Scala!!! (2024)
Director: Ali Catterall, Jane Giles Run Time: 96 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2024
Starring: Adam Buxton, Isaac Julien, James O'Brien, John Waters, Stewart Lee
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
About the film:
A heartwarming documentary tribute to Scala Cinema—one of repertory cinema’s all-time greatest venues—Scala!!! (2024) will keep your love of movies shining bright in the vein of Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) and Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013). During London’s post-punk 1980s scene, Scala Cinema pushed the boundaries of convention with a diverse calendar covering all bases from sexploitation to horror, from martial arts to LGBTQIA+. Scala!!! (2024) is a universal shout-out to cinema’s ability to inspire young minds and create a sense of community for outsiders—a place where everyone is welcome.
“What elevates the story is the matter-of-fact delivery: for most people, it would be the stuff that nightmares are made of, but it’s just another night at the Scala.”
—Wendy Ide, The Guardian
Featuring interviews from fifty Scala alums and friends (including John Waters), over one hundred films in clip form, previously unseen vintage footage of Scala itself, and an original soundtrack by Barry Adamson (former bassist of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds), Scala!!! (2024) is your ticket to cinematic paradise.
About the filmmakers:
Ali Catterall is an award-winning writer, journalist, filmmaker, film critic and editor who has written for publications like GQ, The Guardian, and Time Out. In 2001, Catterall co-wrote Your Face Here: British Cult Movies Since the Sixties, and he is currently working on writing a memoir about his strange Childhood. Scala!!! (2024) is Catterall’s directorial debut.
Jane Guiles is a film director, producer, and writer with a career-long background in distribution and exhibition. Guiles was a devoted attendee of the Scala Cinema before beginning to work there as a programmer in 1977, and in 1988 she took over as the head programmer. As someone who has such a profound love and knowledge of cinema and the Scala itself, it is only fitting that Scala!!! (2024) is Guiles’ directorial debut.
In 2018, Guiles wrote the archival book reflecting the the Scala’s unique programming titled Scala Cinema: London, 1978-1993. The book was also edited by co-director Ali Catterall, and it won the 2019 Kraszna-Krausz Award—the only award dedicated to books about film.
See our upcoming films