Communities that film, watch, and walk

On the work of Imperfect Cinema

Abstract

Since 2009 Alistair Gall and Dan Paolantonio have been running an open-access DIY film collective called Imperfect Cinema (IC). The interplay between community-led creative practice and critical film-making provides a generative intersection from which to situate their (imperfect cinema) praxis. Their ongoing project Home of Movies brings to light Plymouth’s largely forgotten cinema history by engaging a local community through screenings, history walks, and film-making workshops. Rather than producing objects for aesthetic and critical reflection, IC’s main aim is to produce welcoming and creative environments that anyone could enter.

In this piece, which relates to my broader PhD research into the area, I will explore how the aesthetic, practical, and activist streaks that run through the work of IC intersect. The piece will combine verbatim conversations with IC and descriptions of their events. My intention is to emphasise the importance of the DIY and imperfect in IC’s practice, which allows them to engage hard-to-reach communities.