London Socialist Film Co-op: January 2017

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

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.

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