Girl Gang Film Season @ Star & Shadow Cinema 2 â 13 September 2012
Look out as radical gangs of girls congregate on the streets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne this coming September. Local DIY queer underground promoter even clean hands cause damage and the independent community-run Star and Shadow cinema proudly present a season of films that focus on rebellious Girl Gangs.
From punk rockers, skateboarders and teenage runaways, to feminists, queers & dykes the season will focus on moments where the radical relationships and creative projects between women, girls and queers are made visible by independent âinsidersâ and commercial âoutsidersâ.
The season starts on Sunday 2 September with a special double bill that includes Lou Adlerâs infamousLadies & Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains and the lesser known underground film David MarkeyâsDesperate Teenage Lovedolls both introduced by Dr. Julia Downes (Durham University).
This is followed by a very special evening with renowned Canadian underground queer film-maker GB Jones. The evening will feature a triple screening of The Yo-Yo Gang, The Troublemakers and The Lollipop Generation followed by a phone Q&A with GB Jones herself.
Controversies in the representation of lesbianism in 1980s film culture will be discussed by Dr. Katherine Farrimond (Newcastle University) in the screening of queer-punk mainstay Times Square.Â
The season will conclude with From the Back of the Room, an independent documentary that looks back at over 30 years of women and girls involvement in underground punk culture and brings the story up to the present day. A Skype Q&A with director Amy Oden will give the audience opportunity to ask where now for radical girl gangs?
Other Girl Gang happenings of note this September include:
Going Underground? Gender & Subcultures Symposium held at Northumbria University on Friday 7 September.  Registration fee: £25 (before 1 August) £45 (after 1 August)http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/sass/about/humanities/englishhome/englevents/genderandsubculture
Going Underground? After-party:Â Silver Fox, Milky Wimpshake, No Fit State and the Casual Terrorist at The Cumberland Arms, Byker. 8pm, ÂŁ5 on the door.
Tickets for the Girl Gang Film Season cost £5 on the night, or £3.50 concessions. Advance tickets cost £4.50 or £3 concessions. A Girl Gang Film Season Pass (for all four screenings) cost £12 or £8 concessions. All tickets will be available from We Got Tickets. More information about the season is here
More info about the films and links to trailers below:
Sunday 2 September, 7:30pm â Girl Gang Double Bill: Ladies & Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (Dir. Lou Adler, 1981, 87 mins, Canada) & Desperate Teenage Lovedolls (Dir. David Markey, 1984, 60 mins, USA)
Ladies & Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains All-girl punk band The Stains struggle for fame and success. Although Paramount executives tried to bury the film that inadvertently ended Lou Adlerâs career the filmâs obscure appearances on cable television inspired the riot grrrl generation. Bikini Killâs Tobi Vail described the film as âthe most realistic and profound film I have ever seenâ. In contrast Desperate Teenage Lovedolls is a low budget underground film shot on super-8 film about an all-girl rock band of teenage runaways and their misadventures.
Thursday 6 September, 7:30pm â An Evening with GB Jones: The Yo-Yo Gang (Dir. GB Jones, 1992, 30 mins, Canada), The Troublemakers (Dir. GB Jones, 1990, 20 mins, Canada), The Lollipop Generation (Dir. GB Jones, 2008, 70 mins, Canada)
GB Jones is an influential Canadian queer underground film maker, zinester, musician and artist. This evening will feature three of GB Jonesâ DIY films shot on super-8 film that focus on queer community and the girl gang. The Yo-Yo Gang is an âexploitation filmâ about two rival girl gangs the Yo Yo Gang and the Skateboard Bitches. The Troublemakers documents the antics and sexual deviance of a rebellious queer gang and The Lollipop Generation tells the story of âGeorgieâ, a runaway teenager played by Jena von BrĂŒcker, and the people she meets. The film serves a diary function capturing an entire generation of underground performers including Vaginal Davis, Calvin Johnson and Jen Smith.
Sunday 9 September, 7:30pm â Times Square (Dir. Allan Moyle, 1980, 111 mins, USA)
Times Square is a film about two teenage runaways Nicky Marotta and Pamela Pearl who form an underground punk rock band The Sleez Sisters and gain a cult following after broadcasting their volatile songs and speeches on LaGuardia radio station. The story was based on a runaway girlsâ diary that director Allan Moyle bought that had been found in a sofa. The film is controversial in that the studio cut out much of the lesbian content.
Thursday 13 September, 7:30pm â From The Back of the Room (Dir. Amy Oden, 2011, 105 mins, USA)
Many people have the impression that the riot grrrl movement in the 1990s was the end-all, be-all of women and girls involvement in DIY punk underground culture. This is definitely not the case! Plenty of amazing ladies prior to this era paved the way for it, and plenty of amazing ladies continue to help keep DIY together today. From the Back of the Room chronicles the past 30 years of female involvement in DIY punk, and has interviews with over 30 women from across the country, ages 17 to 40.
