Retrospective (Part 1): Scala!!!

Documentary

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 (Documentary), D.: Ali Catterall, Jane Giles, 96:00 Min.

“The Scala had magic, it was like joining a club, a very secret club, like a biker gang or something. It’s like they were a country club for criminals and lunatics and people that were high. Which is a good way to see movies” John Waters

"Scala!!!" is an anarchic, uproarious, and ultimately heart-breaking big screen feature-length documentary telling the riotous inside story of London’s legendary Scala cinema, 1978-1993.

During Britain’s politically turbulent post-punk ‘Thatcher years’ over a million people from all over the UK passed through the doors of the Scala cinema. For 15 glorious years, it inspired an entire generation with its iconic monthly repertory programmes, which included everything from high-art classics to sexploitation, horror, Kung Fu and LGBTQ+ in daily-changing double-bills and unforgettable All-Nighters.

Battered 35mm and 16mm prints of films by alternative auteurs such as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Walerian Borowczyk, Russ Meyer, John Waters, Derek Jarman and David Lynch formed the beating heart of the Scala's monthly programme, alongside others who pushed even further at the boundaries of taste and convention.

Many of the Scala’s young audience members went on to become musicians, writers, artists, actors, activists and, of course, filmmakers. Presided over by ‘Pope of Trash’ John Waters, some of the other famous names appearing in the documentary include Cathi Unsworth, James O'Brien, Mary Harron, John Akomfrah, Ben Wheatley, Isaac Julian, Caroline Catz, Stewart Lee, Adam Buxton, Peter Strickland, Thurston Moore, Barry Adamson, Mark Moore, Matt Johnson, Princess Julia, Douglas Heart and Jah Wobble.

“Scala!!!” is a kaleidoscopic combination of archive film and photography, eye-popping movie clips, graphics and animation alongside the interviews, the film is highly evocative but much more than mere nostalgia. The film is a universal shout-out to the power of cinemas to inspire impressionable young minds and create a sense of community for outsiders – a place where everyone is welcome. Plus Q&A with the directors Ali Catterall & Jane Giles!

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