Pride of Place | A film by Dorthea Gazidis and Kim Longinotto | UK | 1976 | 60 minutes
A rarely seen classic, Pride of Place was made as a first project while Longinotto was a student at England’s National School of Television and Film. As a teenager, the filmmaker had been condemned to a girls' boarding school in an old, isolated castle in Buckinghamshire. Wisely, she ran away at the age of 17, and years later took the opportunity for sweet revenge. In this dark and expressive film, Longinotto exposes the repressive school from the students’ perspective—as a kind of miniature state with bizarre rules, indigestible food and absurd punishments. One year after the release of the film, the boarding school was closed down. With Pride of Place, Longinotto sets the tone for a long career of films in which individuals revolt against oppressive authorities and stifling traditions. (Women Make Movies)
+ Theatre Girls | A film by Kim Longinotto and Claire Pollak | UK | 1978 | 56 minutes
In her final piece at film school, Longinotto and her partner take us into the Theatre Girls Club in Soho, London–a hostel for elderly and destitute women and the only shelter in London that would take in any woman at any time. The filmmakers lived in the hostel for more than two months, establishing an extraordinary level of trust with their “cast” —from the home’s feisty cook to an elderly resident who was a terminal alcoholic. In what will later be recognized as a signature style, Longinotto films without judgement and finds the humor and humanity in situations and characters that might otherwise be seen as tragic. This stunning film debut earned awards at several European festivals and screened to acclaim in the US and Asia. (Women Make Movies)
Also showing as part of the Kim Longinotto: Vixen Films Retrospective: Dream Girls + Shinjuku Boys, Divorce Iranian Style, Sisters in Law, Pink Saris, Dreamcatcher
dir. KIM LONGINOTTO, DORTHEA GAZIDIS, CLAIRE POLLAK
year. 1976 + 1978
country. UK
run-time. 116min (60 + 56 min)
£6.00 (£4.50 conc.)
Doors 6.45PM
Film 7.15PM
“A searing exposé”
“Humour and self-deprecating irony are punctuated by moments of aggression, tenderness, and sheer, terrifying isolation... (a film) which ought to make you think”
“Scathing ”
“Pride of Place was like a revenge film but also I thought what will this place be like? Did I imagine it? What will other people think of it? ”