forced evictions in Rio (illegal under international law) are the
focus of a forthcoming documentary by Jason O’Hara, State of Exception, which tells the stories of
communities rising up against human rights violations as Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup
and 2016 Olympics, which together are estimated to cost in excess of $40 billion.
Seven Generations Productions is pleased to announce the launch of its Indiegogo campaign to raise
funds to complete the feature-length documentary, State of Exception. Since O’Hara (who speaks
fluent Portuguese) began production on the film in 2010, he has been equipping and training local
activists with video technology to collaborate in making the film. Jason O’Hara’s “guerrilla filmmaking”
is the cover story for the most recent issue of POV Magazine, and he is available to contribute
interviews or op-ed pieces to your publication.
Seven Generations (www.7generations.ca) is a Toronto-based
documentary production company committed to telling stories that inform
and inspire, with a focus on themes of social and environmental justice.
We have filmed in over 25 countries and our footage has been featured
on the CBC’s Nature of Things and The Fifth Estate, TVO’s Why Poverty
Series, in a number of theatrical documentaries, and on television news
in Brazil, Venezuela, and the USA. Seven Generations was established
by Canadian documentarian Jason O’Hara, who graduated from Ryerson
University with an MFA in Documentary Media in 2013. His thesis film –
Rhythms of Resistance – a documentary about police brutality in Rio, has
screened at fifteen festivals on four continents and has won two awards
(www.rhythmsofresistance.info)
INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN: http://igg.me/at/soedoc
www.stateofexception.com
Media Contact: Chris Beaver
Publicity & Promotions Coordinator, Seven Generations
Telephone: 647-225-6523
Email: chris@7generations.ca
