As part of the Barbican’s Film in Focus 2017, which celebrates the power of the moving image and its influence across the arts, Barbican Cinema, with support from Film London, today launches a ground-breaking and bold initiative to ask all Londoners, “is there a film that shook your world?” The most inspiring contributions will result in a unique film event What London Watches: Ten Films That Shook Our World at the Barbican next Spring (6-13 April 2017) – the first time ever that Londoners have been asked not only which films have changed their world, but also to see a selection of London’s choices on the big screen.
Robert Rider, Head of Cinema, says This is a singular opportunity to celebrate the rich complexity of our capital city and to explore the power of film to reverberate across all our lives. Never before have Londoners been asked to suggest a film that is personally important and inspiring, with the possibility of seeing it on the big screen, and we are excited and curious to see which films people pick.
All Londoners – from office workers to artists, City workers to crane operators, taxi drivers to key workers, and across cultures, diasporas, generations and collective identities – are invited between 15 September and 30 October to suggest a film that has had an enduring impact on their lives, together with a few words about their choice of film via the website: barbican.org.uk/whatlondonwatches
“WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE TURKISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES”
After the briefing, talking to Londra Gazete reporter Onur Uz, Mr Rider said “We hope people will dig deep into their personal movie memories and suggest film titles that have had a profound on their world. Their choice could be from any country, from any genre, fiction or documentary. That being said, we would also be happy to receive Turkish speaking audiences’ choices to make our project as diverse as possible”
So far almost 50 cultural and community organisations – with an accumulative reach of around 600,000 people – including women’s, refugee and LGBTQ groups across the capital, are reaching out to audiences and members to encourage them to take part. These include the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, The Arts Centre Hounslow, Chinese Visual Centre, Polish Cultural Institute, London Asian Film Festival, Stow Film Lounge, Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Festival, Tricycle Theatre plus many more (full list below). This extensive outreach programme together with a press, marketing and social media campaign will ensure Londoners from Enfield to Croydon and Hillingdon to Havering and everywhere in-between can join in. For some inspiration see and share the official trailer
Following the submission period, an advisory panel of cultural experts, critics, curators and Barbican Young Programmers (full list below) chaired by Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, will consider the pool of films.
Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London and the British Film Commission, says: “London boasts a tremendously rich film culture, both in terms of the iconic films that have been made here and the sheer number of cinemas, film clubs and pop-ups operating in every corner of the capital. I can’t wait to see the films that the city selects, and I’m excited to be working with the Barbican on what must be the biggest conversation ever held with Londoners about the films that have made the deepest, most indelible impression upon them.”
The panel will look for the ten titles that best reflect the diverse make-up of London as well as the inclusive ambition of the project. The panel will particularly consider people’s backstories to inform their selection, with the most inspiring suggestions entered into a prize draw, plus the opportunity to attend their screening during the season and present their film to audiences next April.