Making Films Together: The London Community Video Archive and Film Flamme Workshop, Open City Documentary Festival, RICH MIX
Whilst it is true that the production and dissemination of video is more widely accessible than ever, the ways in which a video is made and shared can often lack meaningful connections to the subject and audience. Drawing on the history and practice of community video projects and contemporary neighbourhood film initiatives, this practical workshop will share methods and approaches to collective and participatory filmmaking.
In the early 1970s portable video recording equipment became available, and it was possible for the first time for people outside of mainstream broadcasting to make their own television. The aim of the London Community Video Archive is to draw attention to these unheard voices and images, enabling them to be used in contemporary debates and activism.
The London Community Video Archive was founded in 2016 to share and preserve the work of the Community Video movement of the 1970s and 80s, in London and the South East. Since 2001, the Film Flamme association, based in Marseille, has been developing an activity of creation, training and cinematographic distribution on a national and international scale, based on a social and artistic commitment to the neighbourhood where it is based.
In this session the LCVA will launch a video challenge, inviting people to make new work responding to a specific video from the collection, a number of the videos made as a result of this will be shown at Open City Documentary Festival in 2026 and receive a screening fee.
This event is included in the Rich Mix Venue Pass. Pass holders can book a free ticket to this event and all other screenings and events taking place at Rich Mix as part of the festival. More information on the pass can be found here.
The LCVA and Film Flamme will also be hosting a screening, presenting works made in London and Marseilles as part of this year’s festival. Further information on this screening and tickets are available here.