Obscure Film and Button Masher! are proud to collaborate on this all dayer event which intends to capture the feeling of being a real part of the heyday of the Scala cinema, without which there would be no Scalarama!!! This event features two feature length films, a DJ set and more surprises.
Scala!!! 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 is a 2023 documentary directed by Jane Giles and Ali Catterall who will introduce our screening. This feature-length documentary tells the riotous inside story of the infamous sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll repertory cinema which inspired a generation of artists, musicians, authors and filmmakers during Britain’s turbulent Thatcher years.
Scala!!! Will be followed by a DJ set from 81 Renshaw residents, spinning film scores and deep cuts.
Finally, we will screen Thundercrack! (1975), directed by Curt McDowell, an extreme cult classic which has been simply described as ‘US sex comedy in which a lonely woman's life is changed by unexpected visitors on a stormy night’, a synopsis that does not capture how tremendously influential and scarring the film has been to the viewers who saw it at Scala.
Accessibility info:
- 81 Renshaw Street is a street level venue, the screening is held in the back room which is up a few stairs. This is a traditional viewing experience with seats. The film will begin at the advertised time with a brief intro. No smoking or vaping within the venue. Under 18s will not be admitted.
Warnings:
- Flashing images in both films
- BBFC Certificate for Thundercrack!: 18 (real sex, nudity, sexualised objects, swearing, outdated terms, references to bestiality, drug use, voyeurism, violence)
- BBFC Certificate for Scala!!!: 18 (horror imagery, nudity, violence, swearing, references to outdated attitudes, references to self harm)