Around 50 people attended the opening night of the Heygate cinema last Saturday. The event was hosted by the (provisional) Heygate Residents Association which screened the film ‘Doreen’ made by film-makers David Reeve & Patrick Steel. In the film, Doreen Gee - former Chair of the Tenants & Residents Association - reminisces about the culture of the estate and what went wrong with the regeneration.

Heygate Estate background info | Better Elephant | Campaign for a sustainable community at  the E&C | Southwark Notes

The evening was curated by Jerry Flynn, former estate resident and local campaigner. Doreen and both of the film-makers attended the event, which was followed by an animated discussion around the regeneration and wider housing issues. The audience included a number of former Heygate residents and residents from the neighbouring Aylesbury estate, who were treated to a bowl of hot soup and refreshments following the lively discussion.

The film was accompanied by a number of newsclips about the estate (see below) and an excerpt from the film-makers’ new feature-length documentary about the regeneration of the estate (Larry & Janet):

• Inside Out Heygate 03.03.09
• The Elephant
• Community Lost on the Heygate Estate