The original and still the best free film festival in London is back next month with ten days of community cinema chaos right across Peckham and Nunhead.
The opening and closing nights of the PNFFF nicely mirror each other this year. On day one it’s Purple Rain in a pub, the gloriously OTT pop epic that goes behind the scenes of a Minneapolis nightclub to charts Prince’s rise to prominence, as well as his ability to play semi-naked women like an electric guitar. Dressing up in full paisley pomp is encouraged.
Then on the last night it’s the world premiere of the quite brilliant Powder’s Peckham, which sees hapless club promoter Kevin Powder (played by director Jason Attar) trying to make it big in south London any way he can. It could just be the funniest mock-doc since This Is Spinal Tap, a cult-hit-in-the-making which took only one month to shoot after a crowdfunding campaign generated only £525. The indefatigable spirit of DIY filmmaking has never been so funny and big-hearted.
In between these two quiffy classics you can catch Hellraiser in a derelict house, Little Shop of Horrors in a garden centre, The Wicker Man in a community-run pub. There's also a bike-powered screening of Blues Brothers at Copeland Park.
There’s also Knitflix, a puntastic evening of comedy and movies about knitting, an investigation into Peckham’s grime scene in That Side, plus an Afrikans On Film all-dayer at the Bussey Building. Other special events include Storm Brewing, a night of 3D mapping and digital animation in Nunhead Cemetery, silent comedy on Peckham Rye Common, and an afternoon of Suffragette Cinema and chat.
Most tickets are available on a first come first served basis - all events are totally free. If you’re interested in starting up your own local free film festival click here for the lowdown on how.
The Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival runs from 1-11 September.
