Long running film society faced with possible closure.A successful film society that has operated from a variety of Camden venues for nearly thirty years is in danger of closing down. The London Socialist Film Co-op announced at its AGM in March that it will have to wind up its activities after July unless new volunteers come forward to run it. Another meeting to discuss solutions had to be postponed because of coronavirus. Since 1991 the LSFC has been attracting a mix of cinephiles and political activists to its seasons of eclectic screenings accompanied by speakers and discussion. The programmes, open to the public as well as members, raise political issues through a range of material from old classics and recent feature films to current activist work-in-progress. Speakers might be a film maker but equally a campaigner, politician or writer concerned with issues raised. Past speakers have included Tony Ben, Kate Hudson of CND and Jeremy Corbyn.A combination of factors have led to the decision to consider closure. The organising committee consists entirely of volunteers who commit a considerable amount of time to planning and running the screenings and the present officers, who have managed the cooperative for a good many years, no longer feel able to carry on. While there are members keen to help intermittently, none have so far offered to make the consistent commitment needed to carry the organisation into the future. This situation coincides with a need to seek a new venue for the screenings and while the Co-op has successfully changed venue several times in the past, a move is likely to require other changes and certainly an extra investment of time on the part of the organisers. The committee has taken the decision with considerable regret as the LSFC is appreciated both for the films it shows and for the context of political discussion. Members and users hope that closure can be avoided and that publicity about the situation may encourage volunteers to come forward. A special meeting will be called when COVID 19 restrictions allow at which anyone, whether currently a member or not, will be welcomed to discuss the future. In the meantime anyone interested in knowing more about the situation or receiving a notification about the meeting should contact Monique Buchli at contact.lsfc@gmail.com
postponed due to COVID - 19 SUNDAY, 10. MAY, 2020, 10:20 for 11:00 AM
The Occupation of the American
Mind
Loretta
Alper/Jeremy Earp, USA, 2016, USA/Gaza/Palestine, English, 84 min.
The
documentary showcases the
propaganda distributed of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urges people to
notice the dehumanizing of the Palestinian peoples in media coverage. Most of the aggression is
perpetrated by the IDF, yet it is the
spokesperson from Israel’s media that incessantly talks about Palestinian
aggression.
We see peaceful
Palestinian protests, but IDF with guns, armoured cars and massive use of tear
gas. It’s David against Goliath. Yet the media manages to misrepresent every
conflict that erupts. Criticising Israel
is tantamount to being ‘anti-semitic’ (a Semite could come from any part of the Middle East, including Syria, Mesopotamia, North Africa, and further afield,
including Palestinians). The mass media
has been covering up the true facts and are conjuring up a different reality...
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.
Postponed due to COVID-19 SUNDAY, 12 APRIL 2020, 10:20 for 11:00 AM
Sorry, We Missed You
Ken
Loach, UK, November 2019, 15, English, 105 min.
A
hard-up delivery driver and his wife struggle to get by in modern-day England.
Zero-hours contracts, impossible schedules and degrading behaviour by
management all culminate towards the breakdown of family life. Teenagers seeing
their father struggle for a living make their own decisions to help with even
graver consequences. This is a reality for many self-employed in neo-liberal
Britain. Not a course that is likely to end any time soon. A brutally honest
film that leaves the audience with a very uncomfortable outlook for the future.
Will ‘Brexit’, deal or no deal, increase these injustices?
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, 8. MARCH, 2020,10:20 for 11:00AM
The Real Story of Winnie & Nelson Mandela
Co-directors: Kenneth Mdana, David Mesenbring, Stanley Nelson, Zwelakhe
Sisulu, documentary, France, 2016, English, 59 min.
Forget all the Hollywood films about Winnie and Nelson
Mandela (propaganda) that do not in any way reveal the true story of White
supremacist rule in South Africa and the heroes and sheroes that helped to
fight for justice and freedom. For the first time ever see the critically
acclaimed 1986 documentary on the lives of Winnie and Nelson Mandela without
the frills, miseducation, whitewashing, and misinformation that is found in Hollywood blockbuster movies.
A Woman’s Place
Sue Crockford, Tony Wickert, Ellen Adams, UK. 1971, documentary,
U, English, 35 min.
A film about the women's liberation movement. Some women say what they think is wrong with the present set-up, at a conference where the fathers look after the children and passers-by are questioned about their attitudes. It ends with a cheerful march through London by women, with some male supporters, demanding basic rights. Of great historical interest. How much have things changed since then? Made in 1971 this film reflects the cultural attitudes and language of the time it was made. The issues raised are timeless. The film quality may not be to modern standards
Interview with Sue Crockford, feminist
filmmaker
Mark
Hudson, UK, February 2015, English, 17 min.
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, 9 FEBRUARY, 2020, 10:20 FOR 11 AM
THE GREAT MEETING, a documentary about the Durham Miners Gala
Daniel Draper, UK, 2019, 12A English, 91 min.
The Durham Miners' Association organised the first Durham Miners' Gala two years after its foundation in 1871 as an expression and celebration of its values of community, collectivism, and solidarity. The Big Meeting, as it is known, remains the biggest working-class festival in Europe, attended by more than 200,000 people in 2017. "It means so much to so many people that it deserves to be documented", comments Daniel Draper. The spirit of the mining communities lives on through this big meeting.
Speakers: Daniel Draper, film
director
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.
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