Here’s this week’s inspiration: Kevin Curtis Is A Hero

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Bnulqi3ZncU

Future Artists is delighted to be offering viewers the chance to see the film, Invisible Circus: No Dress Rehearsal – for a limited period only – on Daily Motion.

It’s already got 10,000 views in 24 hours   – a joy for everyone involved, especially for director Naomi Smyth!

Smyth provides a no-holds-barred look into the world of street art and performance in the groundbreaking documentary movie, Invisible Circus: No Dress Rehearsal.

And now it’s free to watch on the world second largest and most popular video website – Daily Motion – with a view to getting 1 million hits.

‘Invisible Circus: No Dress Rehearsal’ is about a local arts group in Bristol who receive no funding – and fund themselves, riskily, by squatting. Daringly, they take on urban spaces and dilapidated shop fronts in order to create one of the most spectacular circus shows in the UK – and the audience only got to know about it via text message.

Naomi Smyth followed the band of chancers for four years – and even became a part of the circus herself.

After just five months on the road, hundreds of DVDs and screenings right across the UK from London to Newcastle, Naomi Smyth’s seminal documentary about the artsquat group (a self-sustaining community of artists who take over unused buildings and transform them into community friendly performance venues) continues to inspire people across the UK, telling a story of how you can still make art that astounds people, no matter who you are, where you’re from, or how much money you’ve got.”

Director Smyth on her film: “I would hope that the film provides a window into the squatting world that I know – filled with practical, self-reliant people who hate waste and have a mission to creatively use things somebody else has discarded – from a building some property developer is keeping empty for commercial reasons to a truckload of theatre flats or shop dummies or even food from a skip.”

Have you ever felt inspired to create something out of nothing? Wanted to perform, paint, write, dance… cultivate a project without the funds? If you’ve ever had a creative idea rejected, or you simply,need that shot of inspiration to follow your dreams (no matter what society tells you!) then you need to watch this film.

The film of From the Sea to the Land Beyond is directed by award winning
film-maker Penny Woolcock and will premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest on
13 June in the Crucible Theatre, with a live musical score composed and
performed by British Sea Power. Says Penny Woolcock, “To be offered the
chance to direct such a lyrical cinematic piece is an absolute dream request, I
leapt at the chance to do it.”

Online at The Space, people will find the interactive elements of From the Sea
to the Land Beyond. A mash-up tool will enable visitors to edit from 100′s of
coastal clips in the BFI National Archive (and tracks from British Sea Power) to
create a personalised video postcard from the piece of the UK coastline that is
most dear to their heart.

From Brighton to Blackpool from Scarborough to the Scottish Isles these
thousands of individual video postcards will grow into a unique library of
impressions of the UK coastline for others to view and contribute to. The
Space is available free of charge via the internet, smartphones, tablets and
smart TV, and will stay available until 31 October.

From Heather Croall, Sheffield Doc/Fest director, “This is the first time

Sheffield Doc/Fest has produced a project especially for the festival, and we
are thrilled that such amazing people have come on board the project with
us. Penny Woolcock directing and British Sea Power composing along with
Illumina on the mash up and BFI supplying their archive… it is an incredible
team to be working with”.

Continues, Mark Atkin, director Crossover, “Crossover has been committed to
stimulating the multiplatform production sector for many years, and we are
delighted to be producing this truly cross disciplinary project.”

Jane Giles, BFI Head of Distribution said, “This film will be a breath of fresh
air and we’re delighted to be working with such estimable partners as Penny
Woolcock, Sheffield Doc/Fest and British Sea Power to get this treasured
footage from the BFI National Archive out to a wider audience in a creative
new way.”

The BFI is handling world rights including theatrical, non-theatrical and DVD in
the UK with a proposed release date of 2013.

The premiere of From the Sea to the Land Beyond will be at The Crucible
Theatre June 13th at 6pm. Tickets will go on sale 14th May £11/£9 concessions
available from Crucible box-office: 0114 249 6000

SALFORD’S FUTURE ARTISTS our dedicated website for the BLACK LION HERE

From the outside, it’s a Victorian hotel that’s had a pub facelift. Inside – it’s Salford’s cultural powerhouse.

Reopened by Salford’s film studio Future Artists and seasoned landlord Barry Phillips, it’s quickly become the hub for independent film, theatre, music and comedy.

The Black Lion takes its cue from Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios – where the food and drink downstairs helps fund the venue’s vintage theatre upstairs, featuring a vast array of live art, film and music.

Salford’s Future Artists comprises of Mark Ashmore and Jenny Inchbald, a director-producer couple who also distribute the films of other directors.

Future Artists are looking forward to having the film, ‘Invisible Circus: No Dress Rehearsal’ screened at this year’s Olympics – as well as LA and San Diego.

Highlights so far at The Black Lion

-       Future Artists campaigned for Arrugas, Goya-award winning and Oscar-long listed animation – from the Black Lion

-       Numerous screenings of independent films including Sound It Out, Bill Cunningham New York, Young Hearts Run Free as well as the classics, such as The Italian Job

-       Salford’s Hip Hop scene – attracting Donald D, a collaborator with Grandmaster Flash and Ice T all the way from the USA

-       Levi Weaver, an indie musician from Tennessee, Nashville supported by local act Fugitive Empire

-       Meteorically successful clubnight Bop Local

and also in production at the Black Lion / Future Artists

The Lost Generation: A Feature Film from Salford http://www.projectlostgeneration.co.uk

New Salford film The Lost Generation picks up where the ‘Hungar Games” feared to tread – at the end of the world – on the 20th December 2012, which takes a searing look at freedom, cyberwarfare and our idea of celebrity.

The Black Lion is one of the locations in the film, as well as being the home of Future Artists. The Lost Generation, is aimed at an adult audience within the era of the Occupy movement – featuring real, documented footage from protests in UK cities – as part of the storyworld in the movie.

Synopsis:

“Think of a law. She’s broken it. Think of a crime. She’s committed it. Sarah Jane (SJ) signs up to the ultimate reality TV show.

The rules are simple. Kill your opponent, stay at the top of the leader board, win 10 million pounds.

Fail, and you’re dead.”

By blurring documentary footage from the riots, the Arab Spring and the biggest union march in Manchester, UK…  with the Thriller – and suddenly you have a tale of drama, cruelty and rebellion about the gladiatoresque voyeurism of disposable entertainment, recklessly chewing through the minds and aspirations of its contestants and viewers.

We need your help, this post, is a call to action, this project needs your help, your minds and your skills, to engage in the global conversations that dominate our lives, we need to #Occupymedia – to do so, please do the following and inspire others to do the same.

Join the conversation on twitter, search for #occupymedia

Learn more about he project and help fund it http://www.indiegogo.com/thelostgeneration

Become our friend on facebook and join the group http://www.facebook.com/groups/215908598446568/

Or if you want to track our progress and read some context to all this – please head over to http://www.projectlostgeneration.co.uk

Now sit back and read all about our film project and why we think it should be part of the global conversation #occupymedia

#OCCUPYMEDIA: One Film Versus The World.

The Lost Generation.

They occupied Wall Street. NY. DC, Chicago. London.

…What if they occupied the media?

#occupymedia

New Manchester film The Lost Generation is the UK’s newest feature film to be released independently – at the end of the world – on the 20^th December 2012, which takes a searing look at freedom, cyberwarfare and our idea of celebrity.

FILM SYNOPSIS 

“Think of a law. She’s broken it. Think of a crime. She’s committed it. Sarah Jane (SJ) signs up to the ultimate reality TV show.

The rules are simple. Kill your opponent, stay at the top of the leader board, win 10 million pounds.

Fail, and you’re dead.

Set in a dystopic present-day world, public executions have come back into vogue – only with a gory, reality-TV twist. The Lost Generation exists in a world governed by a corrupt media who have the police in their pocket. Able to scandalise the government at the drop of a phone, the media creates propaganda on how to live a life – and left desperate civillians in its wake.

But there is hope.

They are called The Unknown.

An underground movement, fragmented youth in revolt, rebels with a cause, are waiting for the right moment to strike back…The Unknown rescue SJ from her certain fate. Despite being part of the walking dead, SJ is taken away and shown a world where choice is a possibility. But the only problem, is, she will have to become the evil she is trying to escape.

In an epic finale, SJ, once the hunted in a reality TV show, now becomes the hunter and those that created her will be her final victims.”

THE DIRECTOR

Director and producer Mark Ashmore, based his main character SJ on the idea of reality TV stardom – taken to a gory and violent extreme while her foil character, Blair, is based on activists within the underground occupy movements.

“SJ gets hired to kill bankers, MPs: The Lost Generation, it’s a revenge movie; and the idea is that by using all the villains of today’s society, we’ll have the audience cheering in the aisles,” says Ashmore.

“Imagine that a producer was let loose in a world where there aren’t enough new ideas…Taking on twisted visions of a nihilistic media corporation – with everyone thrown to the lions. So this is the extreme of a saturated media environment.”

Contestants in the game become unknowing rats in a maze, forced to break the law and exploited completely by a TV producer fixated by cash, ratings and recognition.

The universal themes of the individual; fear, government doublethink, and especially ideological and covert control have persevered throughout film and literature and can be seen in many 20th century thrillers – science-fiction of course – and even popular novels like The Da Vinci Code contain traces of these ideas. And they’re themes that are pervasive in this film.

The occupation of this film is one of existing within the framework of the media.

By blurring documentary footage from the riots, the Arab Spring and the biggest union march in Manchester, UK…  with the Thriller – and suddenly you have a tale of drama, cruelty and rebellion about the gladiatoresque voyeurism of disposable entertainment, recklessly chewing through the minds and aspirations of its contestants and viewers.

The Lost Generation is aimed at an adult audience within the era of the Occupy movement – featuring documented footage from real protests in UK cities – as part of the movie.

Victoria Connett, who plays SJ, says of her character: “A young woman took on something that was bigger than she expected. She’s joined up with a cast on a reality TV show – and she’s taken on more than she can handle. She has to prove herself. But all the time she’s thinking – why has she signed up for this? What was her motivation?”

The Lost Generation. Let the payback begin.

#occupymedia

A film by Mark Ashmore

Produced by Future Artists

http://www.projectlostgeneration.co.uk

http://www.futureartists.co.uk

Tweet @futureartists

Created by JM

Since its first monthly club night took place in June 2010, Bop Local has been a roaring success and it’s about time for a birthday knees-up!

The name, Bop Local is a take on the slogan ‘shop local’ from the award-winning Unicorn wholefood supermarket in Chorlton, Manchester. The initial concept was the brainchild of Tom O’Toole. Tom wanted to create a club night that would be aimed at people who like to go out to socialise and dance to music, yet don’t want the inconvenience and cost of going into the city centre for their entertainment, with a focus on the community. It was important that this should be a monthly event – especially since many of the potential clientel could be family people who needed babysitters. One of the straplines used for Bop Local is ‘bringing the dancefloor to your doorstep’ which pretty much sums things up.

8.30pm – 1am

with DJ Phil Beckett + guests Mick Joyce (The Smiths) & Mark Smith (Funkademia)

Over 21’s Only

No dress code

https://www.ticketline.co.uk/order/tickets/13268535/bop-local-salford-black-lion-2012-04-14-20-30-00

MORE INFO http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/mar/19/manchester-disco-bop-local

Future Artists @ Black Lion, Chapel Street, Salford, M35BZ -

Tuesday May 1st – 8PM – pop up cinema

Film ticket £5 (Advance)

Dinner and a movie ticket  - Mexican theme (meat or vegie) £10*

*Please note film starts at 8pm – order before 7.30pm to make sure you can eat and be seated before the movie – kitchen closes 8pm.

TICKETS HERE http://blankcitysalford.eventbrite.com/

All profits go towards our own underground movie – find out morehttp://www.indiegogo.com/thelostgeneration

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BLANK CITY tells the long-overdue tale of a disparate crew of renegade filmmakers who emerged from an economically bankrupt and dangerous moment in New York history. From the late 1970’s through the mid 80’s, when the city was still a wasteland of cheap rent and cheap drugs, these directors crafted daring works that would go on to profoundly influence the development of independent film as we know it today.

Directed by French newcomer Céline Danhier, BLANK CITY weaves together an oral history of the “No Wave Cinema” and “Cinema of Transgression” movements through compelling interviews with the luminaries who began it all. Featured players include acclaimed directors Jim Jarmusch and John Waters, actor-writer-director Steve Buscemi, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, hip-hop legend Fab 5 Freddy, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, photographer Richard Kern as well as Amos Poe, James Nares, Eric Mitchell, Susan Seidelman, Beth B, Scott B, Charlie Ahearn and Nick Zedd. Fittingly, the soundtrack includes: Patti Smith, Television, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, The Contortions, The Bush Tetras, Sonic Youth and many more.

Made on shoestring budgets in collaboration with the pioneering musicians, visual artists, performers, and derelicts that ruled Downtown, the films surveyed in BLANK CITY are fitting documents of an exhilarating and unique cultural moment. This same legendary-but-fleeting period likewise birthed punk rock, hip-hop and Madonna, and brought New York City to the forefront of the international art world. Unlike the revered musical revolution of this era, this epoch of underground film has never before been chronicled.

BLANK CITY is a love letter to New York, a cultural portrait of Manhattan in the days before Reagan, big money, and gentrification forever altered the fabric of the city. Though a look back, the heart of BLANK CITY does not live in the past. In this new age of digital democracy, the maverick spirit of the New York Underground has risen again in emerging creative communities worldwide. The Do-It-Yourself ethos, audacious storytelling, and sense of urgency guiding “No Wave” and the “Cinema of Transgression” are more relevant and inspiring than ever.

All profits go towards our own underground movie – find out more http://www.indiegogo.com/thelostgeneration

Renowned rock photographer Ian Tilton – who went partying with the Hacienda scene and took the world-famous photo of Kurt Cobain’s stage nerves – will make an appearance at The Black Lion for just one night only.

For Future Artists’ Celebrate Photography! season, their venue The Black Lion will be hosting the Salford premiere with Dogwoof of Bill Cunningham New York – a documentary of the fashion photographer famous for cycling around the city, establishing the shots we now famously know as ‘street-style’ pictures in glossy magazines.

Bill is one of the most well-loved American fashion photographers.

The film, directed by Richard Press, is a vivid documentary that rejoices in the dazzling world of fashion, featuring the infamous Anna Wintour and Tom Wolfe – as well as celebrating the individual style of the most important people in fashion – the people who wear style their way.

After-film Q&A

Ian Tilton documented the infamous 36-Hour-Party-People (commonly mistaken for the film, 24-Hour-Party-People) escapade from Manchester to Paris. He’s the man that’s photographed The Stone Roses the most. He’s also responsible for the photo work on their very first album – and he’ll be doing a retrospective on the Hacienda scene in a Q&A with Jane McConnell from Future Artists, as well as discussing music, fashion and the importance of documentary reportage photography.

Displaying never-before published photographs of The Smiths, Tony Wilson, Oasis, Kurt Cobain, everything within context of the scenes and more will all be on display at The Black Lion in Salford, on the 20^th March from 7pm till late.

Dinner, a movie ticket and Q&A entry – £10

Film and Ian Tilton Q&A – £6

All available from http://billcunninghammanchester-eorg.eventbrite.com/