Inside is back! – escaping Soho for the Frontline Club but still the same bohemian mix of music, comedy, spoken word, creativity & alcohol. Headlined by Indie Rock Band Hows Harry as well as fantastic inspirational singer songwriter Amy Odell, fantastic musician David Catlin-Birch with comedy from the incomparable Darcie Silver and Elle Bert. It’s going to be an amazing night!

Forget Christmas and New Year – this is the celebration you can’t miss.

BUY TICKETS HERE

Ed Vulliamy has spent his life travelling the world to witness historical events, to see for himself what was happening, who were the people involved and what it meant to them, but also to listen to music. In his book When Words Fail, A Life with Music, War and Peace he explores the music and musicians who succeeded when words weren’t quite up to the job. From the need of a battle-weary population in Bosnia to hear a string trio (war having altered the original quartet) to allow themselves to feel alive while the bombs still fell like an accompanying percussion section to the rebels songs of Northern Ireland; from the soundtrack of Haight and Ashby, the love for the Plastic People of the Universe in Soviet Czechoslovakia, and the everlasting and complex genius of Shostakovich to the horror of the Bataclan massacre – Ed recounts his life of listening to music, and talking to the key creators.

Elisa Perrigueur is an independent journalist, specialising on migration issues in Europe and the activity of smugglers. She draws what is seen in reportage, areas of no rights, anonymous who do not want to be identified. Her visual responses to what she sees such as on the border city of Calais and England are expressed through watercolours and painting. She participated in the documentary “Calais, The End Of The Jungle” for BBC 2, as an assistant director. She is represented as an illustrator by Studio Hans Lucas. See some of her work here.

This is an exploration into the power of music, art, and the men and women who have dedicated their lives to understanding how and why it matters just so very much.

Photo Credit Image 1: Elisa Perrigueur – Port of Calais, one of the main “entrance” for the UK.

Photo Credit Image 2:  Elisa Perrigueur – Moria Camp in the dark.

Photo Credit Image 3: Elisa Perrigueur – Shores of Libya. Imagination, close to Sabratha. July 2017.

Syrian radio host Obaidah Zytoon and her friends are caught up in the euphoria of the 2011 Arab Spring. Cameras in hand, these artists and activists take to the streets to protest Bashar al-Assad. But as they film over the next several years, their hopes for a better future are tested by violence, imprisonment and death.

Working with acclaimed Danish director Andreas Dalsgaard, the film’s protagonists narrate and edit years of footage into a deeply moving personal narrative. Rather than dwelling on the violence of the conflict, The War Show focuses on what the revolution meant to individual people. Zytoon and her friends share similar aspirations to young people all over the world: to live free of repression.

Yet their dreams of revolution turn into the reality of civil war. Zytoon takes road trips to the centre of rebellion in Homs, to her hometown Zabadani near Lebanon, and to the north of Syria. Through poignant first-person narration, The War Show awakens audiences to understand how the conflict in Syria has impacted everyday people.

Host:

Razia Iqbal has worked for BBC news for more than 25 years. She presents Newshour on the BBC World Service and the World Tonight on Radio 4. She was the arts correspondent for a decade, and has worked as a reporter on both television and radio.

Directed by: Andreas Daslgaard, Obaidah Zytoon
Produced by: Miriam Nørgaard, Alaa Hassan
Country: Denmark
Year: 2016
Runtime: 100 mins

Music is the beating heart of Malian culture. But when Islamic extremists took control of northern Mali in 2012, they enforced one of the harshest interpretations of sharia law in history and, crucially for Mali, they banned all forms of music. Radio stations were destroyed, instruments burned and Mali’s musicians faced torture, even death.

Overnight, Mali’s revered musicians were forced into hiding or exile – where most remain even now. But rather than lay down their instruments, the musicians are fighting back, standing up for their cultural heritage and identity. Through everything, they have used music as their weapon against the ongoing violence that has left Mali ravaged.

‘Disco’ is a renowned singer, UN-recognised humanitarian and outspoken activist. She organises gigs from her refugee camp base in Burkina Faso and is a constant support for musicians in exile, who look to her to eventually lead them home.

Known as the “Nightingale of the North” and speaking all seven languages of the country, Khaira’s home was raided by jihadists and her materials, records and instruments destroyed. Yet she remains firm in her criticism of their actions despite threats to her life. She campaigns tirelessly for elections and is organising the first public concert in Timbuktu since the conflict to prove that musicians will not be silenced. But the rise of ISIS has given Mali’s extremists new life, and realising Khaira’s dream is risky for everyone.

With a specially commissioned soundtrack from Mali’s most exciting artists and a score written by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Nick Zinner, They Will Have To Kill Us First leaps headfirst into a tale of courage in the face of conflict.

Directed by: Johanna Schwartz
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 2015
Runtime: 105′

Composer Patrick Jonsson working on the score for Frame by Frame. Shot by RED REEL.

One often overlooked yet crucial element in a documentary is its music. A well-crafted score can make a difference in the mood, pacing, emotional texture and character of a film. And the right chemistry between filmmaker and composer can help achieve the visceral cinematic experience that we all yearn for as audience members.

We will be joined by a panel of some of the UK’s most celebrated composers to discuss the process of constructing a score for documentary, exploring the collaborative relationship between composers and directors and how music can ascribe meaning to images.

Looking in depth at the scores of a selection of recent, award-winning documentaries, we will hear from composers about the role of music in these films and the creative techniques behind the union of sound and imagery.

Laura Nakhla (moderator) is a Music Supervisor and Composer Agent at Air-Edel Associates. She has worked on the music for films including ‘Everest’ (Working Title), ‘Cinderella’ (Disney), ‘Woman In Gold’ (BBC Films), ‘The Boxtrolls’ (Laika), ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ (Paramount Pictures) and ‘Belle’ (Fox Searchlight Pictures). She studied music at King’s College London and took singing lessons at the Royal Academy of Music, before taking an MPhil in Musicology at Christ Church, Oxford. Laura previously worked as an agent’s assistant at The Rights House talent agency representing actors and TV presenters.

Rob Manning is a London-based composer who has scored documentary feature films, natural history, drama, comedies, and commercials. During a decade in the industry he has composed music for the BFI, HBO, Disney, Discovery, National Geographic, SKY, BBC, Channel 4, ITV and FIVE. His credits include Chuck Norris Vs Communism, a documentary feature film which premiered at Sundance 2015; Louis Theroux: Miami Mega Jail for the BBC; The Last Chance School, a BAFTA-award-winning observational film; and many more. He worked with acclaimed director Penny Woolcock on her feature-length film On The Streets, which told the stories of a group of homeless people in London and won a Liberty Human Rights award.

Patrick Jonsson is a film composer living and working in London. In 2013 Patrick scored Bends, directed by Flora Lau, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as part of ‘Un Certain Regard’. He also went on to receive a nomination for ‘Best Original Film Score’ at the Taipei Golden Horse Awards, one of the top Chinese-language film awards. Patrick has since composed the score for Academy Award and BAFTA nominated feature documentary Virunga, directed by Orlando von Einsiedel and executive produced by Leonardo Di Caprio’s Appian Way Productions. The film’s music was picked out as one of the ’15 Best Film Scores of 2014′ by HitFix. More recently, he composed the score for documentary Frame By Frame, directed by Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli, for which he was nominated for ‘Best Documentary Score’ at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2015. Patrick has also composed music for numerous award-winning short films and has assisted composers on a number of studio level feature films such as Thor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Brave.

Nainita Desai is one of the UK’s leading composers, having scored hundreds of films for major broadcasters – most recently for Brian Hill’s Mumbai High – The Musical. Many of her projects have won or been nominated for Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Emmys and RTS awards, including an RTS Best Music nomination for BAFTA-nominated film The Day Kennedy Died (Dir: Leslie Woodhead); and a 2016 Music and Sound Best Feature Score nomination for The Confessions of Thomas Quick [BFI/Film4/Picturehouse].

On Monday 16 November, the Frontline Club hosted a screening of the documentary Yallah! Underground, a vibrant look at a diverse groups of Arab artists and musicians using culture to challenge the status quo. The film is set in the years prior to and during the Arab spring, and focuses on artists from Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. The film was followed by a Q&A with director Farid Eslam, via Skype.

The film puts its soundtrack at the forefront, and uses music to weave its way through different Arab cities, swiftly moving its focus between the individual artists’ discussions over the struggle between individuality and tradition. Freedom of expression and thought are common themes that are mentioned regularly, particularly in relation to the events of Tahrir Square in Egypt.

Eslam had spent a lot of time in the Middle East, mostly filming on commercial projects, and explained that his motivation for this project came from the desire to provide a different presentation of Arabs. He commented that Western perspective often sees Arabs being “closely connected to violence, frustration, aggression, which is only a fraction of the reality.”

“Most people want the same thing all over the world: to live in peace, freedom and to raise their families. It’s important to remind people and ourselves from time to time that we’re talking about just normal people, and it’s sad that we live in a time where we actually have to be reminded of this simple fact and simple truth.”

One audience member was curious about the absence of Syria from the film, considering its presence of underground artists. Eslam explained that he was keen to include Syria, and had tried to feature artists in Damascus and Jeddah. However, due to the escalation of the situation, “it became impossible.” Eslam did manage to film some Syrian artists in the Golan Heights, but this was not included in the film.

Eslam explained that he was able to film such a diverse group of people partly due to limited and sporadic funding, but also due to a large network of artists to draw from. Most of the artists filmed did not make it into the film; the total footage for the project was extensive, and probably enough to “make five more films.”

Will be discovering Egyptian hip hop today after watching Farid Eslam's 'Yallah! Underground' @frontlineclub last night. What a great film!

— Josephine Casserly (@JoCasserly) November 17, 2015

He found it very easy to meet artists: “Basically, you meet one artist and he points you to ten new ones.”

While a lot of his research was carried out on social media, he was also able to spend a lot of time talking directly to artists and people connected with the alternative scene.

Information about Yallah! Underground can be found on the film’s website and Facebook page. Yallah! Underground will have its first screening in an Arab country next month in Dubai.

From the early days of the Arab Spring that sparked hopes for change to the years of instability and political tension that followed, this enthralling documentary follows the stories of young prominent underground artists from across the Middle East during the period of 2009 to 2013.

In a region fraught with political tension, these progressive musicians and artists have struggled for years to express themselves freely and to promote more liberal attitudes within their societies.

From young female artists in Egypt overturning the norms by living alone, to the persecution of a famous Lebanese musician for singing against the political leader, director Farid Eslam paints a picture of a new generation challenging both old and new realities with passion and admirable perseverance.

Directed by: Farid Eslam
Runtime: 84′
Year: 2015
Country: Czech Republic, Germany, UK, Egypt, Canada, US
Languages: English, Arabic

Cinema has been at the heart of Georgian culture for over 100 years, reflecting the country’s unique traditions, people and landscape – but also making an important contribution to world cinema. Following the recent extensive season of Georgian films at MoMA and the Berkeley Art Museum in the US entitled “Discovering Georgian Cinema,” we are delighted to present three classic documentaries from Georgia to showcase the rich history of Georgian nonfiction cinema.

These films undoubtedly place themselves in the context of German Kulturfilm: short documentaries that helped to “educate” and to influence public opinion. The films, funded by the Soviet State, are dedicated to encouraging the mechanisation of labour, as well as promoting a culture of exercise and health.

The evening will be presented by the writer Aka Morchiladze, who has written some of the bestselling prose of post-Soviet Georgian literature. He now lives in London as a freelance author, writing essays and columns for numerous Georgian magazines and newspapers. Morchiladze has published more than 30 books since 1994 and has won SABA, the major Georgian literary award for Novel of The Year, five times. Some of his novels have been filmed and staged, including Journey To Karabakh (1992), made into the 2005 film directed by Levan Tutberidze and shown in the BGS Georgian Film festival 2005, and The Village by the same director, being show in this year’s festival.

The lineup:

You Must Reap as You Have Sown (Rasats dastes, imas moimki) – Kote Mikaberidze, Vasil Dolenko, USSR, 1930, 26 mins

Ten Minutes in the Morning (Dilis ati tsuti) - Aleqsandre Jaliashvili, USSR, 1930, 29 mins

Collective Farmers’ Hygiene (Kolmeurnis higiena) - Vakhtang Shvelidze, USSR, 1934, 17 mins

Reso Kiknadze is currently professor for Electroacoustic Music at the Ilia State University in Tbilisi, Georgia and rector of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, and has performed as saxophonist and computer musician all over the world. Composer and coauthor of many projects with dance, visual arts, poetry, theatre and cinema, he studied classical philology at the Tbilisi State University. He played saxophone in the Georgian TV Big Band and the Conservatory Jazz Quintet, performing at various festivals in Tbilisi, Tallin, Vilnius, and elsewhere. Between 1986 and 1990 he studied composition and Georgian traditional music at Tbilisi Consevatory. Since 2000 he has collaborated with TanzOrt Nord, a contemporary dance company in Lübeck. In 2002 he founded ‘Resolution Group’, a free electroacoustic improvisation ensemble.

His son, Giorgi Kidnadze, is a Double bass player living in Hamburg and studied at the Hamburg School of Music.

4th London Georgian Film Festival 1-7 October 2015
contact@lifethroughcinema.com

On Tuesday 4 June, The Frontline Club hosted a screening of El Gusto. Despite a 6-hour flight delay and a broken ankle, director Safinez Bousbia made it up to the Frontline Club just in time for a lively Q&A. The film follows Bousbia on her journey to reunite a group of around 30 Jewish and Muslim Chaabi musicians, separated by the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962).

Director Safinez Bousbia

Chaabi, or ‘the people’s music’, is a musical genre that transcended class, religion and ethnicity. It grew out of the Algerian casbah and is a mix of Berber, Andalusian and religious music.  The Jewish musicians mostly fled Algeria in the wake of the Algerian War and the remaining Muslim musicians were forced out of the deteriorating casbah, eventually being relocated to different areas. After they were reunited in 2006, El Gusto began performing together again. They continue to tour, worldwide, and are due to start recording their third album this year.

Bousbia had initially only planned to arrange for the musicians to play together again one more time; a process which took around three years. After meeting them she became fascinated by what they had gone though and realised that their stories could become a great film. As she could not find any producer who wanted to take on the project, she concluded she would have to make a film herself. As a trained architect turned filmmaker she also became the manager of the El Gusto Orchestra of Algiers in the process.

The music is a very powerful backdrop to the story, especially after understanding more about its history and the experiences of the musicians. Bousbia described how she became involved with writing some of the music for the first El Gusto album:

“It was very different with this music, because they don’t write it – they memorise it, which is exceptional. Because if you arrange a whole a concert, it’s like 15 songs…and I was so impressed that they remember everything”.

As pointed out by an audience member, there are no women in El Gusto. Bousbia explained that Chaabi music was established in 1920s Algeria, very much as an underground movement.  As a result, the only women who were involved with this scene were dancers or prostitutes and the music was played in places where women did not want to be seen. She went on to say that later on, in the 1940s, as Chaabi music became more popular and mainstream, women established their own similar style of music.

When asked about the future of El Gusto and Chaabi music in Algeria, Bousbia replied that she hopes the younger generation will continue to play and tour. The original El Gusto members are all over the age of 70 – with the eldest being 104 years old – and tire easily. There are also financial limitations to the group’s activities. As a result, a younger generation is slowly introduced. Their enthusiasm is encouraging, but Bousbia feels that they will need further encouragement to become more positively involved with Chaabi music. She is also concerned with the limits placed on the growth of the music scene in Algeria:

“I think that the best thing you can offer musicians is the diversity and interactions with different cultures and different musics, and I think that’s what Algerian artists miss the most”.

She went on to explain that the current political situation in Algeria means that the musicians are not able to travel much. The government also controls the international visitors, which is affecting the development of art as it is essential for artists to be ‘confronted with what’s happening “out there”‘. Although the film was received extremely well by the people of Algeria, the El Gusto Orchestra has not received official permission to perform in Algeria yet. Bousbia also encountered several challenges with the authorities over gaining permission to film the documentary.

The El Gusto Orchestra of Algiers at the Barbican 3 June 2013. Credit: Wotienke Vermeer

Since its release El Gusto has been shown in film festivals all over the world, with the next screening in Egypt on Thursday 6 June. Safinez Bousbia will continue to accompany El Gusto and help them to prepare their third album, before starting work on her next film. Up to date information on upcoming screenings and concerts can be found on the official website of both the film and the band.

Filmmaker Safinez Bousbia describes El Gusto as “the story of a group of musicians – Jews and Muslims – torn apart by history and brought together today by music”. In reality it took more than music alone to bring these musicians back together; rather the director’s own extraordinary efforts over a two year period to hunt down and reunite a group of friends separated for 50 years.

The story of El Gusto begins in the casbah of Algiers in 2003, with a chance encounter between a young architect holidaying in the country of her birth and an 83-year-old mirror vendor and former musician, who had lost his band members during the Algerian War of Independence. At that time, Bousbia had little inclination towards filmmaking – “At the beginning, I just proposed to help him find his friends.” It was only midway through the search for Mohamed Ferkioui’s friends, as the number of remarkable sub-stories began to increase, that the necessity to document their journey became apparent.

“Once I found the musicians, I heard they had amazing stories to tell. Then I thought it was worth a film. I didn’t think I’d be the one doing it, because I was an architect at the time! I did not have a clue as to how films were made.”

In many ways the story of Safinez Bousbia is almost as intriguing as those of her musicians.

Born in Algeria, raised in Switzerland and educated at Oxford and Dublin, her transition over the course of the project from architect to investigator, band manager, film producer and director, is an indication of her extraordinary versatility. Her journey is made all the more remarkable when considered alongside battles against near-bankruptcy and cancer. These threatened to derail not only her life but also the band, the film project and the livelihoods of the men whom she had reunited.

There is certainly gratitude among her musicians for the transformation in their lives. Ferkioui describes the moment he first met Bousbia as like a “beautiful angel” who had been “sent from God”. Rachid Berkani, the band’s 75-year-old lutist rejoices: “Look at us at our age – traveling, eating great meals, staying in three- and four-star hotels, getting paid.”

Bousbia’s motivation for creating El Gusto remains clear: “Whenever we talk about the Algerian War of Independence, it’s always versions told by either soldiers or victims. It’s never just by simple people, simple musicians, who maybe never gave a damn about the war. They just wanted to play music and have fun and be friends.”

“The War of Independence was literally something you couldn’t avoid. You could not talk about their lives without talking about that war. It was the thing that made their lives pause; the reason that their friendships were torn apart, their music stopped. Their life completely took another turn.

“Their lives were stuck in the past, their music was lost, they deserved to be reunited and have their stories told. I decided to go for it.”

On Tuesday 4 June, El Gusto will be screened at the Frontline Club followed by a Q&A with director Safinez Bousbia.