Scala!!!

UK | 2023 | 96’ | 18 | Ali Catterall, Jane Giles

In an old theatre in Kings Cross, reverberating from the rumbling tube trains below, London’s legendary Scala cinema ran from 1978-1993. A site of permissiveness, subversiveness and transgression during the politically turbulent, post-punk, pre-digital Thatcher years, it was legendary for the sheer excitement it generated around film. The Scala was part of the new independent cinema scene that included places like Chapter; celebrating horror, arthouse double bills and battered prints of cult films, the venue was as famous for the off-screen antics of its patrons as much as its daring programme. Featuring archive footage, eye-popping clips and former audience members who went on to become famous filmmakers, musicians, artists, actors and activists, this documentary explores the world’s wildest cinema.