Free

Within the frames of “The Shahrazad – stories for life” project, initiated 5 years ago to promote ICORN (International Cities of Refuge Network) and its guest writers, a memorable program celebrating freedom of expression and exploring the potentials of spreading the city of asylum/city of refuge idea further into the Americas.

Silence or Exile, a documentary film by Marion Stalens, takes an intimate look at the lives of five exiled writers who, in their pursuit of freedom of speech, have been forced to escape their home countries and build a life from scratch in their new host countries. Through these writers, the film tells a story of a violent, absurd and unjust world. Four of the five writers profiled in the documentary have strong ties to the ICORN network, and two of the authors – Philo Ikonya and Mana Neyestani – are current guest writers in Oslo and Paris respectively. The other writers include Horacio Castellanos Moya (El Salvador/Iowa City), Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus/Stockholm), and Ma Jian (China/London).

Acclaimed author Anna Funder goes in her novel All That I Am (2012) and into depth about persecuted writers and intellectuals during the Weimar era and during World War II. Funder is engaged in the work of ICORN and will speak about responsibilities and challenges to mobilize solidarity and hospitality towards persecuted writers of today’s world.

About ICORN
ICORN is an independent international organization of member cities and regions, offering safe havens for persecuted writers; advancing freedom of expression, defending democratic values, and promoting international solidarity. Currently counting 40 member cities in Europe and beyond, ICORN unites its member cities and guest writers in a global network of creativity, solidarity, and mutual interaction. For more information about ICORN, please visit www.icorn.org.

Co-presented by ICORN and PEN American Center.