London Socialist Film Co-op

Sunday, 10 September 2017, 10:20 for 11 am

Shadow World,

Johan Grimonprez, Belgium/Danemark, 2016, U, English/Spanish/Arabic, 94 mins

Based on the book "The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade" by Andrew Feinstein, Shadow World reveals the shocking realities of the global arms trade – the only business that counts its profits in billions and its losses in human lives.

The film reveals how the international trade in weapons – with the complicity of governments and intelligence agencies, investigative and prosecutorial bodies, weapons manufacturers, dealers and agents – fosters corruption, determines economic and foreign policies, undermines democracy and creates widespread suffering. In the hope that in understanding how our realties are being constructed, audiences may see through this horror, and create a better future.

Speaker: Andrew Feinstein, author of Shadow World, Inside the Global Arms Trade

Screenings are at Bolivar Hall, 54 Grafton Way, London W1T 5DL.
Nearest tube: Warren Street. Overground: Euston.
Buses: 10, 14, 18, 24, 27, 29, 30, 73, 88, 134, 205, 390.
Booking information: tickets are available from 10.20 am on the day and may not be booked in advance.
Admission £10, concessions £8. Annual members £6/£4. Sorry no credit cards.
Membership details.

Previous - SUNDAY 14 MAY, 2017,10.20 for 11 am

THE WOMAN KNIGHT OF MIRROR LAKE

Herman Yau, China, 2011, [PG], dubbed, 115 mins

The film tells the story of Qiu Jin and her involvement in revolutionary uprisings in Anhui province against the Qing Dynasty (the last dynasty 1644-1912) . Influences on her life are shown through a series of flashbacks. As a child, Qiu Jin resisted having her feet bound according to common practice, and instead pursued her interests to learn horse riding, martial arts and literature with her father and brother. Through her poetry, she expresses her sorrow at the weak state of the nation and the repression of women. Finding other like minded women in Beijing and then travelling to Japan to study reinforces her view that nationalist action is required to reform China.

Discussion: Invited Speaker from Chinese Embassy, Deborah Lavin, writer

SUNDAY 09 APRIL 2017, 10.20 for 11 am

THE WAR YOU DON’T SEE

Alan Lowery, John Pilger, UK, 2010, [PG] English, 97 mins

'The War You Don't See' is a powerful and timely investigation into the media's role in war. Tracing the history of 'embedded' and ‘independent’ reporting from the carnage of World War One to the destruction of Hiroshima, and from the invasion of Vietnam to the current war in Afghanistan and disaster in Iraq. As weapons and propaganda become even more sophisticated, the nature of war is developing into an 'electronic battlefield' in which journalists play a key role, and civilians are the victims. But who is the real enemy?

THEY CALL US MAIDS: THE DOMESTIC WORKERS’ STORY

Leeds Animated Workshop, 2015, [E] English,7 mins

The domestic workers’ story. tells of thousands of women from extremely poor backgrounds, from such countries as the Philippines, Indonesia, South Asia or the continent of Africa. They find work abroad to support their families. Mostly employed as ‘maids’ in foreign households and many find themselves trapped in conditions of great hardship and isolation. Based on the real life stories of migrant domestic workers, the programme uses vivid watercolour animation to reveal some disturbing truths about present-day slavery. Made in consultation with Justice 4 Domestic Workers (www.j4dw.com)

Discussion: led by Samir Ramadani, writer and senior lecturer,

Campaign for Press Freedom,

Invited John Pilger, film-director and journalist

SUNDAY 12 March 2017,10.20 for 11 am

WE ARE MANY

Amir Amirani, 2014, UK, [12], English 110 mins

Film about the February 2003 global day of protest against the Iraq War. Social movement researchers have described the 15 February protest as "the largest protest event in human history. Surprisingly, Tony Blair’s ally Lord Falconer says the anti-war march did change things:

"If a million people come out on the streets in the future, then what government is going to say they are wrong now?

The global protest against the Iraq War on 15 February 2003 was a pivotal moment in recent history, the consequences of which have gone unreported. We Are Many chronicles the struggle to shift power from the old establishment to the new superpower that is global public opinion, through the prism of one historic day.

Discussion led by Haifa Zangana, leader of TADHAMUN,

Invited Stop the War Coalition

SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2017, 10.20 for 11 am

Cathy Come Home

Ken Loach, UK, 1966, [PG] 75 mins, English,

Not many films bring about social change or action, so this is something quite special. The searing drama about a young mother who becomes homeless caused a massive scandal when it was shown on the BBC in 1966. Viewers were shocked to see that such deprivation could co-exist with the welfare state and it led to the founding of homeless charity Shelter. Cathy Come Home still works because the characters are plausible.

This isn't just political propaganda; it's about how easy it is to slip through the cracks in society.

Mangrove Nine

Franco Rosso, UK,1973, [PG] 37 mins English

Mangrove Nine tells the story of conflict between the police and the black community in Notting Hill at the start of the 1970's. The central incident of the Mangrove affair took place when a deputation of 150 black people protested against long-term police harassment of at the popular Mangrove Restaurant in Ladbroke Grove.

The protest – policed by 500 police and a plain clothes police photographer – later led to nine arrests and 29 charges. Ultimately, the defendants were found not guilty.

Invited Ken Loach and speakers from Shelter and the Caribbean Labour Solidarity

SUNDAY 08 JANUARY 2017, 10.20 for 11 am

Chasing Ice

Jeff Orlowski, USA, 2012 [PG13] English 76 mins

Acclaimed photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. In Chasing Ice, Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate.

Travelling with a team of young adventurers across the brutal Arctic, Balog risks his career and his well-being in pursuit of the biggest story facing humanity. As the debate polarizes America, and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Chasing Ice depicts a heroic photojournalist on a mission to deliver fragile hope to our carbon-powered planet.

Nae Pasaran!

Felipe Bustos Sierra, Scotland, [E] 2013, 14 mins

It's 1974. Bob Fulton, a Scottish Rolls Royce worker, refuses to work on an aircraft engine. He has seen what it has been used for and wants nothing to do with it. He might lose his job, he panics at what his wife will say and he worries about not being able to provide for his two children, but he feels a responsibility.

By the end of the day, the entire factory workforce has joined his stand.In solidarity against the coup, the Scottish workers managed to hold on, against the orders of their management, and pressure from the Chilean Air Force, the British press and Government. They leave the engines to rust in the uncertainties of the Scottish weather

Former Sunday, 11 DECEMBER 2016, 10:20 for 11:00

The Liberator (El Liberator)

Alberto Arvelo, Venezuela/Spain, 2013, Spanish/EST, 119 mins.

Simon Bolivar fought over 100 battles against the Spanish Empire in South America. He rode over 70,000 miles on horseback. His military campaigns covered twice the territory of Alexander the Great. His army never conquered -- it liberated

THE LIBERATOR journeys through the impassioned struggle of revolutionary leader Simón Bolívars (Édgar Ramírez), to fight for independence in Latin America from Spain and his vision is of a united South American nation. In this groundbreaking endeavour, Bolívar unites different races, social classes, and nations to defeat the Spanish Empire and create a free and equal Latin America.

Selected as the Venezuelan entry for best foreign language film

Speaker from the Embassy of Venezuela

SUNDAY, 13 NOVEMBER 2016, 10:20 for 11:00 at the Bolivar Hall

The Ballad of a Soldier

Grigory Chuckray ,USSR, 1959, Russian, [PG] (black and white). dubbed in English, 89 mins.

This is the story of that journey across the Soviet Union and the encounters with the Soviet people as they all shoulder the bitter burden of this Great War. He meets a beautiful young teenager; they fall in love and both journey together. The interactions and characters are all masterfully written and acted. The photography, the direction is the best of the best. The Black and White film format adds to the realism and the WWII feel. The sound track is perfect to complete this excellent film. This is a must see movie for any serious student of film making or WWII history. It is a tribute to the greatness of the Soviet people and their greatest generation that paid in a river of blood, sweat and tears to defeat the Nazis during WWII.

This film won many awards.

Interview with outstanding film maker Grigory Chuckray about the making of the film, the reception the film received nationally and internationally. This film will be 30 minutes.

SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER, 2016, 10:20 for 11:00 at the Bolivar Hall

Five Broken Cameras,

Burnaqt/Davidi, Palestine, 2011, [E]Arab/Hebrew EST, 94 min.

When his fourth son, Gibreel, is born, Emad, a Palestinian villager, gets his first camera. In his village, Bil'in, a separation barrier is being built and the villagers start to resist this decision. For more than five years, Emad films the struggle, which is led by two of his best friends, alongside filming how Gibreel grows. Very soon it affects his family and his own life. Daily arrests and night raids scare his family; his friends, brothers and himself are either shot or arrested. One camera after another is shot at or smashed. Each of the 5 cameras tells part of his story.

Coming Home

Al Kahouri, Palestine, 2012, Arab/English EST, 10 mins.

Rehabilitation of the Rights of the Child, sponsored by Save the Children, YMCA, EU

Children returning home from detention experienced many traumas and face new challenges that at times look insurmountable. The support and counselling they may receive can improve their hope for a future.

Discussion led by: Dr Bernard Regan, and Martin Kemp, UK-Palestine Mental Health Network.

Previous Sunday, 11 September 2016, 10;20 for 11:00 film show at the Bolivar Hall

Class Struggle, film from the Clyde

Cinema Action*, Scotland, 16mm film/DVD 1977, English, 74 mins.

The jobs of one in every two workers in the British shipyards are now in danger. One million men, women and children living in the most depressed areas of Britain depend for their food they eat and the clothes they wear on the work provided by the ship building industry.

Class Struggle made with shipyard workers during occupation and work-in the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders from July 1971 to October 1972. The Yards were occupied and managed by a joint shop stewards’ committee after the government announced the decision to liquidate the company. The film includes footage from the ‘inside’ of organising, work, discussions, high-level negotiations, relations between the shop stewards and union officials and dealings with the press. Music by 7:84 and The Laggan

*Cinema action was a London-based collective which produced ‘socialist campaign films’ between 1968-1981.

Aah!

Ajay T.H .India, Hindu/English EST, 15 mins.

Campaign documentary. About the struggle by casual employees of ACC Cement Plant in Jamul, Central India to obtain conditions similar to those of permanent employees. An important story as there is a huge difference in pay and conditions between regular and irregular workers in India and almost no trades unions. It will represent irregular workers. The Chhattisgarh Mukti

The 1997 UPS Strike

Labour Film 9 mins

In 1997, UPS Teamsters won a stunning victory at Big Brown--the biggest victory for labour in the last twenty years. Find out how UPS Teamsters made UPS deliver 10,000 full-time jobs and record pension increases.

Discussion to follow film show

Screenings are at Bolivar Hall, 54 Grafton Way, London W1T 5DL.
Nearest tube: Warren Street. Overground: Euston.
Buses: 10, 14, 18, 24, 27, 29, 30, 73, 88, 134, 205, 390.
Booking information: tickets are available from 10.20 am on the day and may not be booked in advance.
Admission £10, concessions £8. Annual members £6/£4. Sorry no credit cards.
Membership details.