CINECITY brings the best in world cinema to Brighton and the South Coast with a festival programme of premieres and previews, artists’ cinema and installations, treasures from the archive, live soundtracks, talks and special events. Described by The Guardian as ‘eclectic and imaginative’, CINECITY also explores ideas around the ‘cinematic’, the space where different practices including music, visual arts, photography, storytelling, literature, design and digital culture, can converge.
Duke of York’s, DEPOT, Dukes at Komedia and Fabrica are other venues screening films and hosting events for the festival. Below is the full list of events taking place at Attenborough Centre of Creative Arts.
The first screening at ACCA will be The Last Queen co-directed by Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri on Fri 10 November. This film screening will be followed by Q&A with Damien Ounouri and Martin Evans, Professor Of Modern European History at the University of Sussex.
Following this event, an afternoon of film, discussion and music will commence on Sat 11 Nov for Reggae and Rai. Reggae from Jamaica and raï from Algeria are two musical forms that emerged from the global south in the 1970s and 1980s and carried the same message: resistance to authority.
Through a mixture of rare screenings, conversations and DJ sets, this event will connect these two musical rebel cultures, exploring their roots and impact. A key part of the evening will be a screening of the 1972 classic The Harder They Come whose killer soundtrack introduced reggae to the world.
People Like Us – The Library of Babel and support from Blevin Blectum – an evening of narrative, collage, cinema and sound is on Tues 14 Nov. Then, on Weds 15 Nov is the UK premiere of Farah directed by Kenton and Hassiba Freiha-Oxley.
On the evening of Thurs 16 Nov, Sean Burns’ Dorothy Towers and live score by Sean Burns and Lai Power will entertain ACCA. Dorothy Towers is the story of the legendary Clydesdale and Cleveland Towers, two residential blocks in the centre of Birmingham. Completed in 1971 as a social housing development, and located adjacent to Birmingham’s Gay Village, the towers’ proximity to the community means they have long been a haven for LGBTQ+ people.
The 16mm film includes footage of interior architecture; archival materials, including newsprint and photographs; community members in celebratory mood; and sweeping shots of architectural reliefs and designs surrounding the towers. The night will be followed by a conversation with filmmaker Sean Burns.
In Spring directed by Mikhail Kaufman, with live score by Roksana Smirnova and Misha Kalinin screens on Sat 18 Nov. Then, to round up the festival on Sun 19 Nov, University of Sussex School of Media, Arts and Humanities will partake in a 36-hour Film Challenge 2023. Students will be given a prop, a location and a mystery parameter and have 36 hours to make a four minute film. All films will be screened on Sunday 19 November at 8.30pm during CINECITY to a public audience and a judging panel. With up to £1000 worth of prize money, this is a 36-hour filmmaking marathon designed to test students’ ingenuity and endurance!
To discover more about the films and talks showcased at CINECITY this November, and to book tickets to any of the events, go to www.cine-city.co.uk
