Je lutte donc je suis (French: I fight therefore I am) is a documentary film about social and political struggles in Greece and Spain, realized by Yannis Youlountas, in September 2015, in France. The title is made from the aphorism of the philosopher René Descartes Cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am). Although it was not distributed by any mainstream company, it has had a very large success, and has been shown to numerous theaters, festivals, in France and in Europe. It received two awards. The film is available under a Creative Commons license.
Synopsis
Type: documentary
Format: 16/9
Speakers
People speaking play their own role.
Diego Cañamero, Andalusian activist and trade-unionist. Gabriel Colletis, professor of economy at Toulouse 1 University Capitole. Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo, Andalusian politician, mayor of Marinaleda, trade-unionist, and professor of history. Angélique Ionatos, Greek singer. Stathis Kouvelakis, professor of political philosophy at the King's College of London, previously member of SYRIZA central committee. Dimitris Papachristos, Greek journalist, member of the November 1973 insurrection against the Colonels dictature. ." Dimitris Poulikakos, Greek actor and singer, opponent of the Colonels dictature. Éric Toussaint, co-founder the international network of the Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt and coordinator of the Commission for the Truth on Greek debt in 2015.
Festivals
12th festival Terres de résistances, Martigues, 3–6 September 2015
Festival Rencontres AD HOC, Mirabel et Blacons, 9–13 September 2015
Festival du Livre et du film, Mouans-Sartoux, 2-4 Cctober 2015
5th festival du Documentaire Politique et Social, Merlieux, 7–8 November 2015
15th festival Cinéma Méditerranéen, Brusels, 4–11 December 2015
7th festival of anarchist and activist films, Chambéry, 16–17 January 2016
3rd festival Terre et avenir, Salon-de-Provence, 20–27 January 2016
Festival Mémoires de Résistance, Digne-les-Bains, 27-30 janvier 2016
Festival 1,2,3 Soleil, Châteaubriant, 28 February-7 March 2016
Festival Diversité, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, 23 March-8 April 2016
8th festival de Saint-Martin, St-Martin-de-Valamas, 25 March-5 April 2016
10th festival ciné d'ATTAC, Mont-de-Marsan, 29 March-2 April 2016
10th festival du film antifasciste, Reims et Épernay, 3–18 May 2016
Festival Origines, Vernoux-en-Vivarais et Valence, 3 June-3 July 2016
20th festival of Resistances films, Foix, 8–16 July 2016
7th international festival for direct democracy, Thessalonique, 7–9 September 2016
Popular success
On 21 August 2015, the film is shown to the public for the first time, during a projection for the 600 members of the 52nd congress of the Freinet Pédagogie in Aix-en-Provence, in south of France. It gets a warm welcome, so that the congress adopts the slogan I fight so I am, and the newspaper l'Humanité uses this for its frontline.
On 2 April 2016, the film received the award Ciné d'ATTAC 2016 (Grain de sable d'or) à Mont-de-Marsan.
On 19 April 2016, the film is shown during the Nuit debout movement in Nîmes.
On 4 October 2016, the film received the award "Solidarity film" from the Human Rights Ligue in Orly.