Scala!!!

  • the word SCALA!!! in yellow emblazened over a movie calender and pictures from movies in retangled boxes
  • 3 people standing on scaffolding outside the Scala cinema .
  • an opulent white building with a marquee in front with the word 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

“A suitably riotous documentary about the subversive London cinema.” – The Guardian

A heartwarming tribute to one of repertory cinema’s all-time greatest venues — this doc will keep your own movie love shining bright in the vein of LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF and JODOROWSKY’S DUNE.

During London, England’s post-punk 1980s, repertory paradise Scala Cinema influenced a generation of punks, filmmakers and fine artists. This infamous meeting ground pushed the boundaries of convention with a diverse calendar covering all bases from sexploitation, horror, martial arts and LGBTQIA+.

SCALA!!! is a universal shout-out to cinema’s ability to inspire young minds and create a sense of community for outsiders — a place where everyone is welcome. Featuring interviews from fifty Scala alums, over one hundred high-art and cult classics in clip form, previously unseen footage of the place itself, a cornucopia of Scala’s legendary print calendars and an original soundtrack by Barry Adamson (former bassist of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.)

Runtime
1h 36m
Year
2023
Director
Ali Catterall & Jane Giles
Format
DCP
Country
Great Britain
First Showing
June 18, 2024
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