Exploding cinema

The Exploding Cinema is both a London-based film collective and the regular short film screenings that the collective organises. From the early 1990s the collective became the key agent in the resurgence of underground cinema in Britain.[1] Through screenings, events, agitation and propaganda they developed and inspired a new popular movement of independent live cinema and D.I.Y. filmmaking.[2] Over twenty five years the group has screened thousands of unfunded no-budget films/videos in pubs, squats, clubs, microcinemas and cafes. They staged one off shows in disused factories, ships, museums, car parks, roofs, a circus tent and an outdoor swimming pool.[3] Internationally they’ve staged shows in Ireland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Malta, North America and Australia.[4] Other offshoots of the group have operated in Brighton, Amsterdam and Los Angeles.

Overview

Anybody can screen their film at the Exploding Cinema; the programme is totally open access, on a first come - first shown basis. The Exploding screens any genre or form of short film : narrative drama, D.I.Y. underground film, artists moving image, protest video, pop promos, experimental Super 8, animation, funded professional work, amateur work, anything. The Exploding show is hosted by an MC who introduces the films and invites the filmmakers to present their work. Most shows also include performance or live music, often with an integrated moving image element. Although there is a main projection screen for the programmed screening, the entire venue is also illuminated with projections on every wall and ceiling often extending into the entry halls and connecting chambers. The atmosphere is convivial, the audience is often rowdy and can move freely around the venue. The collective that runs the screenings is also open access, anyone can join the collective, it’s totally democratic, voluntary, non-profit and all resources are held in common ownership. There are no membership requirements, all you have to do to join the collective, is start coming to the meetings and get involved.

History and politics

The Exploding was founded at the Cooltan,[5] a squatted suntan lotion factory in Brixton, South London in 1991. The Cooltan was an underground arts complex with a theatre, gallery, practical workshops and regular raves. The original group was mostly film makers and the earliest shows were made up of their own films and performances. In the early nineties it was almost impossible to get a short film screened in London unless you had the state funding agencies backing you, and their screenings were morbid affairs attended by professional administrators and a small clique of insiders. There was no internet and no access to the mainstream media, and most film-makers seemed to spend more time applying for state funding than making films. The Exploding was a D.I.Y.[6] reaction to the state monopoly and the pretentious unpopularity of avant garde film. Partly by design and partly by experiment they (re)discovered a form of live cinema cabaret that fused elements of popular cinema, performance art and psychedelic happening. Film makers were encouraged to introduce their work and to answer questions from the audience. If the audience found the work "boring" or "bad" they were encouraged to make better work themselves. The Exploding proved that experimental cinema didn’t have to be a ‘difficult’ art for a tiny clique, it could reach out into the mainstream and find a popular audience.

External links

References

  1. ↑ Reekie, Duncan (2007). Subversion : the Definitive History of Underground Cinema. London: Wallflower Press. pp. 187–208. ISBN 978-1-905674-21-3.
  2. ↑ Rees, A.L. (1999). A History of Experimental Film and Video. London: the British Film Institute. p. 119. ISBN 0-85170-681-9.
  3. ↑ Eimer, D. (1991). "Going Off the Deep End". The Face. 2 (60).
  4. ↑ Szczelkun, Stefan. "Exploding Cinema 1992 - 1999, culture and democracy". Exploding Cinema 1992 - 1999, culture and democracy. PhD Thesis Royal College of Art. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Urban75. "A Short History of the Cooltan". Urban75. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  6. ↑ McKay, George (1998). DiY Culture: Party & Protest in Nineties Britain: Party and Protest in Nineties' Britain. London: Verso. p. 93. ISBN 978-1859842607.
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