Enjoy coverage of the National Campaign for the Arts and the Basic Income for the Arts Scheme; the Cannes Film Festival and Iranian director Jafar Panahi winning the top prize for It Was Just an Accident; Bruce Springsteen speaking out for democracy; an interview with Dijana Milosevic and a call by artist Mary Moynihan for an end to the genocide in Gaza, the release of all hostages an end to the arms industry.
The Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio show broadcast on Wednesday 28 May, 6-7pm (repeated Wednesday 4 June 2025 and available as a podcast), features lively chat and debate by co-hosts Mary Moynihan and Freda Manweiler on the arts and human rights. The show explores ongoing actions by the National Campaign for the Arts urging the Irish government to retain and expand the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme. Mary Moynihan reflects on powerful cinema and bold artistic expressions at the Cannes Film Festival and on the words and actions of Bruce Springsteen speaking out for democracy. Enjoy an interview with Dijana Milosevic and hear artist Mary Moynihan call for an end to the genocide in Gaza and for governments worldwide to advocate for peace and an end to the arms industry.
National Campaign for the Arts and the Basic Income for the Arts Scheme
Mary Moynihan talks about the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) in Ireland, a volunteer-led advocacy group that are championing the continuation and expansion of the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme—a three-year pilot launched in 2022 that currently provides 2,000 artists in Ireland with €325 per week to alleviate financial stress and support creative freedom. The NCFA recently met with Patrick O’Donovan, Minister for Arts, Culture, Communication, Media and Sport, to advocate for the continuation of the BIA scheme. The NCFA also presented a qualitative report by Dr. Jenny Dagg based on the experiences of 50 BIA recipients, which highlights the scheme’s significant positive impacts on artists’ mental health, autonomy, and life choices. The report contrasts these outcomes with the financial precarity faced by non-recipients, many of whom struggle to afford essentials. With the pilot set to end in August 2025, the NCFA is urging people to join their campaign to make the scheme permanent, including attending an online meeting on 19 June to mobilize support. www.ncfa.ie
Cannes Film Festival and Artistic Resistance
The 78th Cannes Film Festival, held from May 13 to 24 in France, celebrated powerful cinema and bold political expression, with highlights including Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington receiving Honorary Palme d’Or awards, and Iranian director Jafar Panahi winning the top prize for his politically charged film It Was Just an Accident. Panahi, known for defying Iranian censorship, attended the festival to an eight-minute standing ovation and used his platform to speak out against oppression in Iran. Panahi’s clandestine filmmaking can be seen as an act of artistic resistance, inspiring hope for filmmakers worldwide. The festival was also marked by a major power outage linked to anarchist groups protesting industrial and military developments. If you are a filmmaker, hear about how to submit your work to the Cannes Film Festival. https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/
Bruce Springsteen speaks out for Democracy
In a powerful statement on democracy and artistic responsibility, Bruce Springsteen has recently used his platform to strongly criticize Donald Trump and the current political climate in the U.S., calling the president’s administration “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous.” Speaking during the opening night of his 2025 “Land of Hope & Dreams” tour in Manchester, Springsteen emphasized the role of art and citizens in resisting authoritarianism and defending democratic values. He urged Americans to “raise their voices” for democracy and quoted civil rights icon James Baldwin on the idea of a shared humanity. Despite a harsh personal backlash from Trump, Springsteen stood by his words, releasing a live digital EP featuring politically charged songs and speeches. He has received vocal support from fellow musicians like Neil Young, who blasted Trump’s priorities and humanitarian failures, and Eddie Vedder, who defended free speech and democratic discourse. These artists continue a long tradition of using music as a tool for activism and civic engagement.
Listen to artist Bruce Springsteen speaking out for democracy in the US – ‘there is some very weird, strange and dangerous shit going on out there right now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZHWIYHlXOs&t=196s
‘Thinking Peace’ – Fourth annual Serbian Arts and Human Rights festival
Each year Smashing Times presents an annual international arts and human rights festival. This year’s festival runs from 10 to 19 October 2025. As part of our festival work throughout the year we link up with similar arts and human rights festivals around the world to showcase and share the work they are doing. Smashing Times are delighted to interview Dijana Milošević, an award-winning theatre director, writer and lecturer. She co-founded the DAH Theatre Research Center in Belgrade, Serbia and has been its lead director for over 25 years. Dah Theatre are hosting their fourth Arts and Human Rights festival which takes place over four days in Belgrade, Serbia from the 10 to the 13 June 2025. The theme is ‘Thinking Peace’ and the festival is described as opening doors to art that speak up, move and connect. The festival brings together creators from all over the world to promote and share common goals of freedom, dignity and human rights for all. https://en.dahteatarcentar.com/festivals/festival-20025/
The Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio Show ends with a call by artist Mary Moynihan to governments around the world to come together and put pressure on Israel to call a ceasefire and to let UN aid operations back in, to get peace negotiations going and to recognise Palestinian rights. At the same time as calling for peace, governments have to stop selling weapons of war to Israel and other countries. It is hypocrisy to call for peace when those countries making the call are involved in or supporting the making of profits from the sale of arms and weapons.
The Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio show is broadcast every Wednesday 6-7pm with Dublin South FM with each episode available as a podcast. The show is hosted by Mary Moynihan, writer, poet, creator of art and photography and Artistic Director, Smashing Times and Freda Manweiler, Producer, Smashing Times. Enjoy an engaging hour of in-depth discussions focused on equality, diversity, and the work of artists and arts organisations who advocate for human rights. Tune in to Dublin South FM 93.9 or listen online at www.dublinsouthfm.ie.
Listen to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio show on Dublin South FM 93.9 every Wednesday 6-7pm. Listen to all episodes on Spotify here
Mary Moynihan, MA, she/her, is an author of novels, poetry, films and plays, from Dublin, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays, poetry and short film scripts, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing, poetry and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual international Arts and Human Rights festival.
Freda Manweiler has worked with Smashing Times since 1999. She is highly skilled in project management, coordination and implementation. She has extensive experience working at a European level developing and delivering a range of European Initiatives, collaborating with over 50 cultural, educational and civil society organisations from over 22 European Countries. Promoting European Values through working on activities and projects that promote human rights, gender equality, positive mental health, remembrance and civic engagement.