Every thursday at 8pm, 15 Rampart Street, London E1 2LA... this run down warehouse in London's east-end might not seem the most likely place for a cinema but nether-the-less every week dozens of people attend this squatted building to watch films given a radical slant...
The rampART social centre opened in the summer of 2004 and amoung many activities taking place in the squatted space, the free weekly cinema is perhaps one of the most popular. But what has inspired and motived the organisers to put on these screening every thursday at 8pm?
This interview attempts to discover the background and establish the aims of the free cinema.
How did the free cinema start and what inspired you?
The free cinema evenings were probably the first events we put on, starting with a couple of weeks of opening and cleaning up the building. Or only delay was getting a projector. Some of us had been involved in previous screening projects, such as the Lifecycles pedal powered cinema collective, and we'd also been involved with the anti-copyright cinema at the Wombles ex-Grand Banks. Basically we recognised the massive potential to empower and inform people by showing films of radical direct action and other political films.
But you don't just show political films, how do you decide what gets shown?
We always try to theme an evening around a specific issue and trawl through our archive of grassroots films for shorts that fit the theme. We also pick a feature film, sometimes a documentary but also perhaps a classic political thriller or sci-fi and sometimes even the latest hollywood blockbuster if it fits the theme.
Why would you want to show hollywood blockbusters, arn't they really mainstream and people could go to the cinema for them anyway?
We think you can apply new meaning on films depending on the context they are shown it. Watching War of the Worlds after a documentary about the U.S. use of chemical weapons in Fallujah will probably leave people with different thoughts than had they watched the same film in a multiplex cinema. The conversations that follow our screenings are also likely to be different from any chat that might follow a conventional night at the cinema.
How do you advertise the screenings?
We have an email list of about 650 people which you can subscribe yourself to by visiting our website - www.rampart.co.nr
Each week we send out a newsletter covering what events are taking place at the social centre and what films we will be screening. We also put posts on various websites and listings and flypost the local area with posters.
You don't charge anything for people to come to your screenings, why is that?
It would be against the whole ethos of the space, the social centre is entirely non-commercial and we don't want to exclude people for no other reason than whether they feel they have enough money to attend. That doesn't mean we don't welcome donations to help cover the costs but the important thing is to get people in to watch the films, think and talk about them afterwards.
Is there anything you'd like to improve with the screenings?
Of course. It would be great if the seating was staggered so that it was easier for people to read the subtitles but that is a limitation of the building and the fact it gets used for many other things. I'd also like there to be a newsreal section at the beginning where we would show the weeks news from a grassroots perspective but there just arn't enough people producing content at present. I'd also like to be able to get more discussion going as part of the screenings.
Don't you have some kind of political discussion as part of the screenings?
Sometimes but usually not. Occasionally we have the film maker or somebody from a related campaign group give a talk or introduce the film. That might include a questions and answers session and while that has work well occasionally it is generally difficult to get a large group to talk freely with such a formal arrangement. Trying to force discussion doesn't seem to work so generally we just leave people to chat among themselves between and after the films.
What were the best nights you've put on in your opinion?
That's a tough one. Two spring to mind, one was the Fahrenheit 9/11 and the other Supersize Me with the McLibel documentary. In both cases we beat the cinema release and crammed in around 120 people. More recently we showed The Battle of Algiers and Le Haine. Both are black and white with subtitles and yet we had around 60 people come to watch them and talking to people afterwards it was clear that the films had a massive impact.
What films have you got coming up?
Well, this week (Thursday 19th) we have a documentary called 'Walmart - The High Cost of Low Cost' which should be a real eye-opener for many people. We'll show it with a few amusing shorts including one called 'Why I love to shoplift from huge corporations' and probably some stuff from Rev Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping and similar stunts in the UK.
And longer term, what films can people look forward to?
We'll be showing Syriana the following week. It's a political thriller about the oil industry, terrorism, government and corporate corruption etc. It comes out in the cinemas in March so our screening will be the UK premiere ;-)
Do you want to just remind people when and where the cinema takes place?
Yes, it's every thursday from 8pm SHARP at the rampART social centre which is at 15 Rampart Street off Commerical Road near the junction with New Road and Canon Street Road. Nearest tube would be Whitechapel or Aldgate, or perhaps Shadwell is you use the DLR.
This interview attempts to discover the background and establish the aims of the free cinema.
How did the free cinema start and what inspired you?
The free cinema evenings were probably the first events we put on, starting with a couple of weeks of opening and cleaning up the building. Or only delay was getting a projector. Some of us had been involved in previous screening projects, such as the Lifecycles pedal powered cinema collective, and we'd also been involved with the anti-copyright cinema at the Wombles ex-Grand Banks. Basically we recognised the massive potential to empower and inform people by showing films of radical direct action and other political films.
But you don't just show political films, how do you decide what gets shown?
We always try to theme an evening around a specific issue and trawl through our archive of grassroots films for shorts that fit the theme. We also pick a feature film, sometimes a documentary but also perhaps a classic political thriller or sci-fi and sometimes even the latest hollywood blockbuster if it fits the theme.
Why would you want to show hollywood blockbusters, arn't they really mainstream and people could go to the cinema for them anyway?
We think you can apply new meaning on films depending on the context they are shown it. Watching War of the Worlds after a documentary about the U.S. use of chemical weapons in Fallujah will probably leave people with different thoughts than had they watched the same film in a multiplex cinema. The conversations that follow our screenings are also likely to be different from any chat that might follow a conventional night at the cinema.
How do you advertise the screenings?
We have an email list of about 650 people which you can subscribe yourself to by visiting our website - www.rampart.co.nr
Each week we send out a newsletter covering what events are taking place at the social centre and what films we will be screening. We also put posts on various websites and listings and flypost the local area with posters.
You don't charge anything for people to come to your screenings, why is that?
It would be against the whole ethos of the space, the social centre is entirely non-commercial and we don't want to exclude people for no other reason than whether they feel they have enough money to attend. That doesn't mean we don't welcome donations to help cover the costs but the important thing is to get people in to watch the films, think and talk about them afterwards.
Is there anything you'd like to improve with the screenings?
Of course. It would be great if the seating was staggered so that it was easier for people to read the subtitles but that is a limitation of the building and the fact it gets used for many other things. I'd also like there to be a newsreal section at the beginning where we would show the weeks news from a grassroots perspective but there just arn't enough people producing content at present. I'd also like to be able to get more discussion going as part of the screenings.
Don't you have some kind of political discussion as part of the screenings?
Sometimes but usually not. Occasionally we have the film maker or somebody from a related campaign group give a talk or introduce the film. That might include a questions and answers session and while that has work well occasionally it is generally difficult to get a large group to talk freely with such a formal arrangement. Trying to force discussion doesn't seem to work so generally we just leave people to chat among themselves between and after the films.
What were the best nights you've put on in your opinion?
That's a tough one. Two spring to mind, one was the Fahrenheit 9/11 and the other Supersize Me with the McLibel documentary. In both cases we beat the cinema release and crammed in around 120 people. More recently we showed The Battle of Algiers and Le Haine. Both are black and white with subtitles and yet we had around 60 people come to watch them and talking to people afterwards it was clear that the films had a massive impact.
What films have you got coming up?
Well, this week (Thursday 19th) we have a documentary called 'Walmart - The High Cost of Low Cost' which should be a real eye-opener for many people. We'll show it with a few amusing shorts including one called 'Why I love to shoplift from huge corporations' and probably some stuff from Rev Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping and similar stunts in the UK.
And longer term, what films can people look forward to?
We'll be showing Syriana the following week. It's a political thriller about the oil industry, terrorism, government and corporate corruption etc. It comes out in the cinemas in March so our screening will be the UK premiere ;-)
Do you want to just remind people when and where the cinema takes place?
Yes, it's every thursday from 8pm SHARP at the rampART social centre which is at 15 Rampart Street off Commerical Road near the junction with New Road and Canon Street Road. Nearest tube would be Whitechapel or Aldgate, or perhaps Shadwell is you use the DLR.
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