This film is currently unavailable
Battle of Soho
Take a journey through London's most notorious district, meeting residents and campaigners at the forefront of a battle to keep its eccentric, diverse spirit alive.
Director: Aro Korol
Overview
Filmmaker Aro Korol takes us on a journey through a changing Soho, in this love letter to London's most notorious district, meeting the residents and campaigners at the forefront of a battle to keep its eccentric, diverse spirit alive. Featuring the last film performance by ground-breaking dancer, mime artist and choreographer Lindsay Kemp.
Following the closure of burlesque nightclub Madame Jojo's in 2014, and the emergence of vast infrastructure projects like Crossrail, there is now growing concern about the irreversible damage being done to Soho's nonconformist nature. Eschewing archive footage, Korol concentrates on Soho's characters; the outsiders and eccentrics who've helped define its history. They guide us through Soho's colourful past, and illustrate the contemporary issues raised by widespread gentrification and renewal. Korol's documentary is ultimately as freeform, unorthodox and delirious in character as the district itself, while imparting a serious message around the dispersal of diverse class communities and the loss of key LGBT community spaces.
Related
Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande
Documentary 2022 90 mins Director: Tim MacKenzie-Smith
The incredible story of a band you may never have heard of but whose sound has influenced generations with their irresistible rhythms and message of peace.
Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer
Biopic 2024 90 mins Director: Thomas von Steinaecker
A riveting and all-encompassing portrait of the iconic German filmmaker.
Outlaws of Love Outlaws of Love
Documentary 1963 98 mins Director: Valentino Orsini, Vittorio Taviani and Paolo Taviani
Ugo Tognazzi stars in this anthology docu-drama about the Catholic Church's iron-clad hold on the sanctity of marriage and the modern omnipresence of divorce, told across five episodes.
SCALA!!! SCALA!!!
Documentary 2023 96 mins Director: Jane Giles and Ali Catterall
Engrossing tribute to London’s legendary Scala cinema, aptly subtitled: Or, the incredibly strange rise and fall of the world’s wildest cinema and how it influenced a mixed-up generation of weirdos and misfits.
De Humani Corporis Fabrica De Humani Corporis Fabrica
Documentary 2022 118 mins Director: Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel
The psychedelic physicality of this mortal coil – journey into the systems that comprise the human body in this fascinating sensory experience.
Loving Highsmith Loving Highsmith
Documentary 2022 87 mins Director: Eva Vitija
A beautifully textured study revealing the rich and troubled private life of the writer behind Carol.
Undertow Undertow
Drama 2009 101 mins Director: Javier Fuentes-León
Miguel, a young married fisherman with a baby on the way, struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town’s rigid traditions.
Tótem Tótem
Drama 2022 95 mins Director: Lila Avilés
A poignant birthday party for a terminally ill man exposes a series of family tensions in The Chambermaid director Lila Avilés’ elegant second feature.
The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future
Fantasy 2022 99 mins Director: Francisca Alegría
Francisca Alegría brings together family trauma and ecology into a poetic journey of rebirth. A mysterious and poetic tale on our collapsing ecosystem and finding balance.
Underground Underground
Comedy 1995 170 mins Director: Emir Kusturica
Set against the backdrop of 50 turbulent years of Yugoslavian history, this deeply moving and masterful tragic-farce from director Emir Kusturica earned him his second Palme d'Or.
Audition Audition
Horror 1999 115 mins Director: Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike burst to international prominence with this deeply disturbing tale of a deadly young woman who turns the tables on her middle-aged suitor.
Variety Variety
Drama 1984 101 mins Director: Bette Gordon
Bette Gordon’s groundbreaking, gloriously subversive neo-noir thriller is one of the very best American underground films.