ON April 12th, there will be a showing of three films at The Playhouse including ‘Faces of Harlow’ and a Harlow Cine Club film about living at Bishopsfield.

Harlow Civic Society is supporting a film showing organised by Chris Skipworth, a researcher at UEA, who has been researching how post war changes in Britain between 1946 and 1980 have been captured on film. This will take place in Theatre 2 at The Playhouse on Friday April 12 starting at 7pm. Entry will be free and booking will be required for this event – please book on evenbrite by clicking here.

http://www.harlowcivicsociety.org.uk/film-show-on-april-12/

Postwar Britain experienced massive political, economic, social, technological and architectural changes. This free film screening will include amateur and professional films that highlight some of these changes focusing mainly on the built environment. The ideologies of these films provide different perspectives on post war urban planning decisions and their impact on citizens, towns and cities. 

During the 1960s half of Britain’s cinema screens were closed. In Norwich, one such closure was the Norvic cinema. In 1961 a local amateur filmmaker produced a film documenting its eventual disappearance to make way for an office development. The film questions the urban planning decision to allow this and presents the tragic consequences. 

Across Britain social policy changes were being implemented to rapidly address the post war housing shortages. In 1946 the New Town Act was introduced. In 1964 the Harlow Development Corporation commissioned a film to promote this policy, its benefits and utopian aspirations. Six years later the Harlow Cine Club produced a film about residents’ different living experiences at Bishopsfield in Harlow.

There will be an opportunity for questions and discussion to reflect on how Harlow has developed and what its future holds.