Tonight, a fascinating trip into the world of radical political film making from the 60's and 70's, followed by a lecture and the showing of "Grindhouse" films, all presented by specialist and enthusiast Jack Stevenson, coming all the way from Denmark in exclusivity for the Star and Shadow!

A varied and very exciting night with radical/political films from the 1960's and 1970's followed by a lecture on Grindhouse films, all introduced by Jack Stevenson, a fascinating collector/curator/distributor of films coming all the way from Denmark especially for the Star and Shadow! And an excellent grindhouse feature film to finish the night: Savage Streets.

7pm - Short films: Jack Stevenson's film collection: ATTACK CINEMA

8.45pm - Lecture with Jack Stevenson: Journey to the Centre of Grindhouse

9.45pm - Feature Film: Savage Streets (1984, Dir Steinmann, USA, 16mm)

7pm - Jack Stevenson's film collection - ATTACK CINEMA - Radical/Political Filmmaking of the 60's/70's

Jack Stevenson has selected 3 films to introduce a movement of radical political films made in the 60's and 70's:

America's in real trouble (1967, Dir T. Palazzolo, 15 min)

People's Park (1969, Dir. San Francisco Newsreel Group, 25 min)

The Young Lords (El Pueblo se Levanta, 1971, Dir. New York City Newsreel Group, 42 min)

“Our cameras were used as weapons as well as for the recording of events”

  In 1966, underground spokesman Jonas Mekas called for a new movement of activist documentary filmmaking that access to “almost weightless, almost invisible” 8mm and 16mm cameras now made possible. No longer would we have to trust the established media. Now we could all shine a light on society’s dark and hidden spaces; the prisons, the ghettos, the insane asylums, the bombed-out rice paddies of Vietnam...

“The Filmmakers Co-operative,” Mekas announced, “has established the End of the Century Newsreel series (consisting of films) that will be shipped to colleges, universities, theaters and whoever wants them. Home movie makers all over the world are being asked to shoot film and send to the Co-op whatever happens ... we have to start doing this right now ... the time is here to change the ways of journalism on this planet Earth ... nothing should be left unshown or unseen, dirty or clean ..."

Tonight, Jack Stevenson will introduce and show 3 of the best films that were part of this movement.

8.45pm - Journey to the Centre of Grindhouse (90mins, lecture + 16mm)

Jack Stevenson, for decades himself a Grindhouse enthusiast, presents an illustrated lecture that constitutes an entertaining plunge back into the dusty realms of American B-movie lore while at the same time attempting to define the term, brought to light recently by Tarantino and Rodriguez, with as much scientific objectivity as possible.

9.45pm - Savage Streets (1984, 16mm, USA, D. Steinmann)

Set on the mean streets of Los Angeles, this film features Linda Blair (The Exorcist) and the nastiest street gang since Clockwork Orange. Not for the faint hearted, this is one of the very last true Grindhouse films before the genre went "direct-to-video".

NB: Isn't that such a grand poster! Phew...scary woman.