Londonist is proud media partner to 1000 Londoners Movie Nights.
Napoleon called us "a nation of shopkeepers" and though it was meant as an insult, we're rather proud of our entrepreneurial spirit — especially here in London. To celebrate our culture of shops and shopping, 1000 Londoners will be hosting a night of short documentaries called Selling Out, all about people who run or work at less ordinary stores and businesses.
There's Gareth, who owns the open air bookstore under Waterloo Bridge which surely everyone who lives in this city has had a browse through at one time or another. There's Charlie, an auctioneer at Bonhams, and Lesley who has a puppet shop in Battersea. Meanwhile Jeremy is one of the people who had their safety deposit box raided in the Hatton Garden robbery last year, so he knows what effect that crime has had on this historic enclave of jewellery shops.
To give you more of an idea what to expect, here's a film about Dennis who has worked at Covent Garden Flower Market for 48 years, working as everything from night porter to floor manager to the supplier of flowers for Princess Diana’s funeral.
There will be two screenings of Selling Out, which can be booked by clicking the links below.
- Hackney Attic, on 21 March, 7pm, £5
- Lexi Cinema, on 21 March, 7pm, £7
There will also be rare archive footage of sellers throughout the decades and Q&As with some of the people featured.
1000 Londoners is a five year project to provide short documentary film profiles of the diverse individuals who make up this richly complex city. You can see more on the 1000 Londoners website.
For more short films about the capital try our London Shorts selection.
