White Riot - An Exclusive Virtual Preview

Thanks to our screening partner access>CINEMA and Modern Films we are delighted to be able to bring you an exclusive virtual preview of White Riot.

Mermaid staff are going to watch it at 8pm on Monday evening, which is our regular cinema slot!

If you rent this film directly through the link above, you will get the opportunity to support Mermaid and in doing this we will receive 50% of the rental fee and you will be directly supporting our future film programme. To do so put the code Mermaid in the 'discount code' box during the purchase process. We greatly appreciate your support.

Rentals are valid for 48 hours from time of purchase

Synopsis:

Britain, late-1970s. Punk is exploding. The country is deeply divided over immigration. The National Front, a far-right and fascist political party, is gaining strength as politicians like Enoch Powell push a xenophobic agenda. Outraged by a racist speech from Eric Clapton, music photographer Red Saunders writes a letter to the music press, calling for rock to be a force against racism. NME, Melody Maker, and Sounds all publish the letter.

Flooded with responses, Red discovers many share his views. Teaming up with like-minded creatives Roger Huddle, Kate Webb, Syd Shelton and Australian graphic designer Ruth Gregory, the team bands together to create Rock Against Racism (RAR) and a fanzine, Temporary Hoarding. Speaking directly to the youth, Temporary Hoarding reports stories and issues that the mainstream British media ignores, like immigration, the Catholic side of the Northern Ireland conflict, and the police’s controversial “suspected persons” (sus) powers. They give a voice to the voiceless. The National Front begins to strike back, committing acts of violence against RAR supporters and petrol-bombing their HQ. Despite this, RAR spreads virally across the UK and into Europe, becoming a grassroots youth movement. The Clash, Steel Pulse, Tom Robinson and other top bands of the day jump on board.

White Riot is a moment in time when music changed the world. When a generation challenged the status quo. It’s Woodstock meets the March on Washington, punk-style.