Watch
…Ida (Cornerhouse)
a story of war, occupation and death. Set in Poland in the early 1960s Anna, a young novice, is sent from her convent to meet her aunt before she becomes a nun. It turns out that she is actually Jewish and called Ida. With her aunt, Wanda, she goes on a trip to uncover the truth about her family. For me it is the aunt played by Agata Kulesza who steals the show. Wanda is a tough woman. She was a partisan and fought against the Nazis and is now a judge. She drinks, smokes and is a woman not to be trifled with, the complete opposite of Ida. This odd couple find little comfort in each other’s company as they travel through rural Poland, all filmed in black and white. It is an unnerving film that kept me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommended.
Be inspired
….by Citizen Tommy Sheridan. The vote was lost for Scottish independance but much more was gained by the debate that took place across the country. Watch Tommy at his best, in the Hope not Fear tour, so many people turned up to this community centre in a working class area of Glasgow that he spoke both inside and outside the building. He is still one of the most inspiring speakers you can listen to see
Celebrate the bard’s birthday.
…I am not a great fan of Mr.Shakespeare but there are plenty of others determined to mark the day. Conor McKee’s new production Shakespeare’s Deadly Sins is a journey through his plays, from Romeo and Juliet to Macbeth, plus stage fights, sonnets and songs. Read my review of Hamlet at the Royal Exchange see
More my kind of Shakespeare
…the Reclaim Shakespeare Company were set up to expose the way in which BP use funding arts projects to give themselves a squeaky clean image. BP are not good for the environment: you only have to look at their destructive activities in the Canadian tar sands, Russian Arctic and so on. So sign the RSC’s petition to stop the British Museum having a sponsorship deal with BP. As one of the most prestigious and well funded museums they cannot need the money!!! Sign the petition here
Join
…the campaign against coal, ironic in the year we are celebrating/commemorating the Miners Strike of 84/5 but it is a highly polluting energy source. Watch this film as Greenpeace stop a coal train to highlight the growing use of Russian coal to keep power stations going. see
Learn about…Zimbabwean stone sculpting group Matombo-Tombo. They meet every Saturday at Gallery Oldham and their new exhibition Kubatana Nematombo opens on 4 October 2014 from 1-3pm. They welcome new members to their group, further info see
lipstick socialist 