The radical history of London’s oldest community-run cinema

Inside the Rio — During the ’80s, the Dalston staple was a hub for community organising. A new book brings together photography and oral testimonies to tell its story.

Back in 1909, local businesswoman Clara Ludski decided to convert her Dalston auctioneers shop into one of London’s first cinemas. Originally titled the Kingsland Palace of Animated Pictures, it would take on various different guises and ownerships over the years, before the Rio – as patrons know it today – was born in 1976. 

Since 1979, it has been run as a not-for-profit registered charity by a cooperative of local volunteers, meaning that the Rio’s standing in the community goes way beyond simply being a place where people watch films. But it was during the ’80s, as Thatcherism began to tighten its grip on Britain, that it took on an even greater significance for the people of Hackney.

Much of this was thanks to the Tape/Slide Newsreel Group. Launched in 1982, it taught photography and sound-recording skills to local unemployed people, all while championing an alternative, left-wing perspective on Hackney life. 

“There was a big movement and debate back then in left-wing photography circles about community photography,” says Max Leonard, Creative Director of Isola Press, who are publishing a book that consolidates photos from the Rio’s vast archive. 

“It was democratic, giving underrepresented or marginalised groups not only control of the means of production, but also the media. [This turned] them from the objects of traditional documentary or reportage – in which someone, usually quite detached from the scenes they were portraying, came in and took pictures of ‘inner-city life’ or ‘poverty’ – into subjects expressing their own experience.” 

The Rio Cinema Archive – which Isola are currently crowdfunding for – will display “the best of the more than 12,000 slides” from the Tape/Slide Newsreel group that have been meticulously scanned and preserved over the years. Alongside the images, the book will also collate testimonies of those who were involved, creating an oral history that places the scenes depicted alongside the social, cultural and political context in which they were captured. 

“What was radical about the Tape/Slide Newsreel Group was that it was taking funding from the authorities and using it to present an alternative viewpoint – one that subverted the mainstream narrative of what life was like for people in this part of London that the Tory government really wasn’t interested in,” Leonard says.  

While the Tape/Slide Newsreel Group folded in 1988, their legacy – in empowering people to document and represent their own experiences – remains a hugely important one. For Leonard, who grew up near the Rio, its story forms an important part of London’s radical history: one that can now be made public again, as it was always meant to be. 

“What I take from these pictures is a strong feeling of opposition, and a sense of solidarity. Anti-Apartheid, CND [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament], Stop the City, NHS cuts, AIDS, squatting, solidarity with Welsh miners, and so much more,” he says. “The archive tells the story of so many fights.” 

“Yet there’s also a sense of life, of vibrancy, of festivals and communities and people trying to endure but also coming together to create a culture and enjoy themselves. Maybe we’re missing that now, in particular, in all our separate lockdowns? I think it’s a story that needs to be remembered, and I’m glad that we’re going to get the oral history as well as the photographs in the book.” 

Support The Rio Cinema Archive on Kickstarter

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.