24Hour Hackney

24Hour Hackney: A City Symphony was world premiered at a festival screening celebrating the end of a year-long digital film-making project at Open School East.

Inspired by a visit from the Echo Park Film Centre, Los Angeles, USA, 24Hour Hackney is a day in the life of our neighbourhood, as seen through the camera lenses of twenty four participants of Open Cinema.

Each hour of the day is represented by one minute of screen time.

The clock strikes 7am and our journey begins...

Open Cinema: Home was a year-long digital film project.

Working with a pool of film professionals and enthusiasts, we collectively researched, found and made digital films. In the spirit of collaborative learning, we explored the role of film in representing and reactivating people and places, especially Hackney. We also reflected on belonging and the meaning of home. 

The project began in November 2014, and from then on we met every three weeks on Wednesdays, 3 to 6pm.

The first workshop was an introduction, and the those following decided by group discussion, they ranged from the practical; how to use a camera, sound recording, interview techniques, storytelling, the history of community film making, how to ingest digital media and editing.

We also visited the Hackney media archives and assembled in various configurations for different film-shoots.

Most workshops were followed by a film screening club, where we watched, analysed and discussed a range of digital film.

We also organised a media donation weekend, where local people could drop-in and leave film, video or photographs to be digitised and to share their experiences of living locally.

Open Cinema: Home was open to people of all ages living and working in and around Hackney. Over 65 people participated in the workshops, ranging in ages from 18 to 80 most of whom had no film making experience or contact with contemporary art. Through working together we identified belonging and home as a threads able to hold our shared experiences, and our film-research-education together.

The Festival Screening was a real pleasure, the digital films exceeded our expectations, the food was great, the audience warm and generous, applause genuine, what a night!

You can see some images of the evening, and all the films are archived Open Cinema: Home

Open Cinema is:

Abou Elnasr, Andrew Tullis, Asya Gefter, Benedict Anyetei, Cananne, Chitra Banerjee, Claudine Roux, Dan Johnson, David Latto, Deborah, Daniel, Ed Webb-Ingall, Egypt Nelson, Elizabeth Pillar, Elfrieda Galloway,
Fionnuala, Gianfranco Valleriani, Gillian, Gita, Hemma Luchman, Hulya, Iris Wakulenko, John Frost, José Velázquez, Katarina Strasser, Ken, Kim Noce, Lea, Louise, Lucy Cash, Lyn, Magar, Malik, Maria Benjamin, Marie, Margret Koroidovi, Martha, Michelle Goldberg, Neil Cummings, Nicolle, Pauline Brown, Peter-Hugo Daly, Queenie Alpha Mae, Rebecca, Rick Crust, Rupert, Sara Abou Elnasr, Sarah, Sean Mullan, Shaun Clark, Sophie, Stephanie, Stephen Manning, Steve, Susan, Tina Rowe, Victoria Opeyukun, Walter Gutzmore, Zoe Lee, Mike Brooks, Anna Colin, Laurence Taylor, and many more besides.

Thanks Mike Brooks, Ultan Coyle and Michael Whitby

Special Thanks Iris Wakulenko

See all the films archived at  Open Cinema: Home, read an account of the introductory session, see the community film making workshop, or the Sunlight screening