Rio Cinema to screen "Save our Heritage" and "Hands off" on Saturday 24th May as part of Hackney History Festival

As part of the Hackney Society's  "Hackney History Festival", which includes walks talks visits and events, the Rio Cinema will be screening two of film director Winstan Whitter's documentaries and hosting a Q&A with Winstan and his collaborator on the films, local solicitor activist Bill Parry-Davies. The Rio Cinema filmshow begins a 1.30pm on Saturday 24th May.

 "Save our Heritage" tells the story of our community's battle to try and save Dalston's architectural and cultural legacy from demolition and re-development as an enclave of private high-rise flats.

At risk were locally listed Georgian houses, the oldest surviving Circus entrance in the UK and the "greatest cinema in the British Empire". These heritage buildings had become home to the legendary "Four Aces" reggae club and the "Labrynth" rave venue.The redevelopment scheme was to be subsidised by public funds paid for by Hackney borough residents, the Greater London Authority and central government.

"Hands Off" tells the story of the Shoreditch community's battle to keep its striptease bars when Hackney's Licensing Committee decided to adopt a "NIL" policy to ban their existence. "Browns" and the "White Horse" were both owned and managed by women, fully complied with the terms of their Council licences, provided a safe working environment for their dancers, received no complaints from police and employed numerous local residents. 

Local club owners, dancers, politicians, trade union representatives and the vicar of Shoreditch Church are all interviewed in the film discussing issues of feminism, morality, personal safety, freedom of choice and liberty.

On Sunday 25 May at 1.30pm the Rio will also be screening a third Hackney documentary by Winstan Whitter - "How to get on with everybody", an intimate portrait of the unique life of Herchel Gluck, a Rabbi from the Haredi Jewish community in Hackney's Stamford Hill followed by a Q&A with Winstan, Elin Moe and the star of the film Herchel Gluck.