Viva Lewes Issue #134 November 2017

ON THIS MONTH: CINEMA
Film '17
Depot round-up
There’s plenty going on at Depot Cinema beyond
their regular movie programme. Let’s start with
the latest instalment of their ‘Every Picture Tells a
Story’ book-to-film club in which viewers are encouraged
to read the book, watch the film, and take
part in a discussion afterwards. This month’s book is
PD James' 1992 thriller Children of Men, made into
a movie by Alfonso Cuaron in 2002 (1st Nov).
Depot have teamed up with Brighton’s HOUSE
Festival, showing four films chosen by artist Laura
Ford, two of which play this month. The fab Japanese
animation from Studio Ghibli Spirited Away is
screened on 29th Oct and 1st Nov, while Bunuel’s
surreal 1972 black comedy The Discreet Charm of the
Bourgeoisie can be seen on the 2nd Nov.
Cinecity is Brighton’s annual film festival, this
year running between 10th-26th Nov. But not just
Brighton: Depot will be screening the just-released
documentary The Ballad of Shirley Collins (11th),
looking at the career of Lewes’ ‘Folk Queen of
England’, who has made such a successful comeback
this year. There will be a Q&A with Shirley
afterwards, and dancing morris men. Also under the
Cinecity umbrella, Lewes-based artist-filmmaker
Nick Collins (no relation!) will be showing a
number of his atmospheric 16mm films exploring
‘landscapes, human presence and absence, and the
passage of time.’ Plus there’s a one-off screening of
Spike Jonze’s psychological 2013 sci-fi rom-com
Her in which Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with
an operating system machine, brilliantly voiced
by Scarlett Johansson; this is followed by a panel
discussion with psychoanalysts Jennifer Leeburn
and Andrea Sabbadini. There will also be preview
screenings of two African films fresh out of the
London Film Festival: The Nile Hilton Incident
(20th, above), Egyptian director Tarik Saleh’s latest
drama, and Makala (21st) a heart-rending Congolese
documentary.
Depot is facilitating a number of enterprising
add-ons to films they’re screening. The documentary
Unrest, about journalist Jessica Brae’s battle
with ME, is on between the 10th and the 16th;
all week holders of tickets to that film can book a
ten-minute session lying on a bed with VR goggles
which ‘allows the viewer to experience the often
hidden world of ME and the complex duality of
confinement and fantastical escapism’ according to
publicity materials.
On the 16th there’s a one-off showing of the inspirational
documentary Embrace, encouraging women
to be empowered by, rather than to feel ashamed
of, their natural body shape, with a panel discussion
afterwards. On the 23rd Lewes Welcomes Refugees
Group present the hour-long documentary Calais
Children, which is followed by talks by David
Stevenson, Lilian Simonsson and Alison Bell, after
which viewers are encouraged to have a drink and
a discussion about the film. And on the 29th there’s
a screening of the acclaimed documentary We the
Uncivilised, by Lewes-based couple Lily and Pete
Sequoia, plus panel discussion (see pg 51). Dexter Lee
All dates and times are subject to change, check out
lewesdepot.org
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