Bill Douglas's award-winning films My Childhood, My Ain Folk and My Way Home are three of the most compelling and critically acclaimed films about childhood ever made and have been referred to as political texts.

The narrative is largely autobiographical, following Jamie (played with heart-breaking conviction by Stephen Archibald) as he grows up in a poverty-stricken mining village in post-war Scotland. In these brutal surroundings, and subject to hardship and rejection, Jamie learns to fend for himself. We see him grow from child to adolescent – angry and bewildered, but playful, creative and affectionate.

• Friday 12th - screening of My Childhood, My Ain Folk 19:00
• Saturday 13th - screening of My Way Home 19:30

In My Childhood (1972), eight-year old Jamie lives with his granny and cousin Tommy in a Scottish mining village in 1945. With his mother in a mental home and his father absent, he is subject to the hardships of poverty.

In My Ain Folk (1973), Tommy is taken to a home whilst Jamie is sent to live with his paternal grandmother and uncle; a life full of silence and rejection. Jamie finds comfort in his relationship with his grandfather but when his grandfather commits suicide, there’s little left but the escapism provided by trips to the cinema to save him from despair.

Despite the sometimes bleak subject matter, watching the trilogy is far from a depressing experience. This is cinematic poetry: Douglas contracted his subject matter to the barest essentials – dialogue is kept to a minimum, and fields, slag heaps and cobbled streets are shot in bleak monochrome. Yet with its unexpected humour and warmth, the trilogy brims with clear-eyed humanity, and affection for an ultimately triumphant young boy. (bfi)

Screening followed by Panel Discussion: (Guest Speakers to be announced)

Friday's screening will be followed by a panel discussion on themes raised in My Childhood and My Ain Folk followed by Q&A.

Saturday's screening will be followed by a panel discussion on themes raised in all 3 films and in particular, My Way Home followed by Q&A.

Note: If you can't attend Friday night's event but can attend Saturday nights event, then you can secure a ticket for Saturday night here & join in on the discussion post screening.

Please Register for this event and on the day of the screening you will be send the Joining Link for the Virtual Screening.

Log In: 19:00

Film Screening: 19.15 (100 mins)

Panel Discussion followed by Q&A: 21:00

Admission open to ALL, non Labour Party members welcome.

Suggested donation of £5 would be appreciated to help cover costs of event and running the Constituency. One donation covers both nights.

A limited number of Free Tickets available each day.

SLFC is organised by Streatham Labour Political Education Officer to bring political education out into the community.

Notes:

The films were made on an extremely small budget and with a cast made up largely of non-actors. Bill found Stephen Archibald (Jamie) and Hughie Restorick (Tommy) on a chance meeting at a bus stop when the two boys were busy playing truant from school. Stephen Archibald would play Jamie in all three films and he and Bill remained very close. Stephen sadly passed away in 1998. Read more about Stephen in Melanie McFadyean’s article for The Guardian here.

On its release, the trilogy received much critical acclaim and won a host of awards at international film festivals, including the Silver Lion at the 1972 Venice Film Festival for My Childhood. In 1979 Philip French predicted that The Bill Douglas Trilogy would “come to be regarded not just as a milestone, but as one of the heroic achievements of the British cinema” (3) and he has undoubtedly been proven correct.