Living British Cinema is a collaborative forum that promotes the appreciation of British film culture and history.

It encourages exchange between the many groups that care about the British cinema’s well-being, including students, scholars, writers, film-makers and industry professionals. It seeks to provide a continuous, active forum through online publication and the organisation of events such as festivals, conferences and study days.

Garageland 23: Living British Cinema

This special issue of the arts and culture magazine Garageland, made in collaboration with Living British Cinema, is guest edited by Lucy Bolton and includes writing by Pamela Hutchinson and Lisa Duffy which was commissioned by Living British Cinema and is available to read on this site as well as in the magazine.

In her introduction to the issue Lucy Bolton writes:

‘Diversity and inspiration are evident all across the pages of this rich and rousing issue. Contributors have chosen films that speak to them, for a variety of reasons, and been given the opportunity to engage with them here and now, in these very specific times. The characters and works which are found here demonstrate the breadth of appeal of British cinema, and also how many people are inspired by the traditional and the contemporary in their creative, industrial and scholarly work. This is the essence of Living British Cinema: it is alive, and we are living it. The forum, and this issue, picks up on characters and elements that are not usually brought together in one place. Hollywood stars, Blue Story, and Fenella Fielding, are not found in any other anthology. Carol Morley and Sarah Gavron, Tommy Steele and Talking Pictures TV – they are all here. Direct input from Joss Ackland and Ben Wheatley, passions and inspirations from students and scholars, and the perspectives of critics and artists, make this collection a unique and valuable celebration.’ 

Photographs Damian Griffiths by arrangement with The Fenella Fielding Foundation

Other issue highlights include short writings on Americans in London; Damian Griffiths’ portfolio of photographs of Fenella Fielding’s apartment; an interview with Rubika Shah, the director of the documentary White Riot; articles about two films that centre on women in the Eastend of London, Sparrows Can’t Sing (1963)and Rocks (2019), by Pamela Hutchinson and Alice Pember respectively; and original artworks from Matthew Richardson, Rosemary Cronin, Katherine Tulloh, Harry Cartwright, Paul Housley, Cathy Lomax, Jennifer Campbell, Alex Michon, Rose Bradshaw, Stephen Harwood, Paul Murphy, Davina Quinlivan and much more!

The magazine is now available at the reduced price of £3 (originally £6) from the Transition Gallery website.