Join GP Surgery and Ecstatic Truths in The Atrium Bar for a special event titled ‘In the Deep End’, a night of exploring water, memory, and the power of healing through reflection.
Our main film, which will be projected on 16mm film, is structural essay film “Sink or Swim” (1990) by landmark queer avant-garde filmmaker, Su Friedrich. The film, which the Library of Congress inducted into the National Film Registry in 2015, is a series of twenty-six short stories, one for each letter of the alphabet, in which a girl describes scenes from her childhood, and more specifically, her tumultuous relationship with her father. We will also be screening some short experimental films that reflect the themes of the film; swimming pools, the healing power of water, coming-of-age, childhood trauma, and being gay.
GP Surgery has already made history at the Garden Cinema by hosting the first 16mm film screening, and Ecstatic Truths is so glad to join them for even more material filmic goodness! We will be joined by Film Projectionist John Wilders who will be handling the archival print of “Sink or Swim” from Light Cone Library. We’ll also have some raffle prizes: stay tuned to hear about what’s on offer from exciting local partners!
About the curators:
GP Surgery is a film collective founded by Jaison Washington (he/they) who is an independent film curator, archivist at LUX Moving Image, researcher, and filmmaker based in London. GP Surgery specialises in Experimental Film and Artist Moving Image as a means of catharsis, healing, and challenging our audience.
Ecstatic Truths is a film programming collective curated by Charlotte Ross (she/her) and Kat Haylett (she/her) that showcases documentaries which reject the purely factual, exploring reinvention and subversion of the genre..
Kat's curatorial practice focuses on the phenomenological experience of audiences in the theatrical space; she is also part of the programming team for the Slow Film Festival and works at the Independent Cinema Office as the events officer.
Charlotte’s curatorial approach is rooted in archival research and informed by her interests in exhibition histories, particularly ephemeral audience and fan practices. This shapes her work with Ecstatic Truths as well as her work as Assistant Film Curator at IWM (Imperial War Museums).
Some films contain strobing lights and flashing imagery for photosensitive and epileptic viewers.
Please note that whilst The Garden Cinema is wheelchair accessible, the cinema can only accommodate one wheelchair user in the Atrium. Please visit our accessibility page for more information about how to book this.
