What happened to film? Going to the cinema is unaffordable. The films we see leave us feeling empty and unsatisfied. This reflects our position within society and the economy. We feel atomised and alone. We watch the latest films behind prohibitively expensive paywalls. There is little to no discussion after the film is over. We all go home to our separate lives feeling just as isolated and powerless. Going to the cinema leaves no lasting sense of community or common purpose.
The Social Cinema Community want to rediscover the joy and excitement that come from experiencing films. We want to improve our understanding of society. We want to see social problems more clearly. We want to talk about new ideas of what is possible. Rather than film as an expensive individual luxury, we treat cinema as a collective discussion. Through watching film, we better understand problems that arise in our local community – Deptford.
We also want to have fun together.
Our monthly series presents politically themed films, followed by a group discussion that's open to everyone. The UK Government has 25 ministerial departments, each with a different purpose. Each month we choose a film that’s related to one of those departments. By linking the film to the government that rules over us, we increase our understanding of the world around us. After the film the group discussion encourages cinema-goers to think about what they have just seen and what it tells us about political problems and possibilities. The discussion also creates a sense of solidarity among our community.
What are the local, national and global problems that most concern you? Homelessness, migration, material inequality, oppression, climate change? Rather than considering those issues in isolation, our community links these problems to the government department tasked with addressing them. By putting these problems in context, we hope to overcome our sense of powerlessness. By linking problems to real-world governmental structures, our community aims to empower and excite everyone who participates in our events.
What’s happening to film is what’s happening to society: a crisis. Our community meet together to discuss this crisis, and to find ways to overcome it. Unlike so many places in today’s society, everyone is welcome.
For Social Cinema Community’s opening screening, we present SOLIDARITY (Lucy Parker, 2019), a documentary about the secretive methods used against UK activists and trade unionists. Blacklisted construction workers and activists spied on by the police share their ongoing struggles.
Blacklisting in the UK construction industry impacted thousands of workers who were labelled & ‘troublemakers’ for speaking out and secretively denied employment. Activists uncovered alarming links between workplace blacklisting and undercover policing. Solidarity attentively follows meetings between activists and law students, brought together for the film, revealing the determination of a community working together to find a route to justice.
After the screening we will joined for a panel with the filmmaker, Lucy Parker, and Max Dewhurst, Vice President IWBG. This will be followed by a participatory group discussion.
Presented by Social Cinema Community and United Voices of the World.
Facebook: @SocialCinemaCommunity / @uvwunion
Twitter: @SocialCinemaCo / @UVWunion
SOLIDARITY
LUCY PARKER
2019, UK, 76 min
Pay what you can afford
Lunch 1PM
Film 2PM
Panel 3:30PM
Discussion 4PM
Please note: advance tickets have sold out, but there will be a limited number available on the door.