Cinema – Matchbox Cine

The Exotic Ones: Jimmy McDonough In Conversation

Legendary forensic biographer tells all!

From Friday June 30th to Sunday 2nd July, Matchbox Cine and Trasho Biblio present Jimmy McDonough: In Conversation alongside Nicolas Winding Refn’s new restoration of If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?

This exclusive, online-only double bill marks the release of The Exotic Ones, McDonough’s epic new biography of The Ormond Family, 40 years in the making.

Exploitation film-makers Ron and June Ormond experienced a spiritual awakening after their private plane crashed on the way to a premiere. Turning their back on secular show business, they made a series of shocking, surreal religious pictures which made millions without ever being shown in an actual movie theatre. Their story has never been told – until now.

Still from the film If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? featuring middle-aged, grey-haired bespectacled man staring down the lens

Still from the film If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? featuring grinning, uniformed man brandishing a gun

If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? is the first of three “Baptist scare pictures” which director Ron Ormond made with firebrand preacher, Estus W Pirkle, and surely the most unsettling and outrageous. A feverish nightmare prediction of what “will” happen when Communism infects an American small town (in this case, Pirkle’s church setting of New Albany, Mississippi), it was never intended to be screened outside of churches and community centres. It has been restored from the only surviving master elements by Nicolas Winding Refn’s byNWR and Cinema Preservation Alliance’s Peter Conheim, so that it may finally reach a wider viewing audience.

Jimmy McDonough is the legendary author of The Ghastly One: The 42nd Street Netherworld of Director Andy Milligan and Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer as well as celebrated biographies of Neil Young, Tammy Wynette and Al Green. John Waters frequently cites Time Magazine-certified “masterpiece” The Ghastly One as one of his all-time favourites.

This will be the last book I write on exploitation film. Buy it. Or go to Hell!
Jimmy McDonough

Photo of coffee table book, THE EXOTIC ONES, half-removed from sleeve

June. Ron. Tim. Together they were the Ormond Organization, a Nashville mother-father-son trio who cranked out a wild bunch of movies, from Lash LaRue westerns to the stripper-gore-musical outrage The Exotic Ones, then finally… Baptist extravaganzas. The Ormonds plunged into every area of showbiz, from vaudeville to drive-in movies to Christian filmmaking. They did it all on a shoestring – by themselves, with no studio to back them.

Theirs was a glittery world like no other. Populated by inebriated cowboys … spook-show mentalists … non-acting country stars … UFO testifiers … men in gorilla suits … egocentric magicians … fire-breathing, mud-wrestling ex-strippers … sweaty preachers … rockabilly monsters … pint-sized evangelists. Not to mention a con artist or ten.

Forensic biographer Jimmy McDonough interviewed June Ormond extensively and she revealed things she told no other soul. June was the guiding force of the family, a woman who held her own in the cutthroat male-dominated world of low-budget independent film. Her commentary is hilarious, brutally honest and at times heartbreaking.

Collage of colourful spreads from THE EXOTIC ONES, featuring a mix of text stills and graphics. — Collage of spreads from *The Exotic Ones* (courtesy: FAB Press)

Our career-spanning conversation, hosted by Trasho Biblio’s Tommy McCormick, will be pre-recorded on 24th June, 2023. If you would like to pose a question to Jimmy, contact Trasho or Matchbox directly, or leave it in the comments.

The entire programme is presented with optional brand-new descriptive subtitles. If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? will also be presented for the first time anywhere with optional brand-new audio description, created by Matchbox Cinesub.

The exclusive, time-limited programme will be available on Matchbox Cine’s Eventive platform from Friday 30th June to Sunday 2nd July. Buy tickets/watch here.

Tickets, which include both film and In Conversation, are sold on a sliding scale, from 0 to £8. You decide what to pay, according to our sliding scale guide (here)

The Exotic Ones is available now from FAB Press, here.

From Hollywood To Heaven: The Lost And Saved Films Of The Ormond Family is available now from Powerhouse / Indicator here.

“A Quiet Man, eh?” CRIME WAVE’s original ending, on 16mm

Last month, we travelled to New York to screen the original ending of John Paizs’ Crime Wave for the first time in 35 years – from Paizs’ own 16mm print!

In December 2021, we took our Tales from Winnipeg programme to Brooklyn, NYC. We went there at the invitation of Spectacle Theater, the legendary microcinema/”goth bodega” situated in Williamsburg (see the 2020 roundtable we hosted with Caroline Golum, Isaac Hoff & Garrett Linn of Spectacle here). Originally presented online in August 2020 (everywhere except North America), the headliners of our programme are three features – Guy Maddin’s Cowards Bend the Knee (with Ela Orleans’ re-score), Dave Barber and Kevin Nikkel’s documentary Tales from the Winnipeg Film Group and John Paizs’ seminal Crime Wave, in its 2K restoration. We’ve screened Crime Wave many, many times, and because of that and because we love Spectacle so much, we were keen to do something particularly special. Thankfully, the stars aligned, spectacularly so (pun not intended). John Paizs allowed us to ship the original 16mm print of his film, unprojected since its fateful festival debut in 1985, from Winnipeg to New York. And, crucially, this particular print contained Crime Wave‘s original ending.

The story of Crime Wave‘s premiere – on Friday 13th September, 1985 – has taken on quasi-mythical status. After that “disastrous” first screening, the story often goes, distributors demanded Paizs reshoot the end of his debut feature, which he did, ensuring its status as the Great Canadian Cult Comedy. Truthfully, the version of the film screened then, at Toronto’s Festival of Festivals (precursor to TIFF), is the same one that led critic Jay Scott to proclaim, “If the great Canadian comedy ever gets made, John Paizs might be the one to make it.”

As far as distributor’s demands, John may ultimately have pre-empted them, but he didn’t even sign Crime Wave‘s ill-fated deal until the following year. The “disaster” that night in Toronto was a sound problem that brought the film’s projection to a screeching halt, lighting up the auditorium, just as the third act began. When the film resumed, the belly laughs of the preceding hour were gone, and the audience’s muted response convinced Paizs to do the unthinkable – return to Winnipeg to rewrite and re-shoot the entire final act of his debut feature, having long since exhausted its meagre budget (round about $67,000 Canadian).

Detail from the original, hand-typed *Crime Wave* screenplay, corresponding with the scene pictured above

The Crime Wave that you may well know and love – the best-known version of the film is still, as far as we’re concerned, criminally underappreciated – has a very distinctive third act. The film ascends into a rattling montage tracing the sharp rise and lonely fall of film-maker Steven Penny (Paizs himself), a frenzied crescendo that fulfils the promise of the first two acts by adrenalising all their wit and invention. Crime Wave goes out on a high, complete with deadpan musical coda as the credits roll. The original ending arrives at something like the same spot, narratively, but detours significantly into darker territory. As Jay Scott noted, elsewhere in that oft-quoted review, “the tone switches from mildly nuts and robustly funny to robustly nuts and mildly funny.” At the premiere, the sharpness of that tonal shift coincided perfectly with the 10-20 minute interruption. The comparatively subdued atmosphere in the room afterwards (and a smattering of early departures), alongside some caveated reviews, was enough to convince Paizs he needed to completely rethink the ending.

As the festival buzz dissipated over the next six months, Paizs regrouped in Winnipeg and determinedly reconstructed Crime Wave, his stubborn focus – arguably one of the hallmarks of his hometown cohort – on his own vision and on posterity. Paizs raised a further $10-15,000 and, with the support of his Winnipeg compatriates, who passed the hat around to support the endeavour, delivered the much-loved, “faster and funnier” final cut to premiere in Vancouver on 21st March, 1986. By some estimates, though, that half-year diversion was enough to leave Crime Wave in the wilderness for good. A vaunted distribution deal failed to deliver a theatrical release and, worse, left Paizs’ film in the rights quagmire that it remains in today.

Writer and programmer Geoff Pevere, an early champion of Paizs and Crime Wave responsible for its sight-unseen invite to Toronto, remembered the 16mm print only arriving on the day of the screening, with Paizs. “Later, I heard the director had actually picked up the just-completed print from the lab on the way to catch his plane.” So: struck, screened once and stored for 35 years – that’s the print we showed at Spectacle. When we asked after it, John offered to check some carefully kept 16mm cans, soon confirming some of the heretofore “mystery” reels contained the premiere cut – and not, we hasten to add, the “Director’s Cut”. If one thing’s clear, it’s that John Paizs made the film he wanted to make, though both versions belong on a beautiful boutique blu ray release. Meanwhile, Crime Wave‘s reputation grows, year on year, with every new viewing, hopefully towards the point Paizs’ “lost” classic can find its way home.

Sean Welsh

Our Crime Wave New York story in pictures

1 | We flew into New York on the evening of Thursday 9th December, and the next morning wandered up to recce the fabled goth bodega and take some jetlagged selfies. We’re big fans of Spectacle’s programming, so figured best to get it out of our system.

Photography of two packaged film prints sitting against wall, on pavement (sidewalk!)

White man wearing glasses and a hat and white woman wearing glasses and a hat pose in front of Anthology Film Archives, holding a film print

2 | Next day, we picked up the print. Our friends at Anthology Film Archives (who screened Crime Wave on 16mm back in 2014) helped us out by taking delivery of John’s print, sent direct from Winnipeg. Anthology’s Jed Rapfogel raised an eyebrow (justifiably) when he heard this was not only the first outing for the original cut in 35 years but quite likely the only extant print, and as-yet unscanned/unpreserved. Off we went to Spectacle to show it to people! #TeamLanglois

3 | Spectacle had hired a 16mm projector for the special event, and with it came projectionist extraordinaire, artist, film-maker and analogue afficionado Ian Burnley. With the requisite care and reverence (not to mention sense of circumstance), Ian unveiled the reel (actually, four reels – John sent the three original reels plus one with the “official” ending, just in case)…

Closed up of film reel, with writing on case: "CRIME WAVE REEL 3, *ORIGINAL ENDING"

Man holds films reel, around the edge a label reads "MATURE"

4 | ..and began to prepare them for screening (note John’s careful new notes and the original “MATURE” label). Ian also gave us some great recommendation for cinemas, art shows, galleries and noodles (we were glad to meet Ian).

Photograph of interior of Spectacle Theater, with image projected on screen. Woman wearing jumpsuit walks up aisle.

Photograph of interior of Spectacle Theater, facing towards entrance. Woman wearing jumpsuit walks up aisle.

5 | We sat down with Spectacle’s Caroline Golum to preview the reel ahead of the screening, making sure the set-up worked and John hadn’t pranked us by sending us footage of a Winnipeg family wedding. He hadn’t!

Photograph of man posing with A-board, with writing, CRIME WAVE, and illustration of side of house, in street outside Spectacle Theater

Photograph of woman posing with A-board, with writing, CRIME WAVE, and illustration of side of house, in street outside Spectacle Theater

6 | All that was left was to panickedly chalk up the A-board, pose for posterity (that’s Spectacle’s Elias ZX on the left there, Megan in the middle), welcome the sold-out audience and wait for the reviews…

Anyhow, got to see John Paizs own 16mm print of Crime Wave with its original ending and it ruled. pic.twitter.com/rsGA6Nwodm
— 50 Jenna Ipcar Fans Can’t Be Wrong! (@AgreeableCar) December 11, 2021

Crime Wave’s 2K restoration screens in Spectacle’s Best of 2021 line-up on Saturday, 8th January at 7:30pm EST and Thursday 27th January at 10pm EST, tickets here. NB this is not the version with the original ending (just the one we know and love).

Thanks to Elias ZX, Caroline Golum and volunteers at Spectacle Theater, Monica at Winnipeg Film Group, Jed Rapfogel at Anthology Film Archives, Ian Burnley and Herb Shellenberger for helping to facilitate this series. And, of course, to John Paizs.

You can read more about Crime Wave in our Tales from Winnipeg zine and in Jonathan Ball’s excellent book, John Paizs’s Crime Wave.

If you’re interested in screening any part of our Tales from Winnipeg programme, please feel free to drop us a line: sean@matchboxcineclub.com.

Shelf Life + Q&A

Matchbox return with the never-released, undiscovered final feature film from legendary director Paul Bartel!

We’re back, with our first ever hybrid event! SHELF LIFE (Paul Bartel, 1993) + Pre-recorded Cast Q&A with O-Lan Jones, Andrea Stein, Jim Turner and filmmaker Alex Mechanik is Matchbox’s first screening since January 2020.

We have a very limited capacity physical event at Cube Microplex, Bristol, 7pm on Friday 27/08 and an internationally-available, unlimited-availability online version via Eventive, from 7pm Friday 27/08 – Sunday 29/08. Attendees of the physical event will also get access to the online version, and a copy of our print publication. The programme includes a Paul Bartel trailer reel, new cast introductions and a vintage interview with Paul Bartel. The physical event will be open captioned with our new cast-approved descriptive subtitles and the online programme will have optional descriptive subtitles and brand-new audio description on the film only.

TICKETS: matchboxcine.eventive.org

SYNOPSIS: Tina, Pam, and Scotty are taken down into Mom and Dad’s well-stocked bomb shelter when Kennedy is assassinated in 1963…and they never come out. Thirty years later, Mom and Dad are a long-dead ‘bag of bones’ and the now-grown kids have created a life for themselves based on remnants from the ’60s, intermittent output from the TV and their wild imaginations.

BACKGROUND: Shelf Life was conceived and written by O-Lan Jones, Andrea Stein and Jim Turner as a result of their rumination on what must become of people boxed in tiny spaces for long, long periods of time. Director Paul Bartel (Eating Raoul, Death Race 2000, Lust in the Dust) saw the closing night performance of the play in 1992 and within six weeks they had begun shooting the film, complete with a fully fabricated fallout shelter on the stages of CFI in Hollywood. Despite a strong festival run and positive reviews, Shelf Life remained unreleased and never found the audience it deserved. After decades underground, the last remaining 35mm print was uncovered at the film archive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and digitally restored – this is the UK premiere!

Q&A: This will be recorded in advance, partly to enable us to make it accessible, with quality subtitles. We record on 14/08, and you can pose questions any time between now and then via Slido: bit.ly/ShelfSlido

ZINE: We’re producing a new zine to accompany the event, with new artwork from Calvin Halliday and new responses to Shelf Life from emerging writers, including Logan Kenny. This will be free to all ticket holders and available to purchase separately.

TICKETS: Both physical and online events are priced on a sliding scale: you decide what to pay (£0-£8), with reference to our guide: bit.ly/matchboxscale

ACCESS: The screening will have brand-new, cast-approved descriptive subtitles, created by Matchbox Cinesub. The online version of the event will have optional descriptive subtitles for the entire programme and optional, brand-new audio description for the film. NB Cube Microplex is not wheelchair accessible.

VENUE + SOCIAL DISTANCING: Attendees will be required to wear a mask. We have limited seating to allow for social distancing – two seats between each set and every other row unsold. NB we are adhering to the advice of the UK Government but we also reserve the right to exercise our own judgement, should we feel the event is unsafe to deliver. In the case of cancellation, refunds will be issued automatically. NB Cube Microplex is not wheelchair accessible.

Part of Film Feels Hopeful, a UK-wide cinema season, supported by the National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network. Explore all films and events at filmfeels.co.uk.

Accessibility for Film Screenings

Read Helen Wright of Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF)’s presentation on making your film screenings and events accessible to everyone

Scalarama access presentation from Matchbox Cineclub

At the July Scalarama Glasgow meet-up, Helen Wright (Scottish Queer International Film Festival) gave a presentation and led a discussion on accessibility for film screenings. Helen covered basic principles, and practical access measures for screenings and for marketing film events.

Helen has very kindly allowed us to host the PowerPoint (above), which formed the basis of her presentation. Material from all of 2019’s Scalarama meetings/workshops in Glasgow, including guides to licensing, venues, tech set-up and social media, here.

Scalarama Glasgow is running monthly meetings in the lead-up to September’s season of DIY film programming. They’re aimed at helping exhibitors brand-new and experienced alike to put on films, and each month has two invited experts on different aspects of film exhibition. They’re free and open to all, full details here.

If you have any questions or could use some advice, get in touch with us here: info@matchboxcineclub.com

A Basic Guide to Social Media for Film Screenings

Basic principles, dos and don’ts and tips for promoting your film screenings online

ingrid — Detail from the poster for *Ingrid Goes West* (Matt Spicer, 2017)

This is intended to provide basic principles and practical tips for making the best use of social media, as an independent film exhibitor. It’s not intended to be definitive, or a magic wand to conjure likes, shares and follows. Different things will work for different exhibitors and different events. If you have any tips or advice to add, please let us know!

Basic Social Media Dos

Have a clear identity for your page
Have a clear idea who you want to appeal to
Be concise – keep it short and economical
Be as visual as possible
Be discoverable – use hashtags (appropriately)
Be responsive – if people engage with your posts, engage with them – and reply to queries ASAP.
Be a real person – e.g. post a picture of you putting up a poster, rather than the poster itself
Use active language and calls-to-arms (Buy, try, “get tickets”, “check this out”)
Post regularly (keeping in mind the requirements of each platform)
Tailor/adapt your content and tone for different platforms
Pay attention to what works well for you, your page and your events
Research – see what other exhibitors, venues, platforms are doing that works and suits you
Experiment – most platforms share information with you so you can easily find what works and what doesn’t
Develop a strategy based on all of the above
Plan and schedule posts
Ask people or accounts to share your content and share theirs

Basic Social Media Don’ts

Post/talk only about yourself/your event(s)
Panic cluster-post at the last minute
Tag random (or friendly but not immediately relevant) people or accounts in tweets and/or pictures
Re-use (i.e. steal) content without attribution
Overuse hashtags, especially “comedy” hashtags

Content | Always ask the distributor if they have marketing material available. This can include stills, posters, trailers, press releases which you can draw quotes and/or additional information from, and also any guidance to follow, especially if it’s a new or recent release – much better to adhere to their release campaign strategy, if there is one. If it’s an older film, you should still ask if there’s material available. There are also various resources online. Look for the website of the marketing team company, if there is one, which often will host marketing materials for download. For posters in particular, try wrongsideoftheart.com, impawards.com or cinematerial.com (the latter requires a small subscription fee). Don’t use images or material from other people’s screenings, at least without permission.

Presentation | You can optimise your images for presentation on the various platforms (i.e. a portrait-oriented poster won’t display fully on Twitter). Twitter now offers automatic cropping of your images in three styles on its new desktop version. Otherwise, you can make reference to the Always Up-To-Date spreadsheet for social media image sizes, which will give you the right sizes for various uses across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube and Tumblr. There’s also a free-to-use online re-sizing tool, Landscape, which you can instruct to automatically resize and download images you upload to whatever specifications you need. Sprout Social have produced guides on presentation for images (here) and videos (here).

Any links you use, you can trim so that they don’t display all the unnecessary detail and they will still work. E.g. “https:// matchboxcineclub.com/weird-weekend” can become “matchboxcineclub.com/weird-weekend” and still work as a hot link on all social media platforms. Better yet, you can sign up for a free bitly.com account and, if they’re not already taken, create shortened links, with customised back-halfs, for free. E.g. bit.ly/WEIRDWEEKEND. On Facebook, you can also tag your events in posts the way you would a person, typing @ followed with the event name to find it.

Finally, you know how sometimes a link from another website won’t present properly, i.e. with no image, or the wrong image? That’s often because it’s never been shared before, and you can get around that by testing the link with Facebook’s debugger or Twitter’s card validator.

Timing/frequency | To boil it right down – post once or twice a day on Facebook, a similar frequency for Instagram and as often as you like on Twitter. Facebook in particular would like to encourage you to pay to boost posts or create sponsored posts, so it’s designed to discourage a wide audience for anything you share that involves a ticket link or an event page. You’re less restricted in posting Stories. Likewise, you have freer rein when posting in Facebook event pages – and it’s a good way to keep people interested between announcing your event and it happening. Beware over-posting, though, because non-stop notifications for attendees can be a drag. Getting the best from Twitter requires investment of your time above all else. A tweet has a half-life of about 30 minutes and to get people to engage with your posts, you also need to engage with theirs. In all cases, its good to share content that isn’t about you or (directly) about your event.

You can also use some statistical information to guide when to get the best response from your posts – Sprout Social (NB otherwise a subscription service) offers some insights for the various platforms. Read their “Best times to post on Social Media for 2019” post here.

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Subtitles/Captions | Providing these is necessary to make your posts accessible. It’s also a very basic way to increase engagement, since videos are automatically muted on most platforms. Subtitles draw people in. Facebook and YouTube will auto-generate subtitles which you can then edit, or you can upload them as a separate file. There are also ways to create subtitle files separately and burn them into the video. For more advice on any of that, email info@matchboxcineclub.com. Free subtitling software includes: Aegisub, Amara, Belle Nuit Subtitler and Subtitle Edit (Windows only).

NB “Subtitles” describe what’s spoken, while “Captions” also include sound and music labels and speech identifiers, etc.

Alt-text for images | This is a very straightforward way to make your posts accessible for the visually impaired – you add text separately describing the images (but not GIFs or videos) you post. On Twitter, you have to enable the feature via Settings and Privacy > Accessibility. On Facebook, it’s a universal feature, although the alt-text is extremely limited in terms of character count. Read Twitter’s guide here. Read Facebook’s guide here. Read Instagram’s guide here.

How alt-text works on Facebook, preparing to post an image:

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How alt-text works on Facebook, after you’ve posted an image:

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How alt-text works on Twitter (NB you can’t edit after posting):

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Sponsored posts | These can be extremely effective compared to print marketing, especially for independent exhibitors who can’t rely on the same reach, footfall or press attention as venues, festivals or bigger exhibitors. Facebook and Twitter are both very good at targeting to specific people, whether it’s people who already follow your page (and may miss your posts due to the algorithm or the speed of constantly unravelling newsfeeds), or a particular demographic, e.g. people who live near your event, young people, or people who like horror films. Facebook is a lot more user friendly than Twitter, though both require experimentation and attention to get the best results. Some reluctance to engage with this aspect of social media is understandable, but keep in mind, if you’re doing it right, you’re showing people something they want to see.

NB If you’re participating in Scalarama Glasgow/West, Edinburgh/East, or Highlands and Islands, and you’re making Facebook events for September, please make your local Scalarama page a co-host. You can also add something along the lines of “Screening as part of Scalarama 2019” to your event description, and make sure to tag Scalarama in your relevant posts, tweets, etc, using the hashtag #Scalarama or #Scalarama2019.

Useful links

Always Up-To-Date Social Media Image Sizes Cheat Sheet
Social Media Image Re-sizing Tool
Facebook Debugger
Twitter Card Validator
Bitly URL Shortener + Custom Links

This guide was made for Scalarama Glasgow’s July 2019 meeting, presented by Sean Welsh. Sean is responsible for Matchbox Cineclub and Scalarama Glasgow’s social media. He also planned and operated social media for Document International Human Rights Film Festival as Production Coordinator in 2016 and 2017.

Fan Fan Fanatisch: Obsession in Der Fan

Guest writer Claire Biddles (Sad Girl Cinema) writes on female desire and fandom in German horror Der Fan ahead of our co-screening on July 21st. Beware spoilers!

Screenshot 2019-06-15 at 23.53.41.png — Désirée Nosbusch in *Der Fan*

“No letter today. I wrote to R over three weeks ago, and still no answer. Maybe he never got my letter. Maybe some jealous secretary got her hands on it and decided not to give it to him. Because she could tell I love him more than she does. Really love him.”

Although written and directed by a man – prolific German filmmaker Eckhart Schmidt – 1982 cult horror Der Fan is one of the most convincing depictions of female fandom, obsession and desire in cinema. Its descent into cartoon excess represents the heightened fantasy end point of pop star adulation, but it is grounded in uncomfortable truths.

Der Fan follows German teenager Simone, who is disengaged and almost catatonic as she sleepwalks through the drudgery of her home and school life. She barely speaks, but through her narration we discover the reason for her vegetative state: her every waking moment is devoted to intense thoughts of R, a new-wave pop star who she adores above anything else. Her bedroom walls are covered in monochrome images of him, and she listens to his songs via an omnipresent cassette Walkman that separates her from the real world. She no longer pays attention to schoolwork: “What’s the use? I can’t think of anything except R and how much I need him.”

Screenshot 2019-06-15 at 23.39.45.png — Désirée Nosbusch in *Der Fan*

The signifiers of fandom are familiar, but the execution is unusual. Rather than a depiction of the (often communal) hysterical excitement of fangirls, Der Fan traces its solitary, destructive flipside. It’s telling that the film’s alternative English title is Trance: Simone’s desire is so all-encompassing that other people fail to register — her teachers, parents, more appropriate romantic suitors. Her unreciprocated obsession is so all-encompassing that it becomes destructive; cancelling out its mundane surroundings.

Simone’s desire has left her with a one-track mind in the centre of a void, wandering the streets in a fugue state. The film’s atmosphere is a dull ache: rain and suburban streets and municipal buildings. R’s music is the kind typically made by inhabitants of these post-industrial landscapes – the soundtrack by Düsseldorf group Rheingold recalls the driving empty urbanity of Joy Division or Bauhaus.

Simone has written R a letter to which he hasn’t responded. Every day she drags her feet to the post office in anticipation of his reply; a voiceover counting the days like a prison sentence. When she tires of waiting, she tracks him down outside a TV studio, and they finally meet. Simone is speechless — she collapses and he rescues her, taking her inside the studio to watch his performance being filmed.

Screenshot 2019-06-15 at 23.43.20.png — Désirée Nosbusch and Bodo Steiger in *Der Fan*

The link between the devotion of pop fandom and the manipulative power of political dictatorship is often made in films about charismatic pop stars – most recently in Brady Corbet’s twin films Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux. The allusion is sometimes clunky: in Der Fan, images of mass-saluting crowds are interspersed with images of R in Simone’s bedroom; in the television performance that Simone watches, R wears a militaristic uniform surrounded by saluting mannequins. The sinister creep of R’s power is more subtly expressed in the similarity between R and Simone when they finally meet, both wearing almost identical outfits of white shirts and dark leather trousers. This could be read as a symbol of R’s control over Simone (and others – his secretary is also seen in a similar outfit) but also of Simone’s desire to possess him so much that she literally starts to become him: an under-reported but fundamental manifestation of fandom.

This desire is made explicit (and then some) in the film’s audacious final act. After their meeting at the television studio, R takes Simone to his friend’s empty apartment where they have sex. After this ultimate act of wish-fulfilment, R disappoints Simone with his aloofness – his desire for a simple one night stand not matching up to her overwhelming need for him. The film’s final twist sees her react with extreme and perverted violence.

Der-Fan-poster_web

While committing this strange violence, Simone is single-minded and determined, her demeanour as trance-like as when she was yearning for R at the start of the film. She’s detached and withdrawn, an empty vessel. If obsession destroys everything around the object of desire, it’s no surprise that it will eventually start to erode the self, too. So much of Simone’s sense of self is constructed around her desire for R, and her desire for R is constructed around a fiction of her own creation. Like so many relationships between fan and fan-object, Simone projects her own base needs onto the empty vessel of a pop star. He can be anything she needs him to be. Even his single-letter name is ripe for projection – a hyper-concentrated version of the iconic mononymous pop star. Nobody knows what the ‘R’ stands for, so it could stand for anything. His post-punk voice is monotonous and anonymous, but Simone fills it with subjective meaning: “He always sings with that same voice, but to me it sounds different every time.” This projection is disrupted once Simone meets the ‘real’ R. When the fan-object disintegrates into nothing, the fan’s whole sense of self is in flux.

Although it presents an extreme manifestation of fandom and obsession, Der Fan’s depiction of desire as a nihilistic force is rooted in truth. It can also be argued as a subtly feminist film: its moral could be that female desire is deadly and destructive, something for men to be afraid of — but also that desire for men is destructive for women too. So many narratives around fandom are rooted in pop stars’ potential to ‘save’ their fans, but Der Fan suggests they can just as easily destroy them — or help them to destroy themselves.

Claire Biddles

Der Fan screens on Sunday 21/07 at Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, followed by a panel discussion on obsession, fandom and thirst, moderated by Claire Biddles.

Tickets are on sale via Matchbox Cineclub’s online shop here, and are priced on a sliding scale, according to your means.

Keep up-to-date with the Facebook event page here.

Under The Cherry Moon with Backseat Bingo

The tale of our collaboration with Prince expert/fashion historian/cult film programmer triple threat Casci Ritchie, in celebration of His Royal Badness

01 Intro Slide

When news of Prince’s untimely death came through in April 2016, we were hosting a mystery screening at The Old Hairdressers. We lingered after the screening to take advantage of the special set-up (brand-new projector and tiered seating brought in for GI) and settled in to scour YouTube for whatever Prince content we could find (not a huge amount back then). Coincidentally, Backseat Bingo, about five years ago, hosted cult film screenings in The Old Hairdressers (films like Cry Baby, Teenagers From Outer Space, House On Haunted Hill and Strait-Jacket). This was just before Matchbox Cineclub started our monthly night there (and long before we moved our residency to CCA), and sadly we never made it to one of their events.

Backseat Bingo was then dormant for a few years, so altogether we were very happy, in January this year, to hear from Casci Ritchie, the brains behind BB, with a co-screening pitch. Casci, also a fashion historian specialising in Prince, wanted to mark what would’ve been The Purple One’s 61st birthday on Friday June 7th, 2019, with a rare screening of Under The Cherry Moon (1986). We jumped at the chance to screen Prince’s misunderstood directorial debut, the follow-up to the acknowledged masterpiece Purple Rain, derided as a vanity project and long overdue for critical reappraisal.

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And it seemed everyone else wanted to do something special for the event too. CCA’s tech staff agreed to climb teetering ladders to add coloured gels to their lights – though the unexpectedly pouring sunshine dulled the effect a little – so the foyer greeting the audience was bathed, albeit faintly, in Prince-y purple. Saramago, the café/bar embedded in the heart of CCA, got involved by playing Casci’s specially-curated Prince playlist all day long, from doors open until our programme began at 7pm, with the best of Prince’s movie trailers. Casci even provided a stash of Tootsie Pops, Prince’s very favourite sweet, for the arriving audience to dig into.

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Casci’s illustrated talk took us on a journey through Prince’s fashion evolution, illustrating his iconic style through photos, clips and her expert knowledge. From his early days as a dedicated follower of fashion, all bell bottoms and platforms, to his instantly recognisable spandex, chains and trench coat, right through to his final years of more relaxed feminine tailor, Casci covered it all. Prince is known for his outlandish dress sense, but Casci gave the audience an insight into just how considered and deliberate his choices were, reflecting his evolving artistic intentions. The audience were then well equipped to fully appreciate His Royal Badness’ outfits in Under The Cherry Moon, and safe to say everyone wanted a backless suit.

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The event was sold out, and we sold tickets on a sliding scale from zero to £8, with an average ticket price of £4.86. That’s worth noting since typically we’d price our tickets at around £4 and so the sliding scale continues to provide accessibility while actual increasing our box office. That’s important because it proves screenings like these can be sustainable and accessible at the same time, and also because it means Backseat Bingo can reinvest in more upcoming events.

Sliding-Scale_Cherry-Moon

Casci also organised a raffle in aid of East Glasgow Music School, a project we felt Prince would’ve approved of. EGMS run on Saturday mornings during term time and offer music lessons for children in the East End of Glasgow, helping build self-esteem and confidence in their abilities. The School provides instruments on free loan to children, and is fully inclusive, welcoming children of all levels of ability and from all religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Matchbox Cineclub contributed our share of the box office too, making a total of £225.31 for EGMS.

Also in terms of accessibility, the main feature and the supporting programme (trailers for Purple Rain, Sign O The Times, Graffiti Bridge, our upcoming screening Der Fan and the music video for Batdance) were captioned/subtitled for the deaf and hard of hearing. That’s possible since Matchbox now has a professional subtitling arm, and the intention to caption/subtitle all our upcoming screenings and their supporting programmes (i.e. trailers, etc).

We have more team-ups on the way this year – with Sad Girl Cinema, Queer Classics and Pity Party Film Club – and we’re always looking for collaboration. This year, Film Hub Scotland’s support means we’ve been able to spark some co-screenings to encourage new independent exhibitors/programmers, like Venom Mob Film Club, or dormant ones, like Backseat Bingo, to screen more films around Glasgow. And, if you’d like to start a film night, or plan your own screening series, we’re running an open call for collaborative pitches to help launch your project through a co-screening with us. The deadline for pitches is Friday June 14th – read the full details here. And if you’re more established but would still like to team-up, we’d love to hear from you – get in touch here.

Thanks to Casci Ritchie & Backseat Bingo, Charlie, Kenny Christie, Dee Clark, Alex Misick, Ingrid Mur, Film Hub Scotland, Filmbank and CCA Glasgow.

Like Backseat Bingo on Facebook here, follow them on Instagram here.

Der Fan: OBSESSION! FANDOM! THIRST!

Matchbox Cineclub team with Sad Girl Cinema to present a rare screening of a cult German horror and a panel discussion on obsession, fandom and thirst

We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Sad Girl Cinema to present a rare screening of the cult ’80s German horror Der Fan (Eckhart Schmidt, 1982) followed by an expert panel on obsession, thirst and fandom.

Claire Biddles (Sad Girl Cinema) chairs the panel, to which we also welcome Bethany Rose Lamont (Sad Girl Cinema), Liz Murphy (artist) and Jamie Dunn (The Skinny).

Der-Fan-poster_web

Der Fan follows teenage Simone’s obsession with singer R. When they finally meet, R is everything Simone needs him to be, taking her into his arms and fulfilling her dreams. But R’s intentions are not as pure and loving as Simone’s. The shocking consequences make Der Fan an undeniable cult gem, as well as an analytical exploration of obsession gone too far.

The panel will discuss their own thoughts on how ‘thirst’ and obsession can drive and impact cultural consumption, in regards to sexuality, professionalism and creative output. How do we consume culture in relation to our own sexual desire and obsessions, and how do we express our desire in response, through creative work and cultural criticism? How do we maintain boundaries with regards to our obsessions? Is ‘thirst’ the new normal for cultural consumers and creators? And what do we even mean by ‘thirst’?

Der Fan screens at Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, on Sunday 21/07. Tickets are on sale via our online shop here. Tickets are priced on a sliding scale, based on your circumstances. There are three tiers: Free/£2, £4/£6 and £8. (register for a free ticket via tickets@matchboxcineclub.com). Read our guide on what to pay: bit.ly/slidingscaleguide

NB The film is in German and will be captioned in English for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The screening is part of Film Feels: Obsession, a UK-wide cinema season, supported by the The National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network. Explore all films and events at http://www.filmfeels.co.uk.

Basic Tech Set-up for Film Screenings

Tips, specs and software for perfecting your DIY film screening

At the May Scalarama Glasgow meet-up, Eileen Daily (Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Document Film Festival, Picture Window) gave a presentation and led a discussion on basic tech set-up for DIY/non-theatrical film screenings, covering film formats, how to prepare films to get the best presentation and what free software is available to help you do all of this easily.

We’re hosting Eileen’s PowerPoint (above), which formed the basis of her presentation and covers basic terminology, ideal technical specs and useful guides to that free software (plus hot-links to download it).

If you have any questions or could use some advice, get in touch with us here: info@matchboxcineclub.com

A Guide To Glasgow Venues

A detailed list of Glasgow venues capable of screening films, compiled for Scalarama 2019

For Scalarama 2019, we commissioned Sam May (University of Glasgow) to compile this detailed list of all the venues in Glasgow that are capable of screening films. The list includes contact details, hire costs, technical set-up, accessibility information and hopefully all the other information you might require (general information on licensing here). We’ll do our best to keep all this information up-to-date, but it’s certainly accurate as of May 2019.

If you have any queries, or to add your venue, please email info@matchboxcineclub.com.

You can also download the list as a PDF here or in large-print format here.

Andrew Stewart Cinema (UofG)
9 University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ (Kelvinbridge Subway)
Michael McCann | Michael.McCann@glasgow.ac.uk
(0)141 330 3803
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: 16/35mm film projection facilities with Dolby surround sound; Video and DVD available.
Capacity: 138 seated
Cost: Technician’s cost of £15ph
Accessibility: Limited wheelchair accessibility through fire exits

Argyle Street Arches
253 Argyle St, Glasgow G2 8DL (Glasgow Central, St Enoch’s Subway)
Abi Crichton | events@argylestarches.co.uk
(0)345 241 6253
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: No equipment provided, would have to be externally hired
Capacity: Maximum 400, depending on space used
Cost: £2,000 plus VAT
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with disabled toilets. No hearing loop. Guide dogs welcome

Avant Garde
34-44 King Street, Merchant City, Glasgow, G1 5QT (St Enoch’s Subway)
Duty Manager | info@avantgardemusicbar.com
(0)141 552 7123
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Projection screen only – no projector or audio equipment
Capacity: 80 (Basement space)
Cost: £100
Accessibility: No wheelchair accessibility or hearing loop

Barras Art and Design (BAaD)
54 Calton Entry, Glasgow G40 2SB (High Street station)
Harry (Events Coordinator) | events@baadglasgow.com
(0)141 552 6279
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: LED screen, 2.5×4.5m. Built in sound system
Capacity: 350 theatre-style seating
Cost: Free for venue hire, but LED screen hire is £500
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with disabled toilets

Blackfriars
36 Bell St, Glasgow G1 1LG (High Street station)
Ross McLelland | info@blackfriarsglasgow.com
(0)141 552 5924
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Cinema screen and projector with HDMI compatability
Capacity: 50 seated
Cost: £150
Accessibility: No disabled access

Category Is Books
34 Allison Street, Glasgow, G42 8NN (Queen’s Park station)
Fi and Charlotte | categoryisbooks@gmail.com
(0)141 463 4934
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Basic projector and screen hung from the back bookshelves
Capacity: 30 capacity, 12 seats on site, welcome to bring more
Cost: Pay what you can, suggested is £20ph to cover staff costs
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, autism friendly venue

Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA)
350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow (Cowcaddens/St George’s Cross subway)
Alex Misick | alex@cca-glasgow.com
(0)141 352 4919; (0)7804 606 954
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: Cinema equipped for 16mm, 35mm and digital projection; Theatre equipped for digital projection
Capacity: 74 (cinema), 144 (theatre)
Cost: Free (if included as part of open-source programme offer); tech hire at £15 p/h for a minimum of four hours.
Accessibility: Wheelchair access; disabled toilet, hearing loop

Cinemor 77
Yurt and Pop-up Cinema, mobile; based in Glasgow
Gary Thomson/Neill Patton| cinemor77@gmail.com
07796996184
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Various Projector screens, High Quality – Projectors (HDMI), BluRay, Macbook, Laptop, PA and speakers
Capacity: Various depending on location & set up, Yurt seats 25 Adults or 40 kids with bean bags, cushions & blankets included
Cost: Hiring fees negotiable
Accessibility: Yurt – Wheelchair accessible

Cineworld Renfrew Street
7 Renfrew St, Glasgow G2 3AB (Buchanan Street subway)
Duty Manager | renfrewstreet@cineworld.co.uk
(0)1413536289
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: Sony 4K Digital Projection systems, with surround sound. DVD/Blu-ray also available
Capacity: 100 seat theatre
Cost: £750 (including film license)
Accessibility: Wheelchair access, disabled toilets. hearing loops

Citizen M
60 Renfrew St, Glasgow G2 3BW (Cowcaddens Subway)
John Rush | citizenrush@citizenm.com
(0)20 3519 1111
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: 6x8ft screen. Projector set up with HDMI and USB connections
Capacity: 50 seated
Cost: £450 per screening
Accessibility: Disabled access and toilets, no hearing loop

Creative East End
200 Gallowgate, Glasgow G1 5DR (High Street station)
Jennifer McGlone | jennifer@creativeeastend.com
(0)141 552 2501
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Both venues have screens, speakers and projectors with HDMI compatibility
Capacity: 40 seated (venue 1), 50 seated (venue 2)
Cost: Hire price dependant on the type of film screened
Accessibility: Wheelchair spaces in screen, no hearing loop at present

Drygate Brewing Co.
85 Drygate, Glasgow G4 0UT (High Street station)
Michael Haughey | events@drygate.com
(0)141 212 8815
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Screen and projector with HDMI compatibility
Capacity: 240 theatre style and 150 cabaret style
Cost: Prices vary depending on availability/notice; standard is £500 + VAT
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with lifts and disabled toilets.

Engine Works, The
23-25 Lochburn Rd, Glasgow G20 9AE (60 bus to Maryhill Library)
Events Team | hello@theengine.works
(0)141 945 3180
Licensed for screenings: No (but open to applying for one)
Tech: Fully A/V equipped with a PA system
Capacity: 160 seated
Cost: £1,250 (Weekdays)
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with accessible toilets on all levels

Everyman
Unit 3-5, Princes Square, Glasgow, G1 3JN (Buchanan Street subway)
Claire Miller | privatehire@everymangroup.com
(0)203 145 0502
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: Cinema with screen and projector; DCP, 35mm and Blu-ray
Capacity: 70 seated
Cost: Prices vary on a case by case basis
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, accessible toilets. Infrared system for audio description and hearing assist

Flying Duck, The
142 Renfield Street, Glasgow, G2 3AU (Buchanan Street subway)
Tom Clarke | tom@theflyingduck.org
(0)141 564 1450
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Screen and projector with HDMI compatability
Capacity: 50 seated
Cost: £30
Accessibility: No wheelchair accessibility

GFT
12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB (Cowcaddens subway)
Duty Manager | privatehires@glasgowfilm.org
(0)141 332 6535
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: 2K digital, 35mm, 70mm, Panavision 3D, Beta SP, Digibeta (£50 charge), DVD, Blu-Ray, VHS and laptop (Cinema 1); 2K digital, 35mm, Beta SP, Digibeta (£50 charge), DVD, Blu-Ray, VHS and laptop (Cinema 2); 2K digital, Beta SP, Digibeta (£50 charge), DVD, Blu-Ray and laptop (Cinema 3)
Capacity: 394 (Cinema 1) 142 (Cinema 2) 60 (Cinema 3)
Cost: Prices vary and screens are subject to availability
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, disabled toilets, hearing loop

Glad Cafe, The
1006A Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow, G41 2HG
Joe, Kim | joe@gladcafe.co.uk, kim@gladcafe.co.uk
(0)141 636 6119
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: Screen with HD film projector and Blu-Ray player
Capacity: 55 seated
Cost: Sunday – Thursday: £100, Friday to Saturday: £150
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with disabled toilets

Glasgow Guild, The
265 Renfrew St, Glasgow G3 6TT (Charing Cross station)
John, Jonathan | n/a
(0)141 246 1062
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: 1.5×2.5m projection screen with projector (not HD)
Capacity: 60 seats
Cost: Refer to venue
Accessibility: Steps at the entrance so limited wheelchair accessibility

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
2 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow G2 3NY (Buchanan Street subway)
Laura Curran | laura.holms@glasgowlife.org.uk
(0)141 353 8050
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: 6ft projection screen, HDMI-compatible projector and sound system
Capacity: 100 theatre-style
Cost: £750 plus VAT
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessibility, disabled toilets and hearing loop

GMAC
Fifth Floor, Trongate 103, Glasgow, G1 5HD (St Enoch subway)
Joanna Healy | hello@gmacfilm.com
(0)141 553 5400
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: Cinema with screen, HD projector and built-in sound
Capacity: 48 seated
Cost: £300 (includes license fee)
Accessibility: Accessible building for wheelchair users, no hearing loop

Griffin, The
266 Bath St, Glasgow G2 4JP (Charing Cross station)
Duty Manager | hello@thegriffinglasgow.co.uk
(0)141 331 5170
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Screen and projector with HDMI compatibility
Capacity: 80 cabaret style, 50 theatre style
Cost: £150
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible with disabled toilets

Grosvenor, The
24 Ashton Lane, Glasgow, G12 8SJ (Hillhead subway)
Duty Manager | info@grosvenor.co.uk
(0)141 339 8444
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: Cinema with screen and projector. DCP, VHS, 35mm and Blu-ray
Capacity: 102 (1 wheelchair space) both rooms
Cost: Weekday evening – £500 plus VAT, Weekend evening – £650 plus VAT
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessibility

Handmade Burger Co.
78 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5UB (Buchanan Street subway)
Ben (Events Manager) | events@handmadeburger.co.uk
(0)121 374 2496
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: Blu-Ray and AVI through a 120” HD 1080p; surround sound system
Capacity: 20 seated
Cost: £100
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, with disabled toilets

Icebox Arts and Music Centre
Unit 2, St Luke’s Business Estate, Glasgow, G5 0TS (Bridge Street subway)
Jamie (Events Team) | theiceboxglasgow@gmail.com
No phone number, bookings done via email or Facebook page
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Projector with HDMI compatibility, 8.5x5ft wall space, built in surround sound system. Venue also allow external projectors and portable screens to be brought in
Capacity: 80 seated
Cost: £50
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible; accessible toilets pending

ISO
65 Virginia Street G11TS (Queen Street station)
Ciara Dunne | studio.manger@isodesign.co.uk
(0)141 572 9150
Licensed for screenings: No (In the process of obtaining one)
Tech: Fully A/V equipped, screen with projector with HDMI compatibility
Capacity: 40 seated
Cost: £60 for Scalarama screenings
Accessibility: Basement venue with no wheelchair accessibility

Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel
11 Blythswood Square,Glasgow, G2 4AD (Cowcaddens subway)
Laura Gillespie | conference@kimptonblythswoodsquare.com
(0)141 248 8888
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: Cinema screen with built in speakers and projector with DVD compatibility only
Capacity: 44 seated
Cost: £350 flat rate (includes choice of film and popcorn for attendees)
Accessibility: Wheelchair spaces and hearing loop within the screening room

Kinning Park Complex
43 Cornwall Street, G41 1BA (Kinning Park subway)
Events Coordinator | hello@kinningparkcomplex.org
(0)141 419 0329
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Projector and screen (£10 hiring costs)
Capacity: 75 (Downstairs Hall) 120 (Upstairs Hall)
Cost: £37.50ph
Accessibility: Downstairs hall is wheelchair accessible; ground floor toilets

Lighthouse, The
11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, G1 3NU (Glasgow Central station)
Melissa Kerrigan | melissa.kerrigan@glasgow.gov.uk
(0)141 276 5360
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: HDMI compatible projector with a white wall, built in sound system
Capacity: 100 seated
Cost: £195 plus VAT for evening screenings
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, lift to all floors. Accessible toilet

Loks Bar & Kitchen
16 Newlandsfield Rd, Glasgow G43 2XU (Pollokshaws East station)
Nikki Clow | events@loksbarandkitchen.co.uk
(0)141 632 5727
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: 12ft screen and HDMI projector
Capacity: 180 seated
Cost: £50 plus VAT
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, disabled toilet, no hearing loop

Market Gallery
334 Duke Street, Glasgow, G31 1QZ (Bellgrove station)
Alice Andrews | market@marketgallery.org
(0)141 556 7276
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Projectors and projection screens available on request
Capacity: n/a
Cost: Venue is not available for hire, event proposals to their committee
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Nice N Sleazy
421 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3LG (St George’s Cross subway)
James (Events Manager) | sleazys@googlemail.com
(0)141 333 0900
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Portable screen, projector with HDMI compatibility
Capacity: 60 seated
Cost: Monday-Thursday, Sunday: £60. Friday/Saturday: £100
Accessibility: No wheelchair access

Old Fruitmarket
87-101 Albion St, Glasgow G1 1NQ (Glasgow Queen Street station)
Sarah McLeary | Sarah.McLeary@glasgowlife.org.uk
(0)141 276 8441
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: No projectors or screens; technician £25ph
Capacity: 600 theatre-style
Cost: £2,450 plus VAT, with a 10% box office commission
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, Sennheiser infrared hearing systems

Old Hairdressers, The
22 Renfield Lane, Glasgow, G2 5AR (Glasgow Central station)
Rob, Sinead | theoldhair@gmail.com
(0)141 248 9558
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Screen and projector (HDMI); Sound engineer and PA system
Capacity: 50 seated
Cost: £50
Accessibility: No wheelchair access

On The Fringe
Shawlands Shopping Centre, 126 Kilmarnock Road
Meg Curran | meg@thesouthsidefringe.org.uk
(0)141 632 4200
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Basic screen and projector set-up; £4ph hiring cost
Capacity: 30 theatre-style
Cost: £15ph, or £40 for a 3-hour block
Accessibility: Ramp access to building, no disabled toilets

Panopticon (Britannia Panopticon Music Hall)
117 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HD (High Street station)
Judith Bowers | info@britanniapanopticon.org
(0)141 553 0840
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Cinema screen with projector
Capacity: 100 seated
Cost: Minimum £200
Accessibility: No wheelchair access

Pipe Factory, The
42 Bain St, Calton, Glasgow, UK, G40 2LA (High Street station)
Verity Hocking | verityhocking@thepipefactory.co.uk
(0)779 531 2291
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: No equipment provided
Capacity: 30 chairs for screenings
Cost: £75
Accessibility: No wheelchair access

Platform
The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Rd, Glasgow, G34 9JW (Easterhouse station)
Niamh Tumilty | hires@platform-online.co.uk
(0)141 276 9670
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Projector, 3x4m screen, or 7x12m surface. Loudspeakers
Capacity: 210 seated
Cost: Hiring costs negotiable
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, accessible toilets, induction loops, scooters and guide dogs welcome.

Rost
49 Bell Street, Glasgow, G1 1NX (St Enoch subway)
Paul Sweeney | paul@rost49.com
(0)141 387 9469
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: 3×2.5m screen, with a 1080p HD projector
Capacity: 60 seated
Cost: Hiring costs are negotiable, happy to support
Accessibility: No wheelchair access

Rum Shack, The
657 – 659 Pollokshaws Rd, Glasgow G41 2AB (Queens Park station)
Shaun Galbraith | shaun@rumshackglasgow.com
(0)141 237 4432
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Projector (HDMI), 230x300cm screen, built-in sound system
Capacity: 45 seats availble, space for 70 with external seating hire
Cost: Hiring costs vary, technician costs £12ph (min 4 hours)
Accessibility: Not fully accessible but assistance available

Saint Luke’s
17 Bain Street, Calton, G40 2JZ (High Street station)
Chae Houston | chae@stlukesglasgow.com
(0)141 552 8378
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: Projector screen and speakers only, no projector
Capacity: 225 theatre style
Cost: £500 plus VAT
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Seamore Neighbourhood Cinema, The
304 Maryhill Road, Glasgow, G20 7YE (St George’s Cross subway)
Ross Hunter | rosshunter@centralhalls.org
(0)755 201 1508
Licensed for screenings: Yes
Tech: 5m screen, 6500 lumens HD Projector, great active speakers, a Blu-Ray player and capacity to play straight from a laptop.
Capacity: 129 leather seats, can extend to 200 if necessary
Cost: £29ph for Scalarama events
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible; accessible toilets. Able to subtitle films on request.

Sloans
108 Argyle St, Glasgow G2 8BG (Glasgow Central station)
Rachel Farmer | info@sloansglasgow.com
(0)141 221 8886
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: 6x11ft screen available to hire
Capacity: 110 theatre seating
Cost: £200 Sun-Thurs, £400 Friday and Saturday
Accessibility: No wheelchair access

South Block
60-64 Osborne Street, Glasgow, G1 5QH (Argyle Street station)
Ishbel (Reception) | southblock.reception@waspstudios.org.uk
(0)141 271 4700
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Portable projector screen and projector with HDMI compatibility
Capacity: 30 theatre-style
Cost: £37ph for evening screenings
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, accessible toilet

Space, The
257 London Road, G40 1PE (High Street station)
Lori Lynch | lori@thespacescotland.org
(0)141 237 1221
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Projector screen, projector (HDMI) and sound engineer available
Capacity: 100 seated
Cost: £20ph with £15 PA system hire
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Stereo
22-28 Renfield Ln, Glasgow G2 6PH (Buchanan Street subway)
Ian Findlay-Walsh | monostereomutations@gmail.com
(0)141 222 2254
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Projector: Optoma 1080p, HDMI compatible
Capacity: 100 seated
Cost: £100-£120 for 18+, £200 for 14+ event
Accessibility: No wheelchair

SWG3
100 Eastvale Pl, Glasgow G3 8QG (Partick subway)
Rosie (Events Team) | rosie@swg3.tv
(0)141 337 1731
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: 8ft 16:9 projection screen with projector and sound system
Capacity: 50 seated (Poetry Club venue)
Cost: Dependent on availability and popularity of the venue at the time
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, accessible toilet

Tramway
25 Albert Drive, Glasgow, G41 2PE
Dean Browning | dean.browning@glasgowlife.org.uk
(0)141 276 0950
Licensed for screenings: No
Tech: Basic screen and projector set up with built in sound system
Capacity: 90 seated (Tramway 4)
Cost: Hiring fees negotiable
Accessibility: Lift access, accessible toilets on all levels

If you have any questions or could use some advice, get in touch with us here: info@matchboxcineclub.com

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