...OR, THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE RISE AND FALL OF THE WORLD'S WILDEST CINEMA AND HOW IT INFLUENCED A MIXED-UP GENERATION OF WEIRDOS AND MISFITS  

A feature-length big screen documentary telling the riotous inside story of the infamous sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll repertory cinema which inspired a generation during Britain's turbulent Thatcher years.

The Garden Cinema View:

SCALA!!! is a historical document as unselfconscious and feral as its subject. A ragged collage of testimonials and artifacts of the legendary Scala Cinema, which operated from 1973 - 1993 as a mecca for cinephiles, misfits and outsiders - from queer Londoners to punks and new romantics.

It is also not infrequent for The Garden Cinema to be compared to the Scala of, though we are admittedly more demure, and compliant with rules and closing times. Still, we proudly embrace this comparison as a badge of honor. As their more puritanical heirs, we are thrilled to screen this amazing documentary and pay tribute to the Scala's legacy of celebrating independent film and embracing outsider culture.

Saskia Baron's interview with directors with Jane and Ali at the ArtsDesk's website:

Interview with directors Jane Giles & Ali Catterall.

*The screening on 6 January was followed by a Q&A with directors Jane Giles & Ali Catterall.  The Q&A was hosted by Saskia Baron, a documentary filmmaker and journalist who freelances for The Arts Desk, the FT and the Observer/Guardian.