Whirled Docs: The Brixton Tapes

Doors open 7.00pm Filmed by a local collective based in Brixton, and consisting of footage from the April 1981 Brixton Riot, together with interviews with participants, and other local residents, The Brixton Tapes was filmed in the immediate aftermath of the uprising. It features local people’s accounts of the widespread racist and violent policing preceding the riot, and of the events of the days of disturbances; accounts which contrast with mainstream media coverage. The April 1981 riot was a seminal event – followed less than 3 months later by rioting in inner cities across the whole country. It led to massive changes in perceptions of policing and race relations. The 2011 riots, together with widespread concerns about renewed Stop and Search powers, and current uprisings against police violence in the US, show that what happened in Brixton, in April 1981 remains relevant today. Brixton today is also in the grip of another life and death struggle: between what remains of its vibrant community and development and gentrification… The film will be introduced by Alex Wild from Past Tense, a long time Brixton resident, activist, who has taken part in, and written about, some of Brixton’s turbulent recent past. Past Tense is a radical history project, formed around a number of South London rebels and writers, which produces publications, runs walks and talks, on subversive, working class and hidden history, and relates it to our own stories and present attempts to change the world for the better. Brixton Tapes is one of those rarities you can't find online, it rests in the hands of Alex Wild, who will be introducing the film and conduct a Q&A after too.