PUSHBACK Talks: Recent Episodes
WG Film
Cities are becoming increasingly unliveable for most people. Costs are rising but incomes are not. Sky-high rents, evictions, homelessness, and substandard housing are common realities for urban dwellers across the planet. There is a global housing crisis. How did this basic human right get so lost? Who is pushing people out of their homes and cities, and what’s being done to pushback?
On the heels of the release of the award-winning documentary, PUSH, filmmaker, Fredrik Gertten and Leilani Farha, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, have reconvened. Join the filmmaker and the advocate as they reflect on their experiences making PUSH and exchange ideas and stories about the film's central issue: the financialization of housing and its fall-out.
For more about PUSH and to view it: www.pushthefilm.com
For more about Fredrik Gertten and his other films: www.wgfilm.com
For more about Leilani Farha in her new role, Global Director of The Shift: www.make-the-shift.org
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Industry:
In the past, the highest cost for major organizations was paying employees; now wages account for less than 1% of corporate spending! How do we fight back against industry?
Solar:
Everyone needs some sun, but as oil prices rise, countries that rely on solar power aren't feeling the same economic strain as oil-dependent countries. Is this enough to push more countries towards green energy?
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Wealth Tax:
The conversation gets enthusiastic as Fredrik and Leilani go head-to-head on the benefits and ethics of a wealth tax in today's political landscape.
Waterfalls:
Waterfalls are a special place for both Fredrik and Leilani, who bond over the beauty and exploitation of this natural resource.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Occupied:
How does the personal versus the political change the meanings of words?
With the word occupied Leilani and Fredrik discuss what gets to take up a space, time or your mind.
When illegal occupations and erasure of people are happening in several places around the world it’s hard to not let negativity occupy your mind - how do we shift perspectives and what happens when we push another narrative forward? - Do other people follow suit?
Dandelion:
Often dismissed as a weed - the dandelion blooms despite dire conditions. While Fredrik philosophizes about the symbolism it carries, Leilani is reminded of the word's heritage.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Yoghurt: A food that brings Leilani fond memories of her dad. A conversation about heritage, culture and human kindness. The things we carry within us despite borders and occupiers.
Moonlight: The recent moon landing has put a new light on the celestial body although Fredrik and Leilani have grown tired of the big powers propaganda. Instead they reflect on what happens to us when we get to admire true beauty.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
**Big Tech: What do we know about Big Tech? They influence elections, collect data, and prioritize profit. Dive into a conversation about the Tech "bros" who try to dominate our lives.
Resilience: People all around the world show incredible resilience as they fight for a better future. But how can we maintain this stamina? Join in on this week's conversation about resilience.**
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Profit: Is there a neutral definition of the word profit? In a time when kleptocratic networks are being exposed and organisations working for profit and profit only are increasingly prevalent - what does profit mean?
Spring: As the snow is slowly melting away and the sun makes a welcomed appearance Lelani and Fredrik reflect on the thoughts that spring brings - the circle of life, rebirth and hope for the future.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Greta: a conversation about Greta Thunberg's journey towards Palestinian action and what it takes to make a change. 🇵🇸🌍
Empathy: a discussion about the importance of empathy for everyone while acknowledging the difficulty of extending empathy to people who hurt others.What does it mean to be empathetic, and how is empathy a path for change?
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Revolution: an examination of the heavy often violent connotations of the term 'Revolution' coupled with conversation about the power of peaceful transformation.
The Flood: a dive into the fragility of car centric cities, and the importance of bike-friendly infrastructure.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Support the show
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Puerto Rico: a look at how occupation and resistance shape cultural expression, using Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance as a case to show that messages of resistance are vital in today’s political climate.
Universal: a discussion about how human rights, although defined as universal, are not protected for everyone.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Upside Down: a critical look into the chaos of politics around the world and an appeal for politicians to speak up – against Trump and for their people and country.
Soft Power: a conversation about the importance of culture and how oppressing and controlling its critical and free spirit takes away from its power.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Wall Street: an examination of how Wall Street shareholders use war and the deprivation of human rights as a source of profit.
Safety: a reflection on how capitalism is structured to make us feel insecure and where we can find safety.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Women, Life, Freedom: a debate about the people's protests against regimes and at what cost their freedom comes.
Alabama: a take on how racial persecution is anchored in US history and how it compares to today's situation under Trump's government.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” – quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Doughnut: a lighthearted conversation about personal preferences, voids and economics – all about doughnuts!
Polar: a discussion around the pressing topics of polarization and the polar region.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity – and your resistance – alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” - quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Slavery: a critical look at how the contemporary world has been built on slavery and where slave labour still exists today.
NGO-ish: an immersion in the NGO world and their jargon - an appell to use a language that reaches everyone.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity - and your resistance - alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” - quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Activist burnout: a discussion about their respective touching points with activist burnout.
Patience: an emphasis on the value of patience in their line of work.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity - and your resistance - alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” - quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Bubble gum: a lighthearted conversation about bubble gum — something sweet, chewy and full of youth.
To be a Musk: a discussion about individuals the likes of Elon Musk who accumulate power through right-wing populism and dehumanising acts.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity - and your resistance - alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” - quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Airbnb: a critical look on how Airbnb has developed to a profit industry that takes housing space from local residents and replaces their culture with tourist-pleasing aesthetics.
Winter: a search on how to overcome winter’s darkness and feel cozy in the cold.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity - and your resistance - alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” - quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This week’s episode:
Bumblebee: a comparison of bumblebees and Palestinians: how they manage to fly, to resist and maintain their beauty despite their wings being seemingly too small for them.
Nelson: a recollection of Nelson (Mandela) coming fresh out of prison after 27 years as a loving character and a celebrated leader.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity - and your resistance - alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” - quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This weeks episode:
Ceasefire: a look at the consequences of a ceasefire motivated by profit rather than humanity and the illegalisation of Palestine Action in the UK.
Madeleine (Memory): a taste not only of a delicious French pastry, but also a nostalgic memory triggered unconsciously by a cue encountered in everyday life.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity - and your resistance - alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here with "Word Food"!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” - quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
This weeks episode:
It’s possible: a depiction of hope as a way of resistance and how our ability to imagine a better world becomes a threat to the capitalist and corrupt systems.
Black & White: the tracing of the marks left by the apartheid system and the need to debunk the idea that there are only two colours, two sides.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity - and your resistance - alive!
Support the show
Pushback Talks Season 9 is here - with "Word Food" back on the menu!
This season, Fredrik & Leilani return with their signature bite-sized episodes: sharp, surprising, 15-minute explorations of the words that shape our world. Each week, they pick a single word (or two) and unpack how its simple surface hides deeper social, political, and economic realities.
Think of it as thought-provoking “intellectual snacking” - quick enough for your commute, rich enough to shift how you see power, privilege, and the systems around us.
Kicking off Season 9:
Fk Corruption: a raw look at the roots of corruption, who benefits, who pays the price, and how it quietly reshapes the world we live in.
Lucky:** a candid reflection on privilege, chance, and the uncomfortable truth of how “luck” is unevenly distributed between the Global North and the rest of the world.
New episodes drop every week.
Make this your ritual for keeping your curiosity - and your resistance - alive!
Support the show
This week we continue with the last five episodes of this years Summer Series, back-to-back! If you missed the previous ones, or just like to listen to them in one go, here's your chance.
And if you liked this concept of shorter episodes around two words, please let us know in a comment or at pushback@wgfilm.se and we might just return with some more in the future!
Word Food– bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
Happy snacking!
Support the show
This week we give you kind of a rerun; the first six episodes of this years Summer Series, back-to-back! If you missed the previous ones, or just like to listen to them in one go, here's your chance.
Word Food– bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
Next week we continue with the rest.
Happy listening!
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: Pushback & Money
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: Democracy & Flowers
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: Remake & Sleep
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: Dancing & Supply Chains
If you'd like to listen to the previous episode mentioned, you'll find it here:
How the World Ran Out of Everything, with Peter S. Goodman
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: No Words & Water
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: Growth & Summer
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: Social Contract & Media
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: Frankenstein & Wine
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: ROI (Return on Investment) & Saviour
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: Human & Walk the Dog
Support the show
The Pushback Talks Summer Series is back!
This summer, Fredrik & Leilani are serving up what we call Word Food – bite-sized conversations that pack a punch. Here's how it works: each week, we randomly select two words and dive into a 10-15 minute exploration of how these seemingly simple words intersect with our complex socio-political moment.
Think of it as intellectual snacking with substance – light enough for your summer playlist, deep enough to make you think twice about the world around us.
New episodes out every Wednesday, so make this your midweek ritual for curious minds.
This week: Hope & Bananas
Support the show
Fredrik and Leilani dive into Georgia's unprecedented protest movement with Gota Chanturia, education policy specialist and member of the Movement for Social Democracy. For more than 180 days, Georgians have been on the streets opposing their government's dramatic shift away from European integration and toward Russian influence.
Gota explains how the parliamentary elections of October 2024 were manipulated and how the introduction of the so-called "Russian law" targeting civil society organizations sparked nationwide outrage. The conversation explores the deep connections between democratic backsliding and social inequality in a country where 700,000 people live in extreme poverty while oligarchic interests dominate politics.
This episode offers rare insight into a crucial resistance movement happening at the intersection of Europe and Russia, where citizens are fighting not just for democracy but for a vision of society that addresses profound social and economic challenges. Gota shares how international solidarity matters and what lessons Georgia's struggle holds for democratic movements worldwide facing similar authoritarian threats.
Also check out this episode mentioned during the talk:
Mass Protests and the Missing Revolution - a conversation with author Vincent Bevins
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This week, we explore how Mexico City is challenging the global housing crisis through innovative female leadership. While 26,000 Airbnb listings have transformed the city's housing landscape, primarily benefiting large investors rather than residents, women at the helm of Mexico's government are implementing bold solutions. Their vision includes building one million new homes and constitutional reforms to expand affordable rental options for working-class and young people.
Our guest, Maria Silvia Emmanuelli, Coordinator for Habitat International Coalition Latin America and advisor to the housing ministry, discusses Mexico City's groundbreaking regulation of short-term rentals and plans for 100 "utopias" – public spaces centered on care and social harmony.
Fredrik, Leilani, and Maria Silvia examine how this rare alignment between city and federal government is enabling creative approaches that could inspire new solutions to housing challenges worldwide.
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In this week's episode, Fredrik and Leilani take center stage without guests to candidly explore how we might find connection and hope in challenging times. They reflect on the state of democracy, human rights, and social movements, sharing their personal struggles with making sense of current events and finding ways to make meaningful change in complicated times.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- "The World After Gaza" by Pankaj Mishra
- "One Day Everyone Will Always Have Been Against This" by Omar El Akkad
Support Pushback Talks on Patreon
Connect with us on social media: @pushbacktalks.bsky.social
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What happens when international law exists on paper but not in practice? This week, Fredrik Gertten and Leilani Farha speak with Allegra Pacheco, an American human rights lawyer who has dedicated her career to protecting vulnerable Palestinian communities in the West Bank. As Chief of Party of the Norwegian Refugee Council-led West Bank Protection Consortium, Allegra sees the realities of Area C in the West Bank, where over 600,000 Israeli settlers live in communities deemed illegal under international law while Palestinians face severe restrictions on movement, construction, and daily life.
Together with Fredrik and Leilani, Allegra discusses what it will take to protect the occupied Palestinian territory. How might private security forces protect Palestinian communities? What leverage does the European Union actually possess? And why has the international community failed to enforce its own legal rulings? As the opportunity to protect a future for Palestine seems to dwindle, Allegra's perspective challenges us to think critically about what it will take to end one of the world's most protracted conflicts, and what it means to have hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
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This week, we dive deep into the fracturing landscape of global politics with Peter S. Goodman, New York Times Global Economic Correspondent and author.
What happens when the rules of global cooperation suddenly seem disposable? When nationalist ambitions threaten to unravel decades of multilateral understanding?
Peter Goodman returns to unpack the complex dynamics of trade wars, economic manipulation, and the persistent hope for collective resistance. From the erosion of international institutions to the rise of unilateral power plays, his conversation with Fredrik & Leilani explores how global power dynamics are being dramatically rewritten.
About Peter S. Goodman
Peter S. Goodman is the global economic correspondent for The New York Times and author of How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain Crisis. His work provides critical insights into the intersection of economics, politics, and human resilience.
Purchase Peter's Book / Follow Peter
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Fredrik and Leilani sit down with Sam Freeman (Head of Research and Advocacy at The Shift) and Dominika Leitane (Legal Officer at Opportunity Green) who reveal how they took the UK government to the United Nations—and won!
Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the UN review process as Sam and Dominika break down exactly how they navigated this powerful accountability tool to tackle the twin crises of housing injustice and climate emergency. They share their journey from initial submission to celebration when the UN Committee adopted their recommendations.
This eye-opening conversation pulls back the curtain on international law in action, showing how everyday people armed with determination and strategy can use these tools to hold governments accountable. Sam and Dominika offer practical insights into how these seemingly complex international mechanisms can become game-changing tools for creating a more just and sustainable world.
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What happens when Elon Musk's anti-union Tesla meets Sweden's powerful labor movement? Since October 2023, Swedish workers have maintained the country's longest strike in a century, with solidarity spreading across Nordic countries. In this episode, Fredrik and Leilani speak with German Bender, chief analyst at Arena think tank and Harvard Labor researcher, about how this historic standoff represents a clash between Silicon Valley's corporate libertarianism and the Nordic model of collective bargaining. Learn why dockworkers, postal workers, and even Norway's sovereign wealth fund have joined the resistance – and what this conflict means for worker rights globally.
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Canadian Member of Parliament Leah Gazan (New Democratic Party, Manitoba) joins Fredrik and Leilani to explore how nations and individuals can stand firm against authoritarianism without succumbing to despair. Drawing from her family's experience with genocide across two continents, Gazan offers insights into transforming collective anxiety into meaningful action and leadership. Leah reminds us that in times of great challenge, we have a choice: to give in to pessimism or to use this moment to advance human rights and dignity. A timely discussion about finding courage in community and remembering that history's darkest hours have often preceded its most profound transformations.
Learn more about Leah's work here.
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Finland has achieved what many countries still deem impossible: significantly reducing long-term homelessness through a Housing First model. Finland's model, which has reduced homelessness by 80% since 2008, doesn't just provide housing – it prevents homelessness through strategic urban planning, integrated support services, and proactive intervention.
Join Fredrik and Leilani as they speak with Juha Kahila, Head of International Affairs at Y-Säätiö (Y-Foundation), about Finland's comprehensive approach to ending homelessness. The three discuss how homelessness isn't inevitable, but rather a result of policy choices – and how this pragmatic model could offer a blueprint for ending homelessness worldwide.
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In our first episode of the new year, Leilani and Kirsten sit down with former Victoria Supreme Court Justice Kevin Bell to examine Australia's housing challenges and their global implications. Drawing on his 15 years on Victoria's highest court and his book "Housing: The Great Australian Right," Bell explores the realities of intergenerational housing access and its broader impacts on society. From young families navigating the market to older women facing housing insecurity, he illustrates how housing systems reflect our collective values—and how they can be reshaped. As both a former judge and lifelong advocate, Bell presents a practical case for change through human rights legislation. His conversation with Leilani and Kirsten weaves together climate considerations, gender equity, and housing affordability, offering a look back at the history of housing in Australia, and a clear vision for building housing systems that work for everyone.
You can find Kevin's book, The Great Australian Right, here.
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What if public housing could be a solution, not a symptom of urban inequality? Singapore offers an alternative to the traditional narrative of state-sponsored housing. In this episode, Fredrik, Leilani, and National University of Singapore Professor Kwan Ok Lee unpack an extraordinary housing system that defies global expectations. By transforming apartments into instruments of social cohesion, Singapore has created a model that challenges everything we know about urban living, community development, and civic belonging. Learn how one city-state turned housing into a strategic national asset that integrates, empowers, and connects its diverse population.
Learn more about Kwan Ok Lee's work as Associate Professor and Dean's Chair at the Business School and Deputy Head in the NUS Department of Real Estate.
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Cities are the frontline of our global challenges – from climate change to housing crises. In this powerful episode of Pushback Talks, Deputy Mayor of Paris Christophe Najdovski reveals how progressive urban leadership can transform cities into resilient, livable ecosystems. From challenging powerful car lobbies to reimagining urban spaces, Najdovski and Mayor Anne Hidalgo are pioneering a radical approach that proves environmental action and social justice can go hand in hand. Hear how Paris is fighting populism, creating climate-adaptive infrastructure, and offering a blueprint for urban transformation that could reshape cities worldwide. As the global urban population continues to grow, this conversation offers a beacon of hope and practical inspiration for building the cities of our future.
Learn more about Paris's climate strategy.
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In Nigeria's largest city, a powerful story is unfolding - one that shines a light on the urgent struggle for housing rights and urban resilience. In this episode, we sit down with the creative team behind the new film "The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos," which dramatizes the real-life tragedy of the Otodo Gbame informal settlement.
Between November 2016 and April 2017, over 30,000 residents of this waterfront community were violently evicted, with nine drowning and two shot in the process. Our guests - lead actor Temi Ami-Williams, director/producer Bisola Akinmuyiwa, and director Temi Ogungbamila - have worked tirelessly with community members to craft a cinematic experience that demands our attention.
But this is more than a movie - it's a work of resistance, part of a broader campaign led by Slum Dwellers International. For decades, they've stood alongside organized communities to challenge forced evictions and build inclusive cities.
You can also support the launch of the film, or request a screening.
Learn more about the film, and the work of Slum Dwellers International.
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In the finale of our series on The Shift Directives, our experts examine the staggering scale and far-reaching impact of institutional investment on housing.
What could we gain if housing investment and housing redevelopment complied with human rights standards? Leilani and Sam tackle thorny issues like tax advantages for REITs and the alarming trend of financializing vulnerable housing sectors such as student accommodations and long-term care homes.
Leilani and Sam also preview an exciting new resource - the Investor Guidelines. Developed over the last year, these guidelines demonstrate that smart investment and housing as a human right can coexist. We offer a glimpse into this groundbreaking new tool (which is out today!) and the possibility of transforming the role of investors in the housing sector.
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In this critical third installment of our series on The Shift Directives, Sam, Leilani, and Kirsten delve into the intricate dance between local, national, and international policies, exposing how disconnects in governance can leave vulnerable citizens without a roof over their heads. Leilani and Sam dissect the multi-level approach needed to effectively implement housing rights and talk about how The Shift Directives were designed to do just that.
From innovative local initiatives to game-changing national policies, this episode equips listeners with a deeper understanding of how governments can—and must—work together to secure the right to housing for all.
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In the second installment of this four-part special series, Pushback Talks Producer Kirsten delves deeper into The Shift Directives with Leilani & Sam.
Leilani and Sam get into Directive 7 of The Shift Directives, which is all about protecting tenants and creating spaces for them to participate in the future of their communities.
Together the three cut to the heart of modern housing challenges: AI-driven rent hikes, the cascading crisis of unaffordability and evictions, and the looming specter of homelessness. Leilani and Sam lay out the urgent need for robust tenant protections, advocating for a seismic shift towards transparency, meaningful participation, and the integration of human rights principles in housing policies.
Read The Shift Directives and follow the series for the next four weeks.
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In this first episode of a four-part special series, Pushback Talks Producer Kirsten sits down with Leilani Farha and Sam Freeman to introduce listeners to The Shift Directives; a revolutionary approach to the global housing crisis.
Setting the stage for the series, this episode begins reimagining how we understand, regulate, and experience housing in the 21st century. Hear directly from the architects of this new framework as they reveal the urgent catalysts behind The Shift Directives and paint a vivid picture of how a human rights-based approach could transform housing as we know it.
Follow along for the next 4 weeks and be sure to read The Shift Directives.
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This week, we welcome back friend of the show Dr. Joanna Kusiak to discuss her new book, "Radically Legal" and Berlin's ongoing efforts to keep housing affordable through innovative legal approaches.
We explore the often-overlooked role of emotion in the creation and interpretation of law, challenging the notion that legal systems operate purely on cold logic. Joanna reveals how the hopes, frustrations, and determination of ordinary citizens have shaped Berlin's housing policies.
Listen in as Fredrik, Leilani, and Joanna discuss the perseverance required in long-term activism and how legal frameworks can be powerful tools for social change when wielded by engaged communities.
Read Joanna's book, Radically Legal, for free.
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It's the Season 8 premiere of Pushback Talks! Filmmaker Fredrik Gertten and Advocate Leilani Farha welcome back New York Times correspondent Peter S. Goodman to discuss his provocative new book, "How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain."
Goodman, Gertten, and Farha explore the often-overlooked human consequences of our interconnected economy. The three dissect the language used to describe global experiences, examine the power dynamics of international trade, and analyze past policy decisions that prioritized profits over people.
Check out How the World Ran Out of Everything and stay updated on Peter's work with the New York Times.
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! For the next 12 weeks, we'll revisit a few of our favorite episodes from the last season.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
In this episode of Pushback Talks, hosts Fredrik and Leilani delve into a fascinating intersection of global trends: digital nomadism. As the world grapples with issues like migration, touristification, gentrification, and financialization, the rise of digital nomads adds another layer of complexity to the housing landscape.
With the COVID-19 pandemic shifting the nature of work, digital nomadism has surged in popularity. What was once a niche lifestyle has now become a significant global phenomenon, with millions of individuals embracing remote work and the freedom to travel.
But what exactly are digital nomads, and how do they fit into the broader narrative of migration and tourism? Joining Fredrik and Leilani is author, anthropologist, and consultant Dave Cook, who brings over 8 years of research experience on remote work and its impacts.
With digital nomadism on the rise, understanding its implications for international migration and local economies is more crucial than ever. Tune in as Dave, Leilani, and Fredrik unpack the complexities of digital nomadism and its far-reaching consequences on housing and society.
Read more about Dave's work.
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Support the Show.
It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! For the next 12 weeks, we'll revisit a few of our favorite episodes from the last season.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
In this week's episode of Pushback Talks, we delve into the intricate dynamics of historical narratives and their profound influence on contemporary events. Award-winning South African journalist, filmmaker, and writer Sylvia Vollenhoven joins Fredrik and Leilani to explore the enduring power of empathy amidst longstanding conflicts and resistance movements. Drawing parallels between past and present, the trio examines South Africa's struggle against apartheid and its recent decision to challenge Israel at the International Court of Justice. Through their conversation, we dissect the mainstream media's portrayal of such actions, highlighting the ongoing battle to control narratives and the critical role of empathy in shaping social justice movements.
Sylvia's latest project, a film in development and critically acclaimed play, The Keeper of the Kumm, is based on a book of the same name. You can learn more about Sylvia, as well as the book, the play, and the film here.
Support the Show.
Support the Show.
It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! For the next 12 weeks, we'll revisit a few of our favorite episodes from the last season.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
"From 2010 to 2020, more people participated in protests than at any other point in human history. " Yet we are not living in more just and democratic societies as a result...How did so many mass protests lead to the opposite of what they asked for?"
Take a look behind the scenes of global uprisings and their unfulfilled aims as Pushback Talks welcomes acclaimed author of "If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution," Vincent Bevins. In his compelling conversation with Leilani and Fredrik, Bevins dissects a decade of mass protests that captivated the world and changed things in unforeseen ways. From the Arab Spring to Hong Kong's student movements, they explore the complexities and unexpected outcomes of these fervent calls for change and the media that surrounded them.
Support the Show.
Support the Show.
It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! For the next 12 weeks, we'll revisit a few of our favorite episodes from the last season.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
This week the Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with Rutger Bregman, esteemed historian and author of Humankind and Utopia for Realists. Join the trio as they discuss the ins an outs of societal transformation, exploring Bregman's contributions to Fredrik's film "Breaking Social." They discuss relevant questions like 'How does anger fuel social change?' and 'What defines true philanthropy?' Follow along as our hosts explore the nuanced dynamics of small groups and their transformative power in driving substantial change. Don't miss this enlightening episode that delves into the critical distinction between cynicism and anger, offering a thought-provoking exploration of the ever-evolving landscape of societal change.
Support the Show.
It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! For the next 12 weeks, we'll revisit a few of our favorite episodes from the last season.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
What is it that makes a worker essential? This is the question that Chris Smalls and hundreds of thousands of Amazon workers had to ask as they found themselves working long hours in unsafe conditions at the height of the pandemic, having been deemed 'essential.' But when Chris, who was responsible for training thousands of other employees and upper management, organized a protest for better work conditions he was immediately terminated and told he wasn't articulate enough to be the face of efforts to unionize. Chris responded by pushing it further, creating the Congress of Essential Workers and, eventually, the Amazon Labor Union.
Chris joins Fredrik and Leilani to discuss the intense amount of work it took to create the union, the power of challenging the system as his authentic self, and proving those who underestimated him dead wrong.
Support the Amazon Labor Union. You can see more about Chris's fight to create the Amazon Labor Union in Fredrik's latest film, Breaking Social.
Support the Show.
Support the Show.
What's it like to be the world leader of human rights at a time when it looks like they've been abandoned? Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, sits down for an eye-opening talk about "human rights economies" that value human dignity over profits. Türk shares his bold ideas to fundamentally reshape finance, policy, and growth around protecting basic freedoms. From confronting exploitation to putting human worth first, he offers a fresh vision for pursuing justice through fair economic systems. It's an insightful discussion on pioneering ways for the human rights movement to create meaningful change.
Read Volker's statements on rebuilding a foundation of hope through human rights economies.
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In this episode of Pushback Talks, we delve into the global wave of pro-Palestinian student protests igniting campuses worldwide. After students at Columbia University treated the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on April 17th, they found themselves in a two-week standoff that inspired students around the world. In just 3 weeks, pro-Palestinian encampments had spread to nearly 140 campuses across 45 states in the US, as well as to Latin America, Australia, Japan, the Middle East, and Europe. This episode explores the resilience, unity, and relentless pursuit of justice driving these student-led actions.
We hear from Fabiola Villanueva, a Columbia College undergraduate and key protest participant, sharing her firsthand experiences and the solidarity inspired by the encampment. Additionally, Helena Hägglund, a journalist and PhD candidate in media studies, offers insights from her reporting on the Middle East and North Africa and her involvement in pro-Palestinian student groups.
Join us as we uncover the stories behind the headlines and discuss the broader implications of this international movement.
Want to learn more? Dive into Columbia University Apartheid Divest and Helena Hägglund’s impactful work.
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This week on Pushback Talks, Fredrik and Leilani explore a bold proposition: What if we put the business of landlordism on trial?
Nick Bano's latest work, "Against Landlords: How to Solve the Housing Crisis," serves as our guide. Bano, a barrister specializing in representing marginalized groups, takes us on a journey through the history of housing law in the UK, tracing its evolution from the Victorian era to the present day. He illuminates how this legal landscape has shifted, contributing to the current crisis of unaffordability and skyrocketing rents.
Today, 1 in 21 people in the UK is a landlord, a staggering statistic that underscores the imbalance in our housing system. In this episode, Fredrik, Leilani, and Nick delve into the repercussions of this disparity, exploring how the profitability of housing impacts our ability to address the crisis. Together, they examine the potential solutions and reflect on how close Britain came to outlawing landlords.
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In this episode of Pushback Talks, Leilani and Fredrik sit down with David Ireland, the Chief Executive of World Habitat, to catch up on things since they teamed up for the filming of Push.
Their conversation delves into the World Habitat Awards and the inspiring projects they recognize and support, highlighting innovative solutions that are transforming lives and communities worldwide. David shares his first-hand experiences witnessing positive change through the projects the awards support and discusses the challenges and successes of his work with World Habitat. Together, the three examine how the law plays a pivotal role in the success of projects fighting for the right to housing and highlight some of the many memorable award winners.
View the 2024 World Habitat Award Winners
Read more about the work of Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan’s first female architect
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In this episode of Pushback Talks, hosts Fredrik and Leilani delve into a fascinating intersection of global trends: digital nomadism. As the world grapples with issues like migration, touristification, gentrification, and financialization, the rise of digital nomads adds another layer of complexity to the housing landscape.
With the COVID-19 pandemic shifting the nature of work, digital nomadism has surged in popularity. What was once a niche lifestyle has now become a significant global phenomenon, with millions of individuals embracing remote work and the freedom to travel.
But what exactly are digital nomads, and how do they fit into the broader narrative of migration and tourism? Joining Fredrik and Leilani is author, anthropologist, and consultant Dave Cook, who brings over 8 years of research experience on remote work and its impacts.
With digital nomadism on the rise, understanding its implications for international migration and local economies is more crucial than ever. Tune in as Dave, Leilani, and Fredrik unpack the complexities of digital nomadism and its far-reaching consequences on housing and society.
Read more about Dave's work.
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This week, we turn our attention to Argentina, a nation grappling with political turmoil and economic distress. With rising polarization and economic instability, President Milei's controversial policies roll back social programs and consolidate power, exacerbating social inequalities and economic disparities. Sebastián Fest, a seasoned Argentinian journalist and political commentator, joins us to dissect the implications of Milei's Omnibus law and the country's rapid economic transformation. Together, Fredrik, Leilani, and Sebastian explore the factors behind Argentina's soaring cost of living, the toll on the middle class, and the urgent need for a more equitable future.
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As the cost of living continues to rise and housing remains one of the hottest topics in the news, there's a common misconception in North America that tenants are just homeowners in waiting. Laws and incentives are written to support this idea, and it's leaving a growing generation of tenants behind in a way that is detrimental for us all. This week's guest, author and political economist Ricardo Tranjan, Ph.D., does away with this myth in his latest book, The Tenant Class. Tranjan challenges the very notion of a housing crisis, proposing an alternative perspective – a housing market functioning precisely as intended.
His conversation with Fredrik and Leilani looks at what happens when advocates go on the offensive, the power of collective action, and what happens when advocates get a little aggressive.
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In this week's episode of Pushback Talks, we delve into the intricate dynamics of historical narratives and their profound influence on contemporary events. Award-winning South African journalist, filmmaker, and writer Sylvia Vollenhoven joins Fredrik and Leilani to explore the enduring power of empathy amidst longstanding conflicts and resistance movements. Drawing parallels between past and present, the trio examines South Africa's struggle against apartheid and its recent decision to challenge Israel at the International Court of Justice. Through their conversation, we dissect the mainstream media's portrayal of such actions, highlighting the ongoing battle to control narratives and the critical role of empathy in shaping social justice movements.
Sylvia's latest project, a film in development and critically acclaimed play, The Keeper of the Kumm, is based on a book of the same name. You can learn more about Sylvia, as well as the book, the play, and the film here.
Support the show
"From 2010 to 2020, more people participated in protests than at any other point in human history. " Yet we are not living in more just and democratic societies as a result...How did so many mass protests lead to the opposite of what they asked for?"
Take a look behind the scenes of global uprisings and their unfulfilled aims as Pushback Talks welcomes acclaimed author of "If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution," Vincent Bevins. In his compelling conversation with Leilani and Fredrik, Bevins dissects a decade of mass protests that captivated the world and changed things in unforeseen ways. From the Arab Spring to Hong Kong's student movements, they explore the complexities and unexpected outcomes of these fervent calls for change and the media that surrounded them.
Support the show
Embark on a transformative journey this week with the Filmmaker and the Advocate as they engage in conversation with Rutger Bregman, esteemed historian and author of Humankind and Utopia for Realists. Join the trio as they navigate the heart of societal transformation, unraveling Bregman's impactful contributions to Fredrik's film "Breaking Social." Dive deep into pressing questions like 'How does anger fuel social change?' and 'What defines true philanthropy?' Explore the nuanced dynamics of small groups, unearthing their transformative power in driving substantial change. Don't miss this enlightening episode that delves into the critical distinction between cynicism and anger, offering a thought-provoking exploration of the ever-evolving landscape of societal metamorphosis.
Support the show
Ever wondered what it takes to build a thriving community of empowered tenants? In this illuminating episode of Pushback Talks, we speak with Valeria Raçu and Alba Jiménez of the Madrid Tenant's Union (also known as Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid) about building meaningful movements.
Join Fredrik and Leilani as they sit down with Valeria and Alba to look closer at the extraordinary impact of collective action in of tenants' rights. In a world where global actors wield immense influence, Valeria and Alba underscore the significance of a united global movement to combat the challenges posed by an increasingly financialized housing market. Valeria and Alba's work with the Union is a call to action, reminding us that when we join forces to protect the rights and dignity of tenants, we create better communities and, ultimately, a better world for all.
Tune in to this engaging episode and explore how community power can shape the future of housing and human rights.
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What is it that makes a worker essential? This is the question that Chris Smalls and hundreds of thousands of Amazon workers had to ask as they found themselves working long hours in unsafe conditions at the height of the pandemic, having been deemed 'essential.' But when Chris, who was responsible for training thousands of other employees and upper management, organized a protest for better work conditions he was immediately terminated and told he wasn't articulate enough to be the face of efforts to unionize. Chris responded by pushing it further, creating the Congress of Essential Workers and, eventually, the Amazon Labor Union.
Chris joins Fredrik and Leilani to discuss the intense amount of work it took to create the union, the power of challenging the system as his authentic self, and proving those who underestimated him dead wrong.
Support the Amazon Labor Union. You can see more about Chris's fight to create the Amazon Labor Union in Fredrik's latest film, Breaking Social.
Support the show
Welcome to Season 7 of Pushback Talks! It's been an eventful summer, as nations worldwide grappled with the housing and climate crises, and people took to the streets to protest wealth inequality and the rapidly rising cost of living. In this highly anticipated season premiere, we join Fredrik and Leilani for a one-on-one conversation about their work to push back against the injustices of our time and how their mission adapts as the situation develops.
In this premiere episode, Fredrik and Leilani engage in a candid conversation that peels back the layers of the housing crisis as it relates to student housing, the climate crises, and the social contract. What actions can be taken right now to mitigate the crises? The episode underscores the critical need for accountability from both governments and private entities in addressing these far-reaching housing issues.
Join us for an engaging Season 7 premiere that deepens our understanding of the how the housing crisis is developing, and stay tuned for an exciting lineup of episodes that will inspire action, promote change, and illuminate the path toward a more just and equitable world.
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This year's summer series is coming to a close! We did things a little differently this year, revisiting some of our favorite episodes from across all six seasons, and giving you updates on the guests and topics at the top of each episode.
No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy the final episode of the 2023 Summer Series!
Students the world over head to university filled with hopes and dreams for the future. But to pursue those dreams requires secure housing and that’s where the nightmare begins. The co-hosts swap stories of student life in London, Lagos, Dublin, Seoul, and Toronto. Students are working multiple jobs to pay the rent, lobbying for the right to sleep in their cars, experiencing sexual coercion, spending hours commuting back and forth each day, and worrying about the debt they’re accruing. Just when they should be stepping into the world with energy and strength, they are being beaten down.
Lower-income students have less time to study and are leaving university with crippling debt loads, creating new patterns of inequality. The Filmmaker and the Advocate discuss one of the central drivers of these conditions: student housing has become one of the hottest commodities around. It's being scooped up by global vulture funds including … you guessed it … Blackstone. This episode will make you angry and should make all of us want to push back so young people can dream again.
In recent days, the story has only gotten worse. In cities around the world, university students are facing homelessness, with many staging protests against universities that accept them without providing a proper and affordable place to stay. In Turkey, Canada, and beyond, students are pushing back against untenable housing conditions.
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, so it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! And we're doing things a little differently this year. For the next six weeks, we'll revisit some of our favorite episodes from across all six seasons, giving you updates on the guests and topics at the top of each episode.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
This week we revisit Pushback Talks' first-ever guest, Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist, San Francisco resident, and author of, Homewreckers, Aaron Glantz. Glantz speaks with Fredrik and Leilani about the devastating impact of vulture capitalists on millions of Americans since entering the housing sector after the Global Financial Crisis. Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz provides a jumping-off point for the trio to discuss the cozy relationship between government, banks, and private equity that ensured those with money would be winners and those without would have their dreams demolished.
Fredrik and Leilani used this episode of PUSHBACK Talks as a wake-up call and a warning: the vultures are likely circling again, with 40 million people in the US who can’t pay their rent and nearly 4 million who can't pay their home mortgages. Years later, the financial situation in the US has only worsened, making this conversation all the more relevant.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Sebastian Cronholm
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! And we're doing things a little differently this year. For the next six weeks, we'll revisit some of our favorite episodes from across all six seasons, giving you updates on the guests and topics at the top of each episode.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
In this episode, we look back at Fredrik and Leilani's 2021 conversation with Denmark’s then Housing Minister – Kaare Dybvad Bek – one of the few politicians in the world to have had the courage to take on Blackstone and other institutional investors. With Copenhagen being dominated by private equity, pension funds, and asset management firms, the Minister took matters into his own hands. Despite considerable pressure, a Parliamentary Committee launched an investigation into the matter and successfully put forward ground-breaking legislation aimed at keeping big finance out of Copenhagen’s housing market.
Known as ‘Lex Blackstone’, the legislation put a 5-year ban on renovations and rent increases for new owners and strengthened tenants' rights. The legislation had its intended results: fewer institutional investors and a significant decrease in property prices. Denmark’s legislation still offers inspiration and stands as a model for advocates and politicians across the globe, even years later.
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! And we're doing things a little differently this year. For the next six weeks, we'll revisit some of our favorite episodes from across all six seasons, giving you updates on the guests and topics at the top of each episode.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
This week we're looking back at extra special guests from Port Harcourt Nigeria – Chicoco Radio, made up of rappers and mappers, musicians, journalists, filmmakers and photographers. Together they discuss the harsh inequalities experienced in Africa's largest nation, particularly in the oil-producing Delta Coast – where erasure of communities and extremely violent forced evictions are a common part of life. The Chicoco guests draw parallels between their experiences of police brutality at the hands of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and recent protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. What makes Chicoco utterly special - as well as this episode of PUSHBACK Talks - is their use of song in their resistance. They say -- in Chicoco we’ve all experienced forced evictions either first-hand or through someone we love. We’re singing for change … to push back the fear of demolitions, of bullets and of wounds. Here we go. Turn this one up LOUD.
More from Chicoco Radio at https://chicoco.fm/
Guests:
Grace Timi
Tammy Uzodinma
IB Johnson
Michael Uwemedimo
Musicians:
Miebaka Kienabere - lead vox
Faithia Blaze - vox
Imanny Cleverstone - rap
Slim D - rap
Young Crown - rap
Denny Tunez - guitar
Bright Benjamin - cajon
Chicoco Radio Team:
Tech:
Osom Product
Promise Sunday
Ana Bonaldo
Camera:
Imanny Cleverstone
Tammy Fingaz
IT:
Kelex Maduewesi
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson & Maja Moberg
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Support the show
It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! And we're doing things a little differently this year. For the next six weeks, we'll revisit some of our favorite episodes from across all six seasons, giving you updates on the guests and topics at the top of each episode.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
In this flashback episode, Leilani and Fredrik are joined by Anand Giridharadas, an American journalist and writer, to discuss the art of persuasion and engaging in conversations that bring people together. They explore strategies to connect on a human level and foster emotional intelligence within pro-democracy movements. Drawing from Anand's book, "The Persuaders," they explore how to create compelling visions for the future that inspire others to join the cause. Join the conversation as they delve into the transformative power of persuasion and the importance of building shared visions for a more united world.
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! And we're doing things a little differently this year. For the next six weeks, we'll revisit some of our favorite episodes from across all six seasons, giving you updates on the guests and topics at the top of each episode.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
The Filmmaker and the Advocate take listeners of this episode of PUSHBACK Talks into the real world – one where $$ money $$ is the principle value and corruption and kleptocracy the means of acquisition. Few are better placed to expose the workings of corruption than Sarah Chayes – former NPR reporter, and senior adviser to government officials in the US Department of Defence, and author of three books including her most recent, On Corruption in America and What is at Stake.
Drawing on her experiences in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Honduras, Lebanon and beyond, Chayes reveals that contrary to media reporting, corruption is not about individuals or single acts. Rather, it operates through sophisticated networks that link together people from very different sectors of society, spanning governments and the private sector. These networks are flexible and exist through time, over decades, losing members along the way as protests and civil unrest require, and then gaining more members after each sacrifice. Network members bend and repurpose the institutions and agencies of government to make them serve the objectives of the network, rather than the public interest. The pivotal role of real estate in all of this is not lost on Chayes who notes a universal feature of these networks of corruption is the use of real estate as a vehicle.
So what’s at stake when kleptocracy and corruption are left unchallenged? Nothing less than democracy.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Maja Moberg, Valerie Estrina, Hanna Leander
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
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In the last few years, the city of Bologna has been undergoing some big changes. Already known as a progressive city throughout the region, the city is putting its people in the driver's seat when it comes to housing policy in the hopes that the national government will follow its example. Sparked by the election of a neo-fascist national government and nationwide protests over a lack of affordable student housing, Bologna is joining with 11 other cities across Italy to push for housing change. After decades without structural investment in housing at any government level, the people of Bologna joined together to push the government to take action.
Fredrik and Leilani speak with Emily Marion Clancy, Deputy Mayor of Bologna, about the cool ways the city is using policy to give power back to the people and where they hope it will all lead.
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Join us for an eye-opening episode as we dive into the world of urban geography and technology with Dr. Desiree Fields, an esteemed scholar, and researcher. Drawing from her extensive expertise, Dr. Fields shines a light on the tangible effects of digital platforms, uncovering the stark socio-economic disparities they bring to our cities.
In this engaging conversation, we explore the real-life implications of digital technologies on urban governance and policy-making. Dr. Fields emphasizes the need to understand how algorithms, data-driven decision-making, and smart city initiatives shape our communities, perpetuating inequalities in the distribution of crucial resources.
Join us as we explore the real-life consequences of digital platforms, from housing challenges and affordability issues to technological inequalities faced by marginalized communities. Leilani, Fredrik, & Dr. Fields discuss the need for inclusive policies that address the negative impacts of digital platforms, promote equitable access to technology, and prioritize the well-being of all urban residents. Listen in to gain insights on the impacts of digital platforms and discover how we can foster a more inclusive and equitable future for our cities.
Check out Dr. Fields' paper of the same name: "Automated Landlord: Digital Technologies and Post-crisis Financial Accumulation" and her other work on technology and financialization here.
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Join us in this thought-provoking episode of Pushback Talks as we sit down with Rebecca Riddell, Policy Lead, Economic Justice at Oxfam America. In a candid conversation, Leilani, Fredrik, and Rebecca speak on the importance of engaging in difficult conversations and effectively communicating across ideological divides when advocating for housing rights.
We delve into what increasing taxes on the rich for the specific purpose of human rights outcomes could look like, the importance of working in coalition, and even about a group of millionaires committed to raising taxes on the wealthy.
Is there a way to keep the essential parts of our society out of the speculative finance bubble? What does economic justice look like? Listen to this week's episode to find out!
Rebecca Riddell, BIO
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It's been over 7 years since the Jubilee Party of Kenya set out the ambitious Big Four Agenda to address affordable housing, affordable healthcare, food security, and manufacturing. As part of this ambitious plan, the City of Nairobi aimed to deliver 1 million housing units by 2022, with that number later being lowered to 500,000 to make the goal more attainable.
But now, all these years later and more than halfway to the Big Four deadline of 2030, barely 9,000 units have been built. The government has done little to address the shortfall or to rebuild the confidence of Kenyan citizens that they can accomplish the task. At the same time, residents of informal settlements are being evicted en masse to make way for new development, sometimes tens of thousands of people at a time.
Fredrik and Leilani meet with Pauline Vata, founder, and lead lawyer at Pauline Vata & Associates Advocates, an expert in public policy advocacy, and former Executive Director of Kenyan human rights organization Hakijamii, to talk about informal settlement evictions, the importance of comprehensive domestic law in realizing the right to housing, and how more Kenyans are becoming empowered to fight for adequate housing.
To learn more about Pauline's work, check her out on Twitter @VataPauline.
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Breaking Social made its big debut at the CPH:DOX International Film Festival, but the conversation is far from over. In this gripping episode, Fredrik sits down with Matthew Caruana Galizia, an investigative journalist who has spent years taking on ultra-wealthy people and corporations to uncover corruption. As the creator of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Matthew fights for justice for his mother, a Maltese journalist who was assassinated in 2017.
Matthew shares the story of how he and his colleagues made the decision to pursue this dangerous work, despite the risks. He explains how these corporations intentionally create confusing networks to mask their corruption, and the grave dangers journalists face when they try to expose the truth.
Join us for an eye-opening conversation about the critical role of investigative journalists in holding the powerful accountable, and the sacrifices they make in the name of the truth. Don't miss this chance to hear firsthand from a hero of Breaking Social and learn more about Matthew's ongoing fight against corruption.
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There's a new addition to the WG Film catalog! Fredrik's latest film, Breaking Social, is about the social contract we live by in society -- and the ways that the social contract is subverted and abused by the ultra-wealthy to undermine democracy and give them control of the world we live in. From Chile to the Netherlands, Breaking Social explores our upside-down economy while asking the question: 'Can we afford the rich?'
The film, which features many previous guests from Pushback Talks, made its debut on March 16th at the CPH:DOX International Film Festival. Now, join Fredrik and Leilani as they discuss the making of the film and how Fredrik hopes Breaking Social will help turn people's anger into hope, and help us find a way beyond cynicism and despair.
Let's change the conversation, and start talking about the society we want to build.
Learn more about Breaking Social, and support the film on Kickstarter here!
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From 2012-2022, and in the midst of a major construction boom, Turkiye fell nearly 50 places on the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, from 54 to 101 out of 174 countries. The country has been praised for its ability to do infrastructure quickly, but the level of damage caused by a recent 7.8-magnitude quake has drawn greater attention to the amount of corruption in Turkiye's construction industry. With more than 45,000 dead, over $100 billion in damage, and 25,000 buildings reduced to rubble, Turkish citizens are outraged at the disorganized government response and the lack of proper preparation and are calling for greater government accountability. Just three months before a scheduled election, President Erdogan and his government are under intense scrutiny for the amount of damage, with a spotlight on the corrupt policies that allowed developers to cut corners on safety.
Fredrik and Leilani sit down for two separate conversations on these recent events. First, they meet with Professor Gönül Tol, founding director of the Middle East Institute’s Turkey Program, senior fellow for the Frontier Europe Initiative, and author of "Erdogan's War: A Strongman's Struggle at Home and in Syria," to recount her experience on the ground during the earthquake and to discuss how Erdogan instituted an autocracy that weakened Turkiye's vital institutions.
Then, they speak with Cihan Uzuncarsili Baysal, a member of Istanbul Urban Defense and an independent researcher, to discuss how Turkiye's economic and political history brought us to this moment.
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Apartments in Serbia are selling fast. But the average income in Serbia is about 640 euros and the average price of an apartment is 2000 euros, so who is buying the apartments?
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused a domino effect around the world in a multitude of areas. Serbia, one of the few countries openly accepting Russians is facing an unprecedented housing crisis linked to the influx of people since the conflict first broke out. As more Russians buy property, the cost of living in Serbia has skyrocketed, and supply is growing short. Anger and resentment about landlords and about Russians has led the social situation to worsen as tensions grow.
Fredrik & Leilani meet with Jovana Timotijevic &Marko Aksentijević of Serbia's Ministry of Space to discuss how the country's history of communism and the current influx of wealthy Russians & Ukrainians fleeing the war is taking things from bad to worse.
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Despite a high per capita GDP, the UK has the worst economy in western Europe. With tons of austerity measures being implemented, finance as one of its major industries, prime ministers in and out non-stop, and accusations of racism in housing coming to the fore yet again, the behemoth nation is staring down a difficult road in realizing the right to housing. How does one rights-based politician face such a mountain of issues?
Fredrik & Leilani speak with Tom Copley, London's Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development about the tools available to local government to fight for affordable housing, Blackstone declaring the UK the best investment destination of 2023, and giving people the language to fight for their rights.
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The neoliberal prioritization of profit in the development of cities is drastically impacting the appearance and function of cities worldwide. Social and government housing providers are told to follow the lead of private housing providers, taking away the government's ability to innovate and push the envelope in the housing space. At the same time, in some countries, private developers rely on commercial and retail space in apartment buildings being rented out to stable, high-earning tenants like banks and corporations, limiting cities' potential for growth and space optimization.
For decades, more than 50% of architects worked for the public sector, but today that's down to just 0.2%. Where did all the architects go? How can we balance the urgent need for more housing with the need for more intentionally designed, community-oriented spaces? How can architects help us create the future we want to see?
Fredrik & Leilani sit down with architect, strategic and philosophical designer at Dark Matter Labs, and author of REopening of a city, Jenny Grettve, and Finn Williams, city architect of Malmö and co-founder of Public Practice to discuss the role of architects in designing cities that improve our quality of life.
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All across the world we’re witnessing a crisis of democracy and a sense of increased polarization. How can we engage in conversations that call others in rather than out? How can we seek to win over those who currently refuse to agree with us? And how do we create visions for the future that make our movements irresistible?
Leilani and Fredrik talk to American journalist and writer Anand Giridharadas about the art of persuasion and the need to engage in conversations that pull people in rather than push them sideways. In this episode we ask, how do we start talking to others at their level of humanity? How do we bring emotional intelligence into our pro-democracy movements?
In his book The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy, Anand Giridharadas advocates for a politics of love that is both strategic and irresistible, and tells the stories of those who are continuously changing people’s hearts and minds in favor of democracy and justice.
Anand argues that our movements become stronger when we not only resist the darkness but actively describe the light. “We can't be demoralized”, he says. “We have to stand up and insist on the kind of world we want and then invitingly pull people into those visions, so that they become shared visions and shared dreams.”
Anand Giridharadas' website: http://www.anand.ly/
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Did you know that approximately 22 million Americans live in mobile homes?
Mobile homes have long been one of the most affordable types of dwelling but, because the homes are usually situated on rented land, mobile homeowners suffer from a unique type of housing precarity. Mobile homeowners are often low-income, with less access to infrastructure because trailer parks are situated outside of urban areas.
Cue the vultures: While private equity and other real estate investors have long been in the mobile home market, there has been a dramatic uptick in the use of predatory practices designed to extract profit. As more financial actors move into this space, these already-at-risk people are being priced out of one of the few types of affordable housing left in the country.
Fredrik and Leilani sit down with Paul Bradley, President of Residence Owned Communities to discuss the ways mobile homeownership has changed in the last few decades and why, and how his organization has helped over 17,000 owners of manufactured homes in 17 states come together to buy their parks and escape the vultures.
- More information about the film A Decent Home can be found here.
- Learn more about Residence Owned Communities here.
- Listeners who are interested can join the I’M HOME (Innovations in Manufactured Homes) Network at the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy. It’s a network of U.S. organizations and people interested in innovating in the mobile home sector. Info and sign-up are here.
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For years, the Athens neighborhood of Exarcheia Square has been under attack by right-wing politicians. The area, along with nearby Strefi Hill, is a long-standing bastion of political resistance full of cafés, squats, and social centers, and the last remaining free public space in the neighborhood.
Now, the City has begun construction on a metro station without the proper permissions and against the will of the residents – who have taken to the streets in protest. As the people fight to preserve this cultural landmark and the way of life it represents, Fredrik and Leilani sit down with Eva Betavatzi (European Action Coalition), Nikolaos (No Metro in Exarcheia Assembly), and Christina (Defense of Strefi Hill Assembly) to discuss how gentrification is used as a political tool, and the power of a community that pushes back.
Sign the petition to save Exarchia Square
You can learn more about our guests and support their cause using the links below:
- European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and to the City : Twitter, Facebook
- Open assembly for the Defense of Strefi Hill : Twitter, Blog (in Greek)
- Open assembly "No Metro in Exarcheia Square" : Twitter, Facebook (in Greek)
Learn more about the Strefi Hill area of Athens (in English):
- Athens, Greece: Interview on the battle for Strefi Hill - Corporate Watch
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In cities of all sizes across North America, legislation and policy are enacting violence on poor people. From housing policies that will see tens of thousands more people become homeless due to unaffordability to an ordinance in Los Angeles that makes it nearly impossible for the unhoused to find a place to rest, criminalization of homeless people is being dressed up as solutions
Fredrik and Leilani are joined by Professor of Urban Planning, Social Welfare, and Geography at UCLA, Ananya Roy, and Dan Oudshoorn of #TheForgotten519 to unpack the root causes of the extreme cruelty being levvied against the most vulnerable, and discuss how legislation is making it easier to cage and control people already suffering under the most dire circumstances. Why, when there's more money available to address housing and homelessness than ever before, does the death toll continue to climb and mass evictions loom on the horizon?
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The seasons are changing and the Filmmaker and the Advocate are back for season 5 of Pushback Talks! In 2020, amidst substantial social unrest, the people of Chile demanded a new constitution - the first since the Pinochet dictatorship in the 1980s. Now, two years later, division over the content of the new text led to it being rejected by 62% of voters.
Magdalena Sepulveda, Chilean human rights lawyer and the former UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty (2008-2014), talks about the writing of Chile's constitution by the common people, the impact of misinformation and business interests on the outcome of the vote, and the lessons learned from the rejection of the new constitution.
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For the next couple of months, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners curated podcasts from Seasons 3 & 4 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
This week we revisit our conversation with Member of European Parliament and the woman behind ‘My Home is an Asset Class,’ Kim Van Sparrentak.
The EU Commission cannot make laws on housing, so Kim decided to commission a report on all the aspects where the European Union does have an influence on the housing market. While researching for the report, she came across Push the film and realized that – not only was there a housing crisis throughout many countries in Europe – it was happening all over the world and being fueled by the same factors.
And so ‘My Home is an Asset Class’ was born. For the first time, it’s down on paper just how big the business of financialization in Europe truly is – and it’s still growing. Fredrik, Leilani, and Kim talk about meeting with Blackstone, staying motivated in the fight against corruption, and the importance of addressing the issue at every level of government. What kind of world can we create if we put people before profit?
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For the next couple of months, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners curated podcasts from Seasons 3 & 4 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
Class is in session – The Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with New York Times correspondent and author of powerful book Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World, Peter S. Goodman, to learn about the handful of billionaires that are dramatically re-structuring the world as we know it.
In the two years since the pandemic began, the ten richest people on the planet have more than doubled their wealth, even while homelessness and housing inadequacy have increased at a rapid rate. And this isn’t just about housing, these people impact systems all over the world – health care, public health, sovereign debt, the list goes on. These billionaires hide behind a cosmic lie – that by giving them tax breaks and advantages everyone will reap the benefits – while creating the problems they are claiming to solve.
Goodman’s must-read new book, Davos Man, unpacks that cosmic lie by exploring who these people are and how they have manipulated laws and policies to uphold and perpetuate a system that proves, year after year, to primarily benefit the ultra-wealthy.
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For the next couple of months, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners curated podcasts from Seasons 3 & 4 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
On 3 October 2021, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) published the Pandora Papers, a roster of almost 12 million confidential files that had been leaked to the organization detailing the offshore financial dealings of hundreds of politicians, public officials, and celebrities. This type of controversial uncovering of finances is nothing new; similar leaks to the ICIJ happened in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2020. Despite this, outrage over the reveal that many politicians and public officials have secret offshore dealings worth billions has been surprisingly low.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with Dr. Anna Minton, writer, journalist, academic, and author of Big Capital, to discuss the complexities of finance that keep the public from understanding the problems unfolding at a global level. Hundreds of billions of dollars worth of taxes go missing each year – how do offshore holdings deteriorate the social contract we agree to, and contribute to a lack of available government resources that could change lives?
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For the next couple of months, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners curated podcasts from Seasons 3 & 4 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
For decades, real estate developers in China had access to cheap money, thanks to the property sector's role in creating household wealth. That is until President Xi Jinping used his "common prosperity" to establish new policies to limit the use of property as a financial tool. The policies landed China’s second-largest property developer in a world of trouble. The world’s most indebted property developer, Evergrande found itself in debt to the tune of $310 billion with over a million flats that had already been paid for still yet to be built.
Revisit Leilani & Fredrik's conversation with Dexter Roberts, author of The Myth of Chinese Capitalism and former China bureau chief and Asia News Editor at Bloomberg Businessweek, and get an update on where Evergrande and the Chinese real estate market are now.
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada, and that means it's time for Pushback Talks - Summer Series! The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For the next couple of months, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners curated podcasts from Seasons 3 & 4 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. No matter where you are - we hope you enjoy this year's Summer Series!
At the conclusion of COP26 – the United Nations Climate Summit - the international community was divided on the conference’s final outcomes. Coined “the most exclusionary climate summit to date”, advocates, activists, and leaders of developing countries were enraged by the dominance of wealthy nations and the watering down of outcomes, to benefit the economies of some countries while damning the future of others.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, David Boyd, to discuss the important links between the right to housing and the right to a clean environment, and how human rights infrastructure is vital for both. He also gives examples of how climate change is being addressed at the local level, with scant resources but with a tremendous amount of creativity, courage, and commitment.
Produced by WG Film
Edited by Alexander Jemtrell
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae & Alexander Jemtrell
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New things are on the horizon! While the Filmmaker is off working on his latest film, the Advocate will be launching a long-awaited project at European Parliament!
After over a year of work, Leilani and her team are debuting The Shift Directives -- the first-ever comprehensive framework for governments to effectively address the financialization of housing in accordance with human rights law.
Fredrik and Leilani sit down for a one-on-one conversation about the Shift Directives and why they’re so important, and give us a window into what it takes to draft and publish a global standard-setting document.
The Shift Directives launch will begin with a screening of PUSH at 9 am EST/3 pm CET on 2 June at the European Parliament in Brussels. Register here for virtual access to the entire event: http://greens.eu/3PnZLg7.
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It's been five years since Grenfell Tower in London burned down, after polyethylene cladding installed to make the building look more attractive acted as an accelerant and rapidly spread the fire along the length of the building. In the years since, many of those affected by the fire have had their lives uprooted, and there has been no real accountability. Many people whose homes still have the cladding are being forced to bear the cost of removing the expensive material from their buildings (sometimes as much as £50,000), despite having no say in its installation.
Leilani and Fredrik are joined by Kareem Dennis, also known as Lowkey, a London-based activist, writer, and rapper for a history lesson on the Kensington neighborhood around Grenfell, and the attritional violence that came to a head that night in June when the building caught fire. What can be done when the corporations responsible have no body to punish and no soul to condemn?
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Sixty percent of voters in Berlin voted to socialize apartments owned by corporate landlords with more than 3,000 properties in the city, but what comes next?
The Filmmaker and the Advocate catch up with Joanna Kusiak, spokesperson for DW enteignen, on what has happened since the September 2021 Berlin referendum that voted in favor of government expropriation of over 200,000 privately-owned apartments in Berlin to create a new system of public housing.
After years and years of pushing for reform, the referendum made headlines around the world as voter support was spread across all political parties in Berlin. Fredrik, Leilani, and Joanna discuss what it takes to build a revolution that uses the legal system while simultaneously challenging it, and keeping momentum when a movement isn't making headlines.
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The Filmmaker and the Advocate are traveling again!
While traveling to Palestine on a research trip at the invitation of the Norwegian Refugee Council, The Advocate was confronted with her family history and what her parents call "The Palestinian Heartache." Her trip through the villages of Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territories left her focused on the hope of a future where the Palestinian people have a voice. The Advocate also talks about learning to persevere in her work while while carrying sadness, and fighting with human rights.
All that, plus a week-long stopover in Pittsburgh to launch Fair Housing Month. Formerly a hub for the steel industry and home to jazz legends, the city's population has dropped by more than half in recent years, and the number keeps on dwindling. The city has yet to fall victim to some of the more virulent forms of financialization - and the Advocate is hoping to keep it that way.
And where has the Filmmaker been lately? Listen to the end to find out!
*See Leilani's photos from her trip to Palestine here.
*Please note this episode was recorded in early April, before the religious holidays and prior to the recent violence that has emerged.
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This week the Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with Member of European Parliament and the woman behind ‘My Home is an Asset Class,’ Kim Van Sparrentak.
The EU Commission cannot make laws on housing, so Kim decided to write a report on all of the aspects where the European Union does have an influence on the housing market. While researching for the report, she came across Push the film and realized that – not only was there a housing crisis throughout many countries in Europe – it was happening all over the world and being fueled by the same factors.
And so ‘My Home is an Asset Class’ was born. For the first time, it’s down on paper just how big the business of financialization in Europe truly is – and it’s still growing. Fredrik, Leilani, and Kim talk about meeting with Blackstone, staying motivated in the fight against corruption, and the importance of addressing the issue at every level of government. What kind of world can we create if we put people before profit?
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
Leilani and Fredrik are back with a new live episode! More than 300 listeners joined live on Twitter Spaces to tell us how the housing crisis is manifesting in their corner of the world and how they are resisting. This time around we hear from listeners in El Salvador, Spain, England, and more.
Want to participate in the next live conversation with the Filmmaker and the Advocate? Be sure to follow @Make_theShift & @Push_theFilm on Twitter and Instagram to receive notifications and to submit your questions ahead of the recording!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
After a long delay, PUSH the film is making its theatrical debut in Mexico! To celebrate, Fredrik and Leilani sit down with four experts, each involved with the right to housing in a different way, to discuss how the issues of financialization, housing policy, eviction, and more manifest in Mexico, from Guadalajara to Monterrey.
- Andrés de la Peña, a journalist from Guadalajara talks about his investigation into financialization in Guadalajara, “The Uninhabitable City.” (hyperlink)
- Alejandra Reyes, Assistant Professor, Urban Planning and Public Policy at UC Irvine walks us through her research on the ability of households to access adequate housing
- Human rights lawyer and Director of the Human Rights Centre of the Monterrey Free Law School Carla Luisa Escoffié Duarte breaks down different components of the right to housing, and discusses how unifying these is essential to the full realization of the right.
- Silvia Emannuelli, coordinator of Habitat International Coalition, takes us through the work her organization has done on rent or mortgage payment problems and eviction amongst residents of Mexico City.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
As economies in the global north continue to grow, housing exclusion grows alongside it, creating greater amounts of inequality. More than 160 million people in Europe are struggling to afford housing, with more than half that number living in poor-quality housing. How is this problem continuing to worsen in some of the wealthiest countries in the world?
Fredrik and Leilani sit down with Sorcha Edwards, General Secretary of Housing Europe to talk about creating evidence-based housing policy in Europe to undo the mess that’s been made and creating an environment where young people can be optimistic about the future.
Produced by WG Film
Edited by Alexander Jemtrell
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae, Aune Nuyttens, Augustas Alekna, Ninnie Schelin
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
It’s no secret that big medicine is big business, but the pandemic has made the intellectual property of pharmaceutical companies one of the most valuable assets in the world. From vaccine politics to surprise billing and revenue-based medical care, privatization of healthcare around the world has enabled financial actors to exploit the global health crisis to turn a bigger profit.
This week we pick back up on Fredrik and Leilani’s discussion with Peter S. Goodman and dive into how the world's wealthiest have used the medical system during the pandemic as a cash cow, structuring our hospitals, senior homes, hospices, and pharmacies for revenue first and public health last.
Be sure to check out Goodman’s vital new book, Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World, available online and in stores now!
Produced by WG Film
Edited by Alexander Jemtrell
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae, Aune Nuyttens,
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
Class is in session – In this two-part episode, the Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with New York Times correspondent and author of powerful new book Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World, Peter S. Goodman, to learn about the handful of billionaires that are dramatically re-structuring the world as we know it.
In the two years since the pandemic began, the ten richest people on the planet have more than doubled their wealth, even while homelessness and housing inadequacy have increased at a rapid rate. And this isn’t just about housing, these people impact systems all over the world – health care, public health, sovereign debt, the list goes on. These billionaires hide behind a cosmic lie – that by giving them tax breaks and advantages everyone will reap the benefits – while creating the problems they are claiming to solve.
Goodman’s must-read new book, Davos Man, unpacks that cosmic lie by exploring who these people are and how they have manipulated laws and policies to uphold and perpetuate a system that proves, year after year, to primarily benefit the ultra-wealthy.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
Did you know that real estate constitutes a whopping one-third of China’s massive economy? The property sector has been used to drive growth and most household wealth is held in real estate. As a result, for years developers like Evergrande have had access to cheap money, enabling them to become small Empires.
Recognizing that the situation was out of control, President Xi Jinping has used his "common prosperity" to establish new policies to limit the use of property as a financial tool. This latest round of policies has landed China’s second-largest property developer in a world of trouble. Now the world’s most indebted property developer, Evergrande is in debt to the tune of $310 billion and has yet to build over a million flats that have already been paid for.
Dexter Roberts, author of The Myth of Chinese Capitalism and former China bureau chief and Asia News Editor at Bloomberg Businessweek sits down with Fredrik and Leilani to delve into how Evergrande got to this point. Will the government bail the company out to prevent broader economic downturn? Or will Xi Jinping make an example of Evergrande to show that houses are for living in, not for speculation?
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At the conclusion of COP26 – the United Nations Climate Summit - the international community was divided on the conference’s final outcomes. Coined “the most exclusionary climate summit to date”, advocates, activists and leaders of developing countries were enraged by the dominance of wealthy nations and the watering down of outcomes, to benefit the economies of some countries while damning the future of others.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with current UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, David Boyd, to discuss his outrage that the human rights implications of climate change and mitigation were starkly absent at the COP, suggesting this will only lead to more anger, protests and litigation. The trio discuss the important links between the right to housing and the right to a clean environment, and how human rights infrastructure is vital for both. The Special Rapporteur is unequivocal in his rebuke of governments who allege they don’t have adequate resources to address climate change. Countering this negative narrative, David talks about the hundreds of examples of how climate change is being addressed at the local level, with scant resources but with a tremendous amount of creativity, courage and commitment.
Produced by WG Film
Edited by Alexander Jemtrell & Aune Nuyttens
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae, Maja Moberg & Aune Nuyttens
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This week, Leilani and Fredrik are joined by listeners worldwide as part of their first-ever LIVE conversation on Twitter Spaces. We’ve all watched as the global housing crisis has reached a fever pitch in recent years; how has the right to housing struggle manifested in cities around the world? Listeners from Mexico, Vietnam, Canada, and more weigh in on the housing issues faced in their respective countries. What lessons can we learn from each other and how can we better support the right to housing both at home and abroad? All that and more in this week’s episode!
Want to participate in the next live conversation with the Filmmaker and the Advocate? Be sure to follow @Make_theShift & @Push_theFilm on Twitter and Instagram to receive notifications and to submit your questions ahead of the recording!
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Zimbabwe has a long and complex history of forced eviction, displacement, and demolition. Operation Move the Rubbish, a large-scale Zimbabwean government campaign to forcibly clear slum areas across the country, saw an estimated 700,000 people displaced, with millions more indirectly impacted. The country also struggles with land corruption; Zimbabwe scored 24 out of 100 on the 2020 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, with public officials in the country being considered among the most corrupt.
But the people are working hard to change that. This year the federal government passed the Zimbabwe National Human Settlement Policy, a massively comprehensive policy aiming to address housing inadequacy, informal settlements, forced evictions, affordability, corruption, and more. This groundbreaking policy that is more than two years in the making identifies housing as a human right in Zimbabwe and sets big housing goals for the government.
Fredrik and Leilani have a conversation with Francis Mukora, the Research, Advocacy & Communications Coordinator at Community Alliance for Human Settlements in Zimbabwe (CAHSZ) about the work it took to create such a sweeping policy, what it will take for proper implementation, and the work that remains to be done.
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Edited by Alexander Jemtrell & Aune Nuyttens
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae, Maja Moberg & Aune Nuyttens
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Housing in the Netherlands is under a lot of pressure. Housing costs are rapidly increasing and homelessness is on the rise. Residents of Rotterdam, the country’s second-largest city, are pushing back. More than 7,000 people took to the streets to protest unaffordable rents and real estate costs, and the shortage of affordable housing, particularly in Afrikaanderpark. The protest was one of many taking place across the Netherlands, signifying growing support for the human right to housing throughout the country.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate speak with one of the central organizers of the protest, Dr. Gwen van Eijk, Assistant Professor of Criminology at Erasmus School of Law, & Jan de Vries, human rights lawyer and representative of The Shift – Netherlands on how the housing conversation has shifted in recent years and why the right to housing movement is growing in the Netherlands.
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Edited by Alexander Jemtrell & Aune Nuyttens
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae, Maja Moberg & Aune Nuyttens
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On 3 October 2021, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) published the Pandora Papers, a roster of almost 12 million confidential files that had been leaked to the organization detailing the offshore financial dealings of hundreds of politicians, public officials, and celebrities. This type of controversial uncovering of finances is nothing new; similar leaks to the ICIJ happened in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2020. Despite this, outrage over the reveal that many politicians and public officials have secret offshore dealings worth billions has been surprisingly low. The Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with Dr. Anna Minton, writer, journalist, academic, and author of Big Capital, to discuss the complexities of finance that keep the public from understanding the problems unfolding at a global level. Hundreds of billions of dollars worth of taxes go missing each year – how do offshore holdings deteriorate the social contract we agree to, and contribute to a lack of available government resources that could change lives?
Anna, Leilani, and Fredrik consider how we can reframe the language we use to better galvanize the people, and move us closer to the peaceful, equitable, socially inclusive world we want to live in.
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Edited by Alexander Jemtrell
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae, Maja Moberg & Aune Nuyttens
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In the span of just one year, Turkey has seen sharp increases in the cost of housing across the country, especially in neighborhoods near major universities. With the government’s neo-liberal policies inviting in huge amounts of foreign capital and the building of luxury housing to satisfy investor interests, the cost of rental accommodation has soared – increasing by 31% to as much as 290% depending on the region. As in-person classes resume for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many students have nowhere to live. There are just 720,000 or so public and private dormitory options combined, and private apartment rentals are simply too costly. The students are pushing back. They are sleeping in the streets in dozens of cities across the country, demanding their right to housing and refusing to move unless their requests are met.
Fredrik & Leilani meet with Dilan İpek, a Turkish student, activist, and member of the Libertarian Youth Organization in Turkey. Together they discuss how the movement is growing, how it's planning to face off with faceless capitalism, and how being outside of the system makes young people better positioned to push back.
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Edited by Aune Nuyttens
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae, Maja Moberg & Alexander Jemtrell
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In a landmark vote, 56.4% of Berliners backed a referendum for city government to take over ownership of approximately 240,000 apartments from corporate landlords. A groundbreaking referendum with incredible results has put all politicians in Germany at all levels on notice: the corporatization of housing is no longer acceptable. The question now - what happens next? Will the Mayor of Berlin develop legislation to implement the spirit of the referendum? Fredrik & Leilani sit down with Joanna Kusiak, Cambridge University researcher and spokesperson of the DWE campaign, to discuss how they deployed Constitutional law to bring about radical change and what role imaginations play in bringing about revolution.
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Edited by Alexander Jemtrell
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Kirsten McRae, Maja Moberg & Aune Nuyttens
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Canada and Germany are having general elections later this month and the issue at the forefront of both is affordable housing. With growing movements around affordable housing in both countries, how are the parties’ housing platforms stacking up? The Filmmaker and the Advocate discuss the Berlin referendum that could have the government buying back property from large corporate landlords, before breaking down the housing platforms of Canada’s four major parties. In the last thirty years, the cost of housing has increased more in Canada than in any other OECD country. How have monetary and fiscal policy impacted the Canadian housing market and how do the party platforms miss the mark?
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
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It's summertime in Sweden and Canada. The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For five weeks, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners the PushBack Talks - Summer Series. These are curated podcasts from Season 2 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. So, whether you're stuck at home, or chilling on a beach - we hope you enjoy our Summer Series!
This is a special episode of PUSHBACK Talks to mark the opening of PUSH-the film in [virtual] theatres across the USA. For the first time, The filmmaker and The Advocate invite a guest into the conversation. This episode features Aaron Glantz, Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist, resident of San Francisco, and author of the recently released book, Homewreckers which details the devastating impact on millions of Americans when vulture capitalists entered the housing sector after the Global Financial Crisis. Nobel Laureate Prof. Stiglitz provides a jumping-off point for the trio to discuss the cosy relationship between government, banks and private equity that ensured those with money would come out winners, and those without would have their dreams demolished.
Fredrik and Leilani use this episode of PUSHBACK Talks is a wake-up call and a warning: the vultures are likely circling again, with 40 million people in the US who can’t pay their rent and nearly 4 million who can't pay their home mortgages.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
It's summertime in Sweden and Canada. The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For five weeks, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners the PushBack Talks - Summer Series. These are curated podcasts from Season 2 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. So, whether you're stuck at home, or chilling on a beach - we hope you enjoy our Summer Series!
The Filmmaker and the Advocate bring you an exclusive conversation with Denmark’s Housing Minister – Kaare Dybvad Bek – one of the few politicians in the world to have had the courage to take on Blackstone and other institutional investors. The Minister recounts the new housing reality in Copenhagen where private equity, pension funds and asset management firms have started to dominate, imposing on tenants huge rent increases (often double) and unnecessary renovations driving tenants out of their homes and neighbourhoods. Believing that ordinary people – nurses, teachers, bus drivers – should be able to live in the cities where they work, and racing against time to keep remaining affordable units out of the clutches of investors, the Minister took matters into his own hands. A Parliamentary Committee to analyze the situation was initiated, and despite considerable pressure successfully put forward ground-breaking legislation aimed at keeping big finance out of Copenhagen’s housing market. Known as ‘Lex Blackstone’, the legislation puts a 5-year ban on renovations and rent increases for new owners, and strengthens tenants rights. The legislation has had its intended results: fewer institutional investors and a significant decrease in property prices. Denmark’s legislation offers inspiration and stands as a model for advocates and politicians across the globe.
The podcast also brings back memories from the World Premiere of PUSH at the amazing CPH DOX film festival in Copenhagen. The film won the Politikken Audience Award and the issues in the film created a strong debate in Danish media.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
It's summertime in Sweden and Canada. The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For five weeks, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners the PushBack Talks - Summer Series. These are curated podcasts from Season 2 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. So, whether you're stuck at home, or chilling on a beach - we hope you enjoy our Summer Series!
Most of us put our savings in a bank. But what does the bank do with our money? What if you learned that your life savings were being invested in companies that are burning down the Amazon forest or raising rents and evicting tenants from their homes? Would you care? Would you be willing to do something about it?
This week the Filmmaker and the Advocate talk with Jakob König the Project Leader of the Fair Finance Guide - Sweden, an organization that exposes the role the finance sector plays in harming our planet and undermining human rights. Using a set of international standards, Fair Finance Guide investigates the investment activities of financial institutions like banks. If they don’t receive a passing grade, they inform the clients of the bank to provoke outrage and action. The results have been impressive. Under pressure from 5,000 clients, Swedish banks met with the government of Brazil and halted the burning of the Amazon forest for several months. So maybe we have more power than we think!
Fredrik and Leilani see great potential in the model and wonder if it couldn’t be used to hold institutional investors in housing to account. And, if banks can be shamed into changing what they invest in, might they also be persuaded to change their lending practices – where so much of the real damage is done?
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
It's summertime in Sweden and Canada. The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For five weeks, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners the PushBack Talks - Summer Series. These are curated podcasts from Season 2 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. So, whether you're stuck at home, or chilling on a beach - we hope you enjoy our Summer Series!
The Filmmaker and the Advocate take listeners of this episode of PUSHBACK Talks into the real world – one where $$ money $$ is the principle value and corruption and kleptocracy the means of acquisition. Few are better placed to expose the workings of corruption than Sarah Chayes – former NPR reporter, and senior adviser to government officials in the US Department of Defence, and author of three books including her most recent, On Corruption in America and What is at Stake.
Drawing on her experiences in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Honduras, Lebanon and beyond, Chayes reveals that contrary to media reporting, corruption is not about individuals or single acts. Rather, it operates through sophisticated networks that link together people from very different sectors of society, spanning governments and the private sector. These networks are flexible and exist through time, over decades, losing members along the way as protests and civil unrest require, and then gaining more members after each sacrifice. Network members bend and repurpose the institutions and agencies of government to make them serve the objectives of the network, rather than the public interest. The pivotal role of real estate in all of this is not lost on Chayes who notes a universal feature of these networks of corruption is the use of real estate as a vehicle.
So what’s at stake when kleptocracy and corruption are left unchallenged? Nothing less than democracy.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
It's summertime in Sweden and Canada. The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't. For five weeks, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners the PushBack Talks - Summer Series. These are curated podcasts from Season 2 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down, and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. So, whether you're stuck at home, or chilling on a beach - we hope you enjoy our Summer Series!
Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, joins the Filmmaker and the Advocate in a frank discussion of the current housing crisis in the EU that is often overlooked and overshadowed. Mr. Timmermans reflects on the mistakes that were made along the way to cause the crisis, recognizing that the Social Democrats' commitment to Thatcher-Reagan neoliberalism, the market-based economy, and deregulation did not achieve just outcomes and in fact had gone very wrong where housing is concerned. But with housing or residential real estate being a persistently lucrative investment (including during crises), used to bolster GDPs, and given the primacy of private property, the housing crisis is one that is extremely difficult to undo. Change is afoot in Europe with the Parliament having adopted a report reaffirming the right to housing, and several States and cities adopting progressive legislation to protect tenants and affordable housing. But is there more that the Commission could do to advance the right to housing? Mr. Timmermans suggests that real change will only occur once the urgency of the situation is better understood by more people – and to make that happen he suggests that millions need to see PUSH-the film. We agree!
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
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Canada, one of the ten wealthiest countries in the world, has an international reputation as a progressive place - where universal health care is guaranteed, marijuana is legal and same-sex marriage, a given. But the country’s most densely populated city – Toronto – is one of the most expensive on the planet. The financialization of housing is hitting Toronto hard, with affordable apartments being purchased en masse by institutional investors, while homeless encampments spring up in parks throughout the city. The Filmmaker and the Advocate are joined by Toronto City Councillor Mike Layton who’s in the thick of it – trying to address the big issues, from housing affordability to climate change, navigating the constraints of municipal politics, while harnessing its strength: the unique ability to mobilize residents to make change.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)
Summer! Time to kick-back and get away. With holidays on the agenda, The Filmmaker and the Advocate take a deeper dive into Air BnB and the short-term rental world. Joined by Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at University College London, Claire Colomb, Leilani and Fredrik discuss the rapid rise of Air BnB in 16 cities across Europe – going from zero presence in 2010 to 18,000 listings in Amsterdam, 26,000 in Berlin, 28,000 in Barcelona, 48,000 in London and just over 60,000 in Paris in a six-year period. The impact of this on cities is considerable – from a decline in long-term housing stock, an increase in rents and overall living costs, to the dominance of tourist amenities which are replacing community services for long-term residents. Now valued at $100 billion USD, the multi-national is flexing its might, increasingly sitting at political tables, wielding resources and influence. But City governments like Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid and others are pushing back – finding creative ways to protect their cities and those who live there.
For more about Air BnB see:
Regulating short-term rentals. Platform-based property rentals in European cities: the policy debates by Claire Colomb and Tatiana de Souza
https://www.propertyresearchtrust.org/short_term_rentals.html
The Airbnb ‘movement’ for deregulation how platform-sponsored grassroots lobbying is changing politics by L. Yateshttps://research.ethicalconsumer.org/research-hub/ethical-consumption-review/airbnbs-growing-political-power
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Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
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On 28 June 2021, Jaime Palomera, a tenants union leader in Barcelona and two tenants were brought to trial by the Public Prosecutor and now face three years imprisonment. Their crime? Peacefully and successfully protesting violations of the tenants’ right to housing including exorbitant rent increases and uninhabitable housing conditions.
Dr. Zaida Muxi Martinez; architect, city planner, and author joins the Filmmaker and the Advocate this week to discuss the clampdown on activism in Spain, echoes of its dark past. The trio discuss the political power held by the richest families in Spain who dominate the real estate market and their ability to shut down threats to their power such as the successful tenant's movement headed by Palomera. How is it possible that Spain, a country in the European Union can so blatantly infringe the right to peaceful assembly and protest? Is Spain an outlier or is this a global pattern?
See: The Shift's Letter of Concern sent to the Government of Spain.
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
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The Filmmaker and the Advocate continue their season two Zoom tour around the world. After a brief discussion on encampment evictions carried out across the City of Toronto, the two make a stop in New Zealand to interview Brennan Rigby of Shift Aoteara. New Zealand’s housing market has some interesting elements; the country’s real estate market has been closed to foreign investment since 2018, while at the same time a strong market-driven real estate culture means the general population has an above-average understanding of how to use home equity to purchase multiple properties. As a result, multi-homeowners are quite common. Despite this, New Zealand has the highest rate of homelessness amongst OECD countries.
After a period of nearly 30 years, New Zealand just began building new social housing in 2018, meaning there is not nearly enough social housing supply. This, along with an increasingly financialized real estate market has created an environment where homelessness can grow at an alarming rate. In the last 12 months alone, housing costs have increased by almost 25%. Growing concerns about housing supply have spilled over into immigration, with many wondering if the country can allow immigration with the housing market in its current state.
Fredrik, Leilani, and Brennan discuss the elements that contributed to the current situation in New Zealand and how to shift a market-minded culture towards a human rights framework.
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Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
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What is wrong with Sweden? the Advocate asks the Filmmaker. The country is in political turmoil - in a fight about market rents that brought the government down this week.
The final straw that caused Sweden’s Left Party to call for vote of confidence, was Prime Minister Lofven’s decision to sell-out tenants and support a proposal to abolish rent control on newly built properties.
Leilani and Fredrik discuss the state of Sweden’s housing market and how the country got here. Affordable housing options have been disappearing across the country in the last year. How have different philosophies on the role of the market impacted housing all over the world and in Sweden? And how does this square with what's required by human rights law? What necessary to keep the monster of financialization at bay?
But it's not all politics and strife. PUSH - The film has won a Prix Italia Award! This prestigious TV award has been around since 1948, presented by the Italian public broadcasting company RAI. The prize raises the profile of PUSH around the world. Best of all: Fredrik was able to travel to Milan to accept the award in person - wining, dining and dancing - while Leilani remains stuck in her basement bunker in Ottawa!
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
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This week, the Filmmaker and the Advocate are in conversation with Gert Jan Bakker of WOON. Amsterdam used to have strong rent control policies that protected tenants. But a neo-liberal government changed all that - selling off social housing stock to private corporations, and favoring landlords over tenants, and allowing rents to increase drastically. Apartments that once rented for 600 euros a month increased to over 2,000, driving people out of the city. The national government still believes the market will right all wrongs, but rents are going up with no sign of relief.
But national politics are not standing in the way of the City government's vision for Amsterdam. In a city of 900,000 with 4.5 million visitors every year, and with 1 in 15 dwellings in Amsterdam registered as short-term rentals, short-term rental accommodation, The Filmmaker and the Advocate discuss the city's push back against the short-term rentals industry. The city is fighting to regulate Air BnB to protect popular neighborhoods from being overrun with short-term rental properties, going so far as to ban Air BnB in central zones of the city. They are now litigating the matter - and to Gert's mind, it's one of many fights worth having. He's also preoccupied with the city struggle to preserve its way of life for local residents. Financialization has tightened its grip, with private corporations spending hundreds of millions of euros buying up thousands of properties. Amsterdam is truly under siege, but will it survive?
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
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The Filmmaker & the Advocate call on an old friend in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Raquel Rolnik is a world-leading writer, academic, and head of the Design & Planning program at the University of Sao Paulo. Raquel was Leilani Farha's predecessor as UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing (2008-2014) and remains a strong voice in the global conversation. She recently published a new book entitled Urban Warfare: Housing Under the Empire of Finance.
In this episode of PUSHBACK Talks, Raquel speaks about the special situation the pandemic has brought to Brazil and Latin America . A crisis that is also an opportunity to make things better.
Brazil has had many struggles in the last few years, as the pandemic has exacerbated existing economic crises. Neoliberal economic policy combined with denial of Covid-19 and the measures necessary to control its spread means the government has been cutting down on public spending at a time when many are in dire need. All of this has led to a new wave of informal settlements, and the creation of a national zero eviction movement in Brazil. Although this movement has a bill that is progressing through the Senate, those living in informal settlements are still subject to violence and mistreatment by police during unprecedented times. Meanwhile, financialization is just creeping into the major cities of Latin America.
The Filmmaker Fredrik Gertten met Raquel Rolnik first in 2013 when shooting his film Bikes vs Cars. In the film, Raquel says: "The traffic jam is the solution. " When everybody is stuck in traffic even the most conservative car lovers need to think of alternatives." In the same way, the Pandemic can also be the Cure. If we want it.
Support PUSHBACK Talks on Patreon. This week all Patreons will get a free viewing of Bikes vs Cars.
Watch Bikes vs Cars on Vimeo here.
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg
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The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taken on a tour of exciting developments in France — community land trusts, new social housing and a newly minted housing Brigaid taking on Airbnb and landlords who don’t follow the law.
Marc Uhry, one of France’s leading housing activists has moved from advocate to implementor of his own ideas, now as councillor and close adviser to the Mayor of the small city of Villeurbane.
France officially recognized the right to housing in domestic law in 2007. But good law hasn’t translated into good conditions. At least not yet. With the price of land on the rise, housing is expensive, the waiting list for social rents is ever-growing and homelessness is on the rise.
Despite this, Marc reveals a few "Vive La France" moments . The community land trusts are on the rise, even in conservative led cities. A parallel non-speculative market is happening.
Marc’s main challenge now: To stay brave. To keep the Monster at bay.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Maja Moberg, Valerie Estrina, Hanna Leander
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California–known to the world as the home of Hollywood stars, relaxed beach vibes, and…the location of 25% of the homeless population in the US.
After an emotional introduction about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and an update on how the billionaires in the world are faring, the Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with Pete White, founder & Executive Director of Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN) to talk about Skid Row, a 50-square block area in downtown LA that was created by the state to hide its poverty. Now that housing and land are the hottest commodities the world over, development and financialization are threatening to push the city’s poorest residents out of a space that was once designed to contain them. For Skid Row’s nearly 15,000 residents, riding out the pandemic was always going to be a feat of community action. With only seven public bathrooms available in those 50-square blocks, and charitable food donations grinding to a halt, how did this community protect itself from Covid-19 when the government wouldn’t? Pete walks Leilani & Fredrik through the historical and systemic causes of poverty and homelessness amongst people of color in Los Angeles and how those causes are still at work today. The trio also discusses the May 2021 legal case that attempts to address the houselessness in Skid Row, and Judge Carter’s controversial remedy.
For more information on the work of LA CAN, visit: www.cangress.org
For more information on Israel and Palestine, see Human Rights Watch report, “Threshold Crossed”: https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Maja Moberg, Valerie Estrina, Hanna Leander
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This week, Puerto Rico’s Ariadna Godreau Aubert – founder & executive director of Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, human rights lawyer, and activist – joins the Filmmaker and the Advocate to discuss the ways Puerto Rico’s status as an unincorporated territory of the U.S. impacts the human right to housing and access to justice.
Five years before Hurricane Maria, laws were put in place to encourage investment and promote Puerto Rico as a tax haven. When disaster struck in 2017 this left a major opening for big business to flood into Puerto Rico to buy up large pieces of land and vacant buildings left behind by those who couldn’t afford to fix them in the wake of the disaster.
Now, 98% of Puerto Rico has been deemed an “opportunity zone,” ripe for investors to grow their money, even as the island struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria and the earthquake in early 2020. While many have been left with no choice but to move to the continental U.S. to try to salvage their livelihoods, the people are pushing back. The human rights narrative is empowering people to fight back, with a full understanding that they are rights holders, and their island is not for sale.
For more information on Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, Ariadna herself, and her awesome manifesto, visit www.ayudalegalpuertorico.org.
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A year later than originally planned, Fredrik is finally in Zagreb to screen Push the film across the country! The Filmmaker and the Advocate seize the opportunity to take the podcast on the road. In conversation with architect and activist IvaMarčetić, Fredrik and Leilani discuss the unique situation in Croatia, where the government is the biggest landlord in the country but owns just 2% of the housing stock. Even without large corporations buying up properties, the use of property as financial capital is impacting housing value and resulting in displacement. Like so many other cities around the world, in the pre-pandemic period Zagreb was subject to a whopping 30% annual growth of Airbnb properties, causing rents to jump by 11% per year or more and forcing people out of city centres, in to the suburbs.
And what of the pandemic? Housing prices continue to soar. The selling off of public lands to private actors who use it to leverage more capital rather than provide for local economies has become common. And in a place where the poor have historically had high homeownership, there is a strong need for regulatory legislation and protections for tenants to stem the rising tide of financialization. Croatians ARE pushing back. The question is, will their resistance influence the Mayoral election in Zagreb and politics beyond?
Iva Marčetić is a member of Pravona Grad, Right to the city.
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In the wake of the Lebanese civil war, post-war reconstruction was built around the idea that the market would fix everything. But as investors flocked into Beirut the cost of housing skyrocketed, pushing long-time residents out of the city they had fought for. Over time, architecture and heritage were lost as neighborhoods slowly emptied of residents and businesses. The Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down to speak with Mona Fawaz, Prof. of Urban Studies & Planning at the American University of Beirut to discuss how Beirut has been hijacked by predatory real estate developers and what options exist to change the tide.
Now that the value of the Lebanese pound has declined by more than 80% and poverty is soaring, the vulture funds are circling and ready to pounce. Right-wing politicians are prepared to blame the issues on the country’s large refugee population. But a recent lull in development could be the window needed for the people to push back. It’s Financial Power vs. People Power in action, who will win?
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After more than a decade of austerity measures, recession, and unemployment, Athens has seen a big shift in the makeup of homeownership, a shift that comes at the expense of residents and that benefits big business. In a country where homeownership has historically been high, more and more properties have gone into foreclosure and been sold to nameless buyers as a result of Greece’s financial crisis. Public information on who owns what is not available in Greece, but it’s no secret that big foreign corporations have been buying up entire apartment blocks to turn them into short-term holiday lets, effectively displacing many long-term residents.
The Filmmaker and the Advocate sit down with Sotiris Sideris, data journalist and co-founder of Athens Live Lab, to discuss who is buying up all the foreclosed properties in Athens and what is happening to the city as a result. Using data scraping, Sotiris has discovered that Greeks are being pushed out - their homes are being auctioned off to investors who want to cash in on Greece's allure as one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world. One low-income community has been basically emptied out of locals, replaced by those wanting a glimpse of the Acropolis and a night in the Plaka. Sotiris hopes his research on private property auctions will shed light on the growing problem and perhaps provide the first steps needed in turning things around.
Find out more about the investigation (Greek Page)
Checkout Athens Live and Sotiris' amazing work mapping Who Owns The City!
More information on the Overview of the investigation
Find out more - Focus on Athens and auctions
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It was a radical experiment – impose a rent cap on apartments in Berlin so that tenants wouldn’t be priced out of the city by the big money actors moving in. It was challenged in the courts by Members of Parliament – litigation supported by a lobby of institutional landlords. On 15 April 2021, the highest court in Germany struck down the rent cap, ruling that the Berlin state government had exceeded its jurisdiction. It's a devastating ruling for tenants, many of whom now have to pay back rent they had withheld or pay rents they cannot afford. The question is, if city government doesn’t have the power to protect tenants, who does and who will? What role must the national level government play in light of constitutional and international human rights law obligations? This will certainly be a front and centre issue for the upcoming federal election (September 2021).
As anger swells in Berlin in reaction to the court ruling on the rent cap, people take to the streets to demand their right to housing, the Filmmaker and the Advocate are joined by Florian Schmidt, featured in PUSH-The Film and city councillor of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg a neighbourhood under a lot of pressure, and Christoph Trautvetter, an independent researcher with the Tax Justice Network of Germany and the lead for the Who Owns the City project. Truatvetter has been working with a research team to map exactly which private equity firms and institutional investors own the 2 million apartments in Berlin — a murky world that is not easy to penetrate. Who Owns the City recently released a report revealing that the usual suspect, private equity behemoth Blackstone, owns 3,000 apartments in the city, and that’s the tip of the iceberg.
In a lively and informative conversation, the foursome discusses an even more radical policy now being pursued by tenants and some politicians in Berlin: The Deutsche Wohnen & Co. referendum, which calls for the expropriation of market rent units owned by asset management firms in possession of more than 3,000 units. These units will be expropriated at land values of 10 years ago, and rents set accordingly, causing a major disruption to the market! There is little doubt that Berlin is the epicentre of the push back against the financialization of housing.
For more on Who Owns the City go here!
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It’s a family affair this week as the Filmmaker and the Advocate are joined by The Shift team and PUSHBACK Talk supporters to try out the popular new app Clubhouse. The episode exposes what it takes for a small (but mighty) team of six to pursue The Shift’s goal: to build a global movement to secure the right to housing. The discussion turns to a brainstorming of future themes and guests for the podcast. How do issues like zoning affect the right to housing, and what can we learn from other countries? What industries influence the right to housing and who should we have on to discuss those intersections? And what of climate change and the right to housing? Two of our Patreon supporters joined the conversation. We are building a family.
Join our conversation as we decide where Pushback Talks should go from here!
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The Filmmaker and the Advocate take listeners of this episode of PUSHBACK Talks into the real world – one where $$ money $$ is the principle value and corruption and kleptocracy the means of acquisition. Few are better placed to expose the workings of corruption than Sarah Chayes – former NPR reporter, and senior adviser to government officials in the US Department of Defence, and author of three books including her most recent, On Corruption in America and What is at Stake.
Drawing on her experiences in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Honduras, Lebanon and beyond, Chayes reveals that contrary to media reporting, corruption is not about individuals or single acts. Rather, it operates through sophisticated networks that link together people from very different sectors of society, spanning governments and the private sector. These networks are flexible and exist through time, over decades, losing members along the way as protests and civil unrest require, and then gaining more members after each sacrifice. Network members bend and repurpose the institutions and agencies of government to make them serve the objectives of the network, rather than the public interest. The pivotal role of real estate in all of this is not lost on Chayes who notes a universal feature of these networks of corruption is the use of real estate as a vehicle.
So what’s at stake when kleptocracy and corruption are left unchallenged? Nothing less than democracy.
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Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, joins the Filmmaker and the Advocate in a frank discussion of the current housing crisis in the EU that is often overlooked and overshadowed. Mr. Timmermans reflects on the mistakes that were made along the way to cause the crisis, recognizing that the Social Democrats' commitment to Thatcher-Reagan neoliberalism, the market-based economy, and deregulation did not achieve just outcomes and in fact had gone very wrong where housing is concerned. But with housing or residential real estate being a persistently lucrative investment (including during crises), used to bolster GDPs, and given the primacy of private property, the housing crisis is one that is extremely difficult to undo. Change is afoot in Europe with the Parliament having adopted a report reaffirming the right to housing, and several States and cities adopting progressive legislation to protect tenants and affordable housing. But is there more that the Commission could do to advance the right to housing? Mr. Timmermans suggests that real change will only occur once the urgency of the situation is better understood by more people – and to make that happen he suggests that millions need to see PUSH-the film. We agree!
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PUSH-The Film exposed the global pattern: cities have become the domain of the wealthy or at least a deposit box for their wealth – and everyday people are being pushed out. Nowhere is this more true than in South Africa, named by Time Magazine as one of the world’s most unequal places on earth. In this episode the Filmmaker and the Advocate are joined by Mandisa Shandu, lawyer and activist with Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU), a Cape Town-based non-profit activist organisation focused on land justice.
Mandisa discusses the ongoing legacy of apartheid and the Group Areas Act that currently grips Cape Town. Poor and black populations have been forced to live on the worst lands, on the periphery of the city. In response, NU has been promoting the use of public lands within the city to undo this spatial apartheid. Mandisa describes the bold Constitutional litigation they launched against the city and provincial government to keep them from selling off public lands to private actors. The Tafelberg decision was a huge victory, and offers inspiration to the world - demonstrating the potential power of the Constitutional right to housing.
More recently NU has had their eye on golf courses in Cape Town which - located in the heart of the city - use huge tracts of land, pay little land taxes, and are only enjoyed by the most affluent, mainly whites, and tourists. As it happens, neither Leilani nor Fredrik like golf so they are quick to decide how the right to play golf in a city measures up against human rights. Those who love the sport, and those who love to hate, it will be entertained!
Ndifuna Ukwazi is a very cool organization, made up of lots of young advocates. Check out their work by following them on twitter and facebook @NdifunaUkwazi and impress your friends by learning more about the Tafelberg decisions here.
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The Filmmaker and the Advocate bring you an exclusive conversation with Denmark’s Housing Minister – Kaare Dybvad Bek – one of the few politicians in the world to have had the courage to take on Blackstone and other institutional investors. The Minister recounts the new housing reality in Copenhagen where private equity, pension funds and asset management firms have started to dominate, imposing on tenants huge rent increases (often double) and unnecessary renovations driving tenants out of their homes and neighbourhoods. Believing that ordinary people – nurses, teachers, bus drivers – should be able to live in the cities where they work, and racing against time to keep remaining affordable units out of the clutches of investors, the Minister took matters into his own hands. A Parliamentary Committee to analyze the situation was initiated, and despite considerable pressure successfully put forward ground-breaking legislation aimed at keeping big finance out of Copenhagen’s housing market. Known as ‘Lex Blackstone’, the legislation puts a 5-year ban on renovations and rent increases for new owners, and strengthens tenants rights. The legislation has had its intended results: fewer institutional investors and a significant decrease in property prices. Denmark’s legislation offers inspiration and stands as a model for advocates and politicians across the globe.
The podcast also brings back memories from the World Premiere of PUSH at the amazing CPH DOX film festival in Copenhagen. The film won the Politikken Audience Award and the issues in the film created a strong debate in Danish media.
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Most of us put our savings in a bank. But what does the bank do with our money? What if you learned that your life savings were being invested in companies that are burning down the Amazon forest or raising rents and evicting tenants from their homes? Would you care? Would you be willing to do something about it?
This week the Filmmaker and the Advocate talk with Jakob König the Project Leader of the Fair Finance Guide - Sweden, an organization that exposes the role the finance sector plays in harming our planet and undermining human rights. Using a set of international standards, Fair Finance Guide investigates the investment activities of financial institutions like banks. If they don’t receive a passing grade, they inform the clients of the bank to provoke outrage and action. The results have been impressive. Under pressure from 5,000 clients, Swedish banks met with the government of Brazil and halted the burning of the Amazon forest for several months. So maybe we have more power than we think!
Fredrik and Leilani see great potential in the model and wonder if it couldn’t be used to hold institutional investors in housing to account. And, if banks can be shamed into changing what they invest in, might they also be persuaded to change their lending practices – where so much of the real damage is done?
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This week, Dublin’s Rory Hearne – author, podcaster, housing campaigner and university lecturer – joins the Filmmaker and The Advocate to explore how big capital came to dominate such a small nation.
The impact of the Global Financial Crisis in ’08 was particularly severe in Ireland, triggering a recession, a huge drop in GDP, high unemployment, and housing precarity. The government’s response was to save the banks by selling off foreclosed mortgages – of which there were many - to hedge funds and global private equity firms. Since then, these actors have dominated the housing sector, lured in by Ireland’s “tax haven” status. In the last year, 95% of new apartments built in Ireland were purchased by institutional financial actors. The impact of all of this? Rental housing costs have skyrocketed and have become unaffordable, young adults are stuck at home living with their parents, and family and child homelessness has become entrenched.
But we couldn’t end the conversation there. Rory picks up on our 2021 challenge to provide listeners with inspiration, detailing the actions and campaigns underway to pushback: grassroots campaigns against the selling-off of public lands, the emergence of a new tenants union, and growing energy to have the right to housing included in Ireland’s Constitution.
Rory Hearne is the author of Housing Shock – The Irish Housing Crisis and How to Solve It and the co-host of Reboot Republic.
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They're back. After a few months of living the pandemic lifestyle, the Filmmaker and the Advocate have reunited for an inspirational Season 2. This first episode checks in on the Monsters who hang with each other and play monopoly with our homes – Blackstone, Akelius and Oatly. The co-hosts provide news on the many ways and the many places that tenants and governments are ramping up their efforts to protect homes and rents -- a referendum in Berlin, a tenant’s rights legal victory in Denmark, a parliamentary motion to curb financialization in Canada. Despite the pandemic or maybe because of it – change is afoot. Fredrik and Leilani commit the second season of PUSHBACK Talks to keeping things upbeat and bringing listeners stories of protest and change as they unfold in cities across the world. Stay tuned!
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In this concluding episode of 2020 – the Filmmaker and the Advocate go back to the cities where PUSH-The film has travelled and successfully helped to push back against financialization – from its World Premiere in Copenhagen, to its North American debut in Toronto and a whole lot of places in between and thereafter. Leilani and Fredrik reflect on what they’ve learned about the necessary ingredients for social change – an excellent documentary, a committed advocate, grassroots tenants movements challenging the status quo, media holding governments accountable, and politicians who give a damn. Easy peasy! But the cliffhanger is … will PUSHBACK Talks have a 2nd season? Tune in to find out!
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Nicholas Burton, his wife and his dog were living on the 19th floor of the Grenfell Tower in June 2017, when the fire struck. Nicholas survived, but his wife and dog did not. He’s been fighting ever since to ensure that the outcome of the fire is justice for the survivors and that his community can remain in Notting Hill, one of the most sought after neighbourhoods in the world. The Filmmaker interviewed Nicholas soon after the fire for the documentary PUSH. In this special edition of PUSHBACK Talks – that interview conducted by Fredrik is reproduced in its entirety. This isn’t easy listening, but if you want to understand inequality in cities, and the many ways people are being pushed out of their communities, listen to Nicholas. A gentle soul, full of wisdom.
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The fire that destroyed the Grenfell Tower in Kensington Chelsea, London in June 2017 stunned the world. Located in the richest Borough in the world, Grenfell was a symbol of all that has gone wrong in housing for lower-income people. The Filmmaker and the Advocate speak with Grenfell survivor, Nicholas Burton, a character in PUSH who lived on the 20th floor of the building and who lost not just his home, but also his wife and his dog to the fire. The trio delve into the deep tensions in the Borough – where uber-rich investors are driving out residents who are part of the vibrant multi-cultural community, and where low-income people have little say in their own housing, let alone the future of their neighbourhood. Nicholas rounds out the discussion touching on the emergence of Grenfell United a group seeking justice for survivors, the ongoing government Inquiry into the Tragedy, and the cladding problems faced by many throughout the UK now. This episode just might bring some tears to your eyes.
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You know her from PUSH as assistant to the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, but she’s come a long way since then! The Filmmaker and The Advocate welcome Julieta Perucca to the show in a warm post–PUSH reunion. She’s now a young leader making change around the world in her own right as the Deputy Director of The Shift. Fredrik and Leilani discuss Julieta's trajectory since the UN days and the important exchange of inspiration between mentors and those they mentor. Julieta and Leilani discuss The Shift’s first (virtual) human rights fact-finding mission to Buenos Aires, where residents are battling forced evictions, predatory mortgages, lack of access to basic services, and homelessness all in the context of crazy inflation rates, gross inequality and the Covid pandemic. Like all good podcasts, this one concludes on a note of optimism with a discussion of how the residents of Buenos Aires are pushing back, mobilizing, organizing and claiming the right to housing even in the most trying circumstances.
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The Filmmaker and the Advocate are joined by extra special guests from Port Harcourt Nigeria – Chicoco Radio, made up of rappers and mappers, musicians, journalists, filmmakers and photographers. Together they discuss the harsh inequalities experienced in Africa's largest nation, particularly in the oil-producing Delta Coast – where erasure of communities and extremely violent forced evictions are a common part of life. The Chicoco guests draw parallels between their experiences of police brutality at the hands of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and recent protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. What makes Chicoco utterly special - as well as this episode of PUSHBACK Talks - is their use of song in their resistance. They say -- in Chicoco we’ve all experienced forced evictions either first-hand or through someone we love. We’re singing for change … to push back the fear of demolitions, of bullets and of wounds. Here we go. Turn this one up LOUD.
More from Chicoco Radio at https://chicoco.fm/
Guests:
Grace Timi
Tammy Uzodinma
IB Johnson
Michael Uwemedimo
Musicians:
Miebaka Kienabere - lead vox
Faithia Blaze - vox
Imanny Cleverstone - rap
Slim D - rap
Young Crown - rap
Denny Tunez - guitar
Bright Benjamin - cajon
Chicoco Radio Team:
Tech:
Osom Product
Promise Sunday
Ana Bonaldo
Camera:
Imanny Cleverstone
Tammy Fingaz
IT:
Kelex Maduewesi
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Berlin - known for its hip vibe and affordable rents - has become one of the most sought after places to live amongst young urbanites and creatives. Those affordable rents, however, have also drawn institutional investors and asset management firms like Blackstone and Heimstaden, who are buying up mass amounts of affordable apartments with a view to reaping huge profits by increasing rents. But Berlin’s tenants are having nothing of it. The Filmmaker and The Advocate talk with City Councillor, Florian Schmidt, one of the characters in PUSH-The film about the vibrant and effective tenants' movement. Not only have they taken to the streets in protest, they’ve managed to make major changes – from pushing Mayor Muller to buy-back affordable housing that had been sold-off to investors, to successfully advocating for stronger renter protections such as 5 year rent freezes, and legislating the lowering of rents. Unprecedented. All advocates’ eyes should be on Berlin and ears tuned to PUSHBACK Talks!
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Since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, Spain has been ground zero for the financialization of housing. Blackstone, Cerberus and other institutional investors have plundered the social housing stock and gobbled up affordable homes. The Filmmaker and the Advocate are joined by Jaime Palomera Zaidel, founder and member of a tenants union and lecturer at the University of Barcelona. Jaime talks about the thousands of evictions of individuals and families from their homes every year across Spain, including during the pandemic. Out of this grim reality has emerged a strong resistance - a movement that has successfully defended housing for the people through direct action - squatting and physically preventing evictions - and by demanding that political parties legislate better tenant protections. Prepare to be inspired and motivated!
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The Filmmaker and The Advocate are joined by Patrick Butler, The Guardian’s Social Policy Editor. The trio discusses current social conditions across the UK as it continues to be hammered by the pandemic. In the world’s 5th largest economy, poverty, hunger and homelessness have burgeoned. So much so, that Manchester United footballer – Marcus Rashford – has stepped in, using his own history of poverty and his current clout to urge the Johnson government to provide food support for children. Butler’s sense is that while the pandemic has thrown the health and the economy of the country into disarray, it’s also having an interesting impact where housing’s concerned. He’s seeing the lowering of rents in some areas, and a real slow-down of the financialization of housing. It’s left the government in a state of ‘existential shock’, scratching their heads as the market fails to sort everything out.
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Everyone knows there is a global housing crisis. More grassroots movements in cities around the world are challenging unaffordability, evictions, inhumane housing conditions, homelessness, and the influx of big capital into the housing sector. To defend their interests, many claim housing is a human right, not a commodity. But what does the human right to housing actually mean? Getting back to basics, The Filmmaker peppers The Advocate with questions about the definition of ‘adequate’ housing, who has the obligation to ensure access to adequate housing, and is there a difference between the right to housing and the right to the city? Consider this a primer, with more to come!
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Is the takeover of housing by institutional investors a conspiracy theory, or does the evidence support a global pattern? The Filmmaker and the Advocate discuss their experiences investigating the financialization of housing. No matter where they travelled, South Korea, Sweden, Canada, the Czech Republic -- all roads seemed to lead to a single private equity firm: Blackstone. Fredrik and Leilani discuss the problematic of “fake news”, and the need to continue to mine for the truth to substantiate human rights claims and to hold those responsible for violations to account. The episode ends with a lot of love from and for our patrons and listeners in more than 85 countries across the planet!
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A special episode of PUSHBACK Talks! The Filmmaker and The Advocate reconnect with Saskia Sassen, prominent Professor of sociology at Columbia University, one of the world’s most important thinkers on cities, and a central character in PUSH-The film. The trio continue the conversation about why so many people can't afford their homes any longer. Going to the heart of the matter they unpack Saskia’s powerful analysis that finance – which now dominates residential real estate – is an extractive sector, like mining. Once finance has extracted what it needs it moves on without a care for what's left behind. The conversation turns to a deep probing of the meaning and relevance of “money”. When money is used by institutional investors to create new financial instruments, or to leverage more capital is it still "money" as we know it or have we exited the domain of money? The co-hosts wrap up by querying where the uber commodification of housing is going. Have we entered a new epoch where familiar rules and systems that might regulate financialization are thrown out? Will financialization eat itself up? Or will people who are pushing back force change?
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The language we use can clarify, empower, and even change minds. It can also create a club that shuts people out: if you speak the language, you’re in, otherwise, stay out! Financialization, markets, real estate, IPOs, assets, security …. The Filmmaker and The Advocate scratch their heads and stumble through the lingo they’ve come across in their journey to understand why people can’t afford to live in cities anymore. Defining the terms, Leilani and Fredrik expose how investor language bolsters the financialization of housing and erases the people who live there. But what happens when Fredrik and Leilani insert human rights language into the conversation?
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The upcoming US election is a big one and in California the stakes are particularly high. Not only will they be electing a new President, they’ll be asked to vote Yes or No on Proposition 21 - a ballot that, if the yes vote gets a majority, could pave the way for rent control throughout the State. In this episode of PUSHBACK Talks the Filmmaker and the Advocate chat with René Moya, the lead campaigner for YesOn21 and the Director of Housing Is a Human Right at AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
Rent control – which prohibits a landlord from raising rent above a certain percentage – is a hotly contested policy with huge significance in the Golden State, where rents are sky–high (San Francisco has the second most expensive rental market in the world), and where 25% of the country’s homeless population resides. But the YesOn21 campaign, Fredrik and Leilani learn, is up against really big forces, Monsters in fact. Private equity firm Blackstone (we can’t get away from them!) among others, have pulled out their wallets to defeat Prop21 and preserve their bottom line. Listen to find out more!
To find out more information about proposition 21 go to - https://yeson21ca.org/
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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This is a special episode of PUSHBACK Talks to mark the opening of PUSH-the film in [virtual] theatres across the USA. For the first time, The filmmaker and The Advocate invite a guest into the conversation. This episode features Aaron Glantz, Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist, resident of San Francisco, and author of the recently released book, Homewreckers which details the devastating impact on millions of Americans when vulture capitalists entered the housing sector after the Global Financial Crisis. Nobel Laureate Prof. Stiglitz provides a jumping-off point for the trio to discuss the cosy relationship between government, banks and private equity that ensured those with money would come out winners, and those without would have their dreams demolished.
Fredrik and Leilani use this episode of PUSHBACK Talks is a wake-up call and a warning: the vultures are likely circling again, with 40 million people in the US who can’t pay their rent and nearly 4 million who can't pay their home mortgages.
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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This episode of PUSHBACK Talks exposes what can happen when independent filmmakers and human rights advocates tell stories about multinational corporations causing people serious harm.
The co-hosts discuss the true story of Fredrik being sued by DOLE, the biggest fruit company in the world, for making a documentary about the harm they were causing their workers. Fredrik's film BANANAS!* follows a court case in Los Angeles where banana workers from Nicaragua sued the DOLE Food Company for the use of a banned pesticide that made the workers sterile. Just as the film was about to premiere, DOLE came after Fredrik, his company, and the film’s producer, in a big way. Divide and conquer. Lawyers, media spin, a PR company, intimidating journalists, Astroturfing, scare tactics.
Drawing on this experience, Leilani and Fredrik discuss freedom of the press, Blackstone’s reaction to PUSH, and the different ways in which independent filmmakers and human rights advocates can reclaim narratives, occupy public space and shift the focus back.
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand**
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Students the world over head to university filled with hopes and dreams for the future. But to pursue those dreams requires secure housing and that’s where the nightmare begins. The co-hosts swap stories of student life in London, Lagos, Dublin, Seoul and Toronto. Students are working multiple jobs to pay the rent, lobbying for the right to sleep in their cars, experiencing sexual coercion, spending hours commuting back and forth each day and worrying about the debt they’re accruing. Just when they should be stepping into the world with energy and strength, they are being beaten down. Lower income students have less time to study and are leaving university with crippling debt loads, creating new patterns of inequality. The Filmmaker and the Advocate discuss one of the central drivers of these conditions: student housing has become one of the hottest commodities around. It's being scooped up by global vulture funds including … you guessed it … Blackstone. This episode will make you angry and should make all of us want to pushback so young people can dream again.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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Golden Visas - backdoor entry into Europe for the corrupt and wealthy. Money can't buy you love but it can buy a passport!
In this episode The Filmmaker and The Advocate explore the dark world of Golden Visas which emerged after the Global Financial Crisis on the advice of the IMF and the Central European Bank as a way for economically failing countries to access big cash. Countries with Golden Visa schemes allow foreign investors in real estate to jump the queue and secure residency and citizenship. This has led to a massive influx of corrupt money into these economies, while inflating housing costs for local residents.
The co-hosts discuss the Cyprus Papers and compare notes from Leilani's investigation of Golden Visas when she visited Portugal as UN Special Rapporteur, and Fredrik's screening of PUSH-the film in Cyprus where everyone was expressing anger about how expensive their housing had become.
Golden Visas offer a different side to the same story: the uber-wealthy around the globe treating housing as a commodity, making cities less affordable. This time, with a crime twist, and important implications for global migration.
For more background on the #CyprusPapers, check out this Al Jazeera story: https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/cypruspapers/
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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The Filmmaker and The Advocate explore whether it’s actually gentrification that’s ruining our neighbourhoods or something else. Fredrik fiercely defends the rise of cortados (and bike lanes!) in neighbourhoods across the world and Leilani discusses the failures of New York’s High Line. With inspiration from clips of the always brilliant Prof. Saskia Sassen in the film PUSH, and 17-year-old Londoner, Hope Bhargava, the co-hosts agree that whatever you call it, what’s really driving people out of their homes and cities is that housing is being used as a financial instrument – a place to hide, park, and extract money!
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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You can’t squeeze water out of a stone, and you can’t squeeze money out of people who don’t have any. This episode of PUSHBACK Talks focuses on EVICTION: the brutal action taking place across the planet, where millions of people, from India to the US, are being kicked out of their homes, often with nowhere to go. And the threat is only increasing. 40 million Americans are one month away from eviction. Reports from India, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and the United Kingdom confirm the same pattern. The Filmmaker and The Advocate share EVICTION stories from the global south as well as developed countries hit by the pandemic. They ask: Where will the evicted live? Are governments doing all they can to help? Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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PUSH, directed by the Filmmaker, Fredrik Gertten opened to sold out audiences in Copenhagen and Toronto in the spring of 2019. PUSH is a multi-award winning documentary that has changed our understanding of the root causes of the global housing crisis. The film features the Advocate, Leilani Farha, then the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing. After years of being followed around by The Filmmaker and his crews, The Advocate turns the tables and puts Director of PUSH, Fredrik Gertten, in the hot seat. In a more personal podcast, Leilani asks Fredrik about his motivations, methods, and how he really feels about the United Nations.
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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The Filmmaker and the Advocate take a dive into dark money – money made from illicit activities like drug trafficking, refugee smuggling, and illegal arms sales. In PUSH-the film Italian journalist and author of Gomorrah, Roberto Saviano, explains that “it’s in the tax havens where legal and illegal capitalism meet and merge”. In other words, tax havens that were originally set up to hide criminal money, are now a natural part of any global business. With 80% of corrupt money landing in real estate, Fredrik and Leilani discuss how dark money drives up the cost of housing, and other effects on urban centres, particularly in cities like London, UK. The podcast releases new clips of Saviano and Queen’s Counsel Simon Farell who discuss how criminal money exits and enters a place like London which they identify as the world's capital of criminal money.
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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The Filmmaker and the Advocate discuss the global pandemic and its direct and undeniable relationship to housing. Not only did the pandemic lay bare the global housing crisis, it has provided a once in a generation opportunity to solve it. Fredrik and Leilani discuss some of the creative new laws and policies being enacted by city governments to address homelessness and inadequate housing, and the stubborn refusal by governments to embark on the structural changes necessary to make sure all people have a decent home in which to stay.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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The Filmmaker, Fredrik Gertten and The Advocate, Leilani Farha discover that a plant-based milk company, Oatly, sold 10% of the company to Blackstone for USD $200 million. Yep, that’s the same Blackstone featured in PUSH – the award winning documentary film by Fredrik, that features Leilani. The same Blackstone accused by Leilani in her role as UN Special Rapporteur for violating the right to housing of tenants in countries around the world. And yes, Oatly is a Swedish company, from the very same town where Fredrik has lived his whole life: Malmö. He even knows some who work there. And so, The Filmmaker and The Advocate couldn’t help but take to the podcast airwaves to discuss Oatly’s decision to sell a seat at their table to Blackstone and Fredrik’s attempts to pushback. With clips from PUSH.
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, Airbnb has had a huge impact on housing in global cities. In this episode the Filmmaker and the Advocate discuss the irony of a start-up that was originally established to help three guys pay their rent in San Francisco has turned into a 27 billion dollar business that has resulted in evictions and has decreased affordable housing stock in cities across the globe. Leilani and Fredrik also discuss some of the cities and Mayors who have pushed back against Airbnb to protect local residents and save the culture of their cities. With clips from PUSH www.pushthefilm.com
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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In this episode, the Filmmaker and the Advocate discuss the rage that is popping up in cities around the world right now and ask: WHY ARE PEOPLE SO ANGRY? WHAT'S HOUSING GOT TO DO WITH IT?In response to the Global Financial Crisis of '08, governments sided with the banks instead of homeowners. Suddenly people’s homes became 'distressed assets' and were purchased en masse by hedge funds to grow their capital. This ‘solution’ turned the world’s biggest private equity firm, Blackstone, into one of the world’s largest landlords. With this as a springboard, Leilani and Fredrik explore the anger sparked by inequality caused by financialization: homelessness and unaffordability in California; evictions in Spain and elsewhere; Uber drivers sleeping in their cars, and the disproportionate political power of financial elites. With clips from PUSH.
Fredrik reveals that PUSH www.pushthefilm.com will finally be released in the US in early September!
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Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
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There is a Monster taking over our cities. No one knows its name, and few have seen it, but it's at the heart of the global housing crisis. In this first episode, Fredrik -the Filmmaker - and Leilani - the Advocate - provide a swift overview of the global financial actors who have taken over our homes and turned them into commodities. You’ll hear excerpts from the film PUSH www.pushthefilm.com, including Professor Saskia Sassen who talks about financialization of housing and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz who explains how pension funds emphasize monetary growth over morality.
Produced by WG Film
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support Team - Louise Gustafsson, Maja Moberg & Melinda Bergstrand
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)