Film - Consume Peckham: 18 films new showing

Last November Peckham Multiplex cinema was packed for a free showing of a unique film about Peckham called "Consume Peckham". It was so interesting that there have been many calls for a repeat showing. The producers are negotiating a date with the Cinema now.
TO JOIN THE MAILING LIST FOR THE DATE AND FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE FILM email
Keiron Dennis -- kdennis@dircon.co.uk
The film is about the dynamic of the commercial world in Peckham, and is a unique opportunity to understand a bit more about the town centre. Further details below.
Best wishes for the New Year!
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CONSUME PECKHAM: 18 FILMS
Consume Peckham: 18 films, is a collaborative film project between 18 businesses and 57 students from Chelsea College of Art and Design. It was produced as part of I Love Peckham 2009 Development Project. I Love Peckham 2009-2010 is managed by Southwark Arts Forum.
The films take a fresh look at the complex relationships between culture and commercialism in Peckham, as seen from the point of view of young people unfamiliar to the area. With guidance and support from mentors the students have been encouraged to integrate themselves into the community and take a deep approach to research in order to gain trust from the businesses they are seeking to understand.
We observe the mundane and the poetic in the day to day routine of Ozzie’s Café; we witness the preparation of a traditional Pakistani goat stew, we seek to understand why Peckham needs a Persian corner shop, and see how the small adds in a newsagent’s window are a vital hub of information exchange. Seen together, the 18 films build up a multifaceted documentary portrait of Peckham revealing tangled cultural, social and economic relationships. The films ask if the abundance of diversity in such a confined space can create a utopia; or if divisions and differences create tensions that cannot be bridged.
 
Mentors: Neil Drabble & Kieron Dennis
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SYNOPSES

Persepolis - Ali Hanson, Katy Jones, Kate Coe. 2009
Persepolis is a Persian corner shop in Peckham. Authentically and meticulously stocking a host of unusual foods and products is an obsession for the owner Sally Butcher. The film documents a day in the life of Sally, revealing her philosophy of a multicultural community and offering an insight into why a haven of Persian culture is so important for Peckham.

Reprezent - Lennord Freij, Josh Osbourne, Tom De Hooge. 2009
Reprezent is a youth-led radio station in Peckham providing learning and broadcasting opportunities for young people. The audience is introduced to two young DJs who share their personal experiences, opportunities and their ambitions for the future.

Money Gram - Jenny Lam, Anniken H-Gjelseth, Sarah Bradley. 2009
Sam runs a franchise business in the Money Gram company, he helps people from Peckham send money to family and friends all over the world. Through interviews and by transferring money themselves, the filmmakers explore concepts of communication and exchange within Peckham’s community.

ZA Afro Foods - Kayo Kuribayashi, Georgina Ashdown, Sam De la Monte. 2009
In collaboration with ZA Afro Foods Students from Chelsea School of Art and Design observe and document the preparation of a traditional Pakistani goat stew, discovering and reflecting on new and unusual ingredients in the dish. As a celebration of cultural difference the students buy ingredients and prepare their own goat stew in a Vauxhall apartment, literally and figuratively bringing a piece of Peckham back to their own homes.

Furniture Mall - Juhee Park, Nicolas Cambier, Laura Walters. 2009
Graphic Design Student Nic Cambier takes a job in a furniture shop and helps out during Saturday afternoon deliveries. By working directly with the people from the shop; Ali, Marwan and James, he is able to gain their trust and understand more about their lives and their connection with Peckham. Nic then makes a successful proposition to redesign the Graphic identity of the shop.

Little Hut - Billy Steiger, Daz Peck, Sara Williams. 2009
The newsagent Little Hut sells a wide range of products; from cornflakes to combs, from mango juice to magazines. However, the personal ads displayed in the front window reveal a wider range of products and services. The small adds in the window might also be a microcosm of the area itself encompassing a multitude of languages and revealing a vital hub of information exchange. The film brings a light-hearted interjection into this space exploring a forum of paper and glass existing in the
high street.

Petitou - Craig Sharp, Julian Shaw, Vanessa McKeown. 2009
Barely moments away from the frantic heart of Peckham, with its endless supply of butchers, grocers and mobile phone shops you will find Petitou, an independent café situated in a quiet street more reminiscent of a leafy New York suburb than the mayhem of South East London. This short film focuses on the how the café has responded to the social and economic changes in the area, such as the influx of young families and professionals.

Tommy’s Wear and Tear - Amy Jordan, Leon Kesko, Stephanie Jones.2009
Peckham is a popular location for young families, and for three generations Tommy’s Wear and Tear has been providing affordable children’s clothes and products in the community. Through interviews with Tommy, Abu and Ali they reveal the importance of regeneration to encourage young families to continue choose to live in the area.

E&M Travel Agents - Malia Baker, Marine Malak, Robbie Schweidler. 2009
E & M Travel offers its customers a personal service, responding to Peckham’s unique identity as a destination and a hub for travel. Though interviews with employees; Melisa, Bridget and Patrick we can appreciate the value of a local business committed to helping customers face-to-face, and ultimately connecting people and places all over the world. However, we learn that the increasing threat from internet bookings and current economic conditions are proving tough times for the travel agency business.

Bar Story - Holly Featherstone, Willy Harris, Melanie Baerlocher. 2009
Under the train station, and squashed into a railway arch, Bar Story is often the first port of call for young people coming to Peckham; the young trendy crowd that frequent this bar are not interested in meeting the established communities of Peckham, but only how the rent is cheap, and the scene is catching on.... The film presents a separated relationship between the settled Peckham community and art students.

Number 46 - Alex Herrmann, Scarlet Shillingford-Blay, Kitty Spicer, Caroline Dyet 2009
Julie runs a decrepit shop that carries no name, it could be described as a conglomeration of untold peculiar objects and artifacts from the past. The shop is located on Choumert Road, and located right at the invisible demarcation line that separates the social and economic contrasts of Rye Lane and Bellenden.  The shop with no name serves as metaphor for the old and the new as it is on the verge of being converted into a gallery space.

Peckham Business Park - Vachira Tongrow, Daniel Lincoln, Christian Pinchback, Adam Laucht. 2009
Profiling Peckham Business Park where artists, studios, designers, printers, carpenters and churches all co-exist in close proximity. Using interviews the film asks if social, economic and cultural diversity in such a confined space can create a utopia; or are there cultural divisions and tensions that cannot be bridged.

The Rastafarian Shop Peckham Covered Market (Rye Lane) - Dan Cottrell, Sian Beeton, Michael Clarke.2009
Birdy runs a small Rastafarian shop, selling his artwork, amongst other things, in the Covered Market in Rye. His important connection with the community has led the film makers to inquire how a place can be defined without its residents. The film goes on to ask members of the community ‘What is the most important thing in your life?’ inviting some unusual replies.

Ozzie’s Café - Christina Donellan, Glynis Hutamarez, Christina Colombo. 2009
Documenting the routine of Ozzie’s Café we experience the poetic and mundane details of the everyday. We observe how customers come to sit and enjoy the company of others without even speaking a word; and asks the audience to find an appreciation for the muted conversation and sluggish energy that buzzes within the small confines of the cafe walls.

Sahki Quality Meat and Fish - Vicky Vialichka, Emma Terry, Jack Gladstone. 2009
A short film based around Sahki Quality Meat and Fish, one of the many butchers along Peckham Rye high street. We learn that the business is thriving despite being one of twenty-one meat shops along the small stretch of Peckham Rye. An interview with Moah the owner reveals the day to day challenges of running a business in Peckham, and offers an explanation of why meat and phone shops co-exist in the same premises.

Christmas and Wards Demolition Yard - Joe Joiner, Vanessa Humphreys, Frazer Howie. 2009
Recording the making of a phoenix sculpture that was constructed from scrap wood from ‘Christmas Wards Demolition Yard’ this short film, is focused on the manual workers of Peckham. The Phoenix according to legend is reduced to ashes at the end of its life, from which a new, young phoenix is reborn to live again. The film using the metaphor of destruction and creation aims to communicate a message of rejuvenation among the community.

The Bun House - Dave Russell, Walter Wong Wing Hong. 2009
The Bun House is one of the last of a dying breed of Pubs. With the growth of bar chains and gentrification, it is becoming increasingly rare to find independent pubs with as strong a sense of community. In this film, local legend Michael Mulcahy describes his unique approach to running a pub, combining everything from art exhibitions, to the humble darts night to demonstrate that the heart and soul of a town is and always will be the local pub.

Al Sibtian’s - Jowey Roden, Louise Robinson, Sae Young Yang. 2009
Al Sibtian’s is a continental butchers and grocers located on rye lane, he has managed the store for 9 years and takes pride in being located where he is. Through interviews and conversations with Al Sibtain he convinces the filmakers to challenge their pre-conceived ideas about the people of Peckham – taking up the challenge, and taking to the street they set out to test the community spirit in Peckham.

TO JOIN THE MAILING LIST FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE FILM email Keiron Dennis
kdennis@dircon.co.uk