Branchage Film Festival

Oh dear, will our popularity ever stop? Having completed a highly successful if some what wet screening at Latitude in July, TSC has now been booked to play Branchage, Jersey’s newest international film festival running 25th-28th September.

Latitude was excellent - each film was greeted by a round of applause, the rain forced some to take cover in our tent who then stayed on to enjoy despite the sun coming out and our panel discussion Women in Burlesque: Empowerment vs Titillation (featuring the wonderful Marisa Carnesky, Fancy Chance and Fred Bear - standing in for forthcoming air hostess Amy Lame) was highly informative, opinionated and entertaining!

Plans are afoot for December 2008, we do so hope you’ll be able to join us. To keep informed please join the mailing list by contacting info@thesmokingcabinet.com

And how are you? I know its been a while but we have some news at least! Top of which is announcing our appearance at Latitude 2008. TSC shall be hosting a short screening of our favourite films followed by a talk on women in burlesque with Marisa Carnesky and Amy Lame. Please join us at 2pm Saturday 19th July in the cabaret tent.

We are also gearing up for second Smoking Cabinet Festival of Cabaret and Burlesque Cinema at the end of 2008 with more films and frollicks, maybe just maybe a UK tour. The best way to keep informed of all is to JOIN OUR MAILING LIST by mailing info@thesmokingcabinet.com

Hello hello one and all and a happy new year to you! Well, the smoking cabinet festival of early cabaret and burlesque cinema was a truly excellent affair with us selling out on opening night and playing to very packed houses all the rest of the weekend. The films were accompanied by amazing musical maestros the London Improvisers Orchestra, Chris Dowding and friends, the talks with the wonderful Dr Vanessa Toulmin (National Fairground Archive, Admission All Classes), Suzanne Andrade (1927) and Simone Baird (Time Out), and Bryony Dixon (BFI), Amy Lame (Duckie) and Marisa Carnesky proved insightful and entertaining; and where would we have been without Marawa the Amazing, Chameleon Collective (in association with Future Cinema), Bourgeois and Maurice and Broken Hearts DJs?!? Not to forget Lisa Appignanesi, tsc patron and author of The Cabaret, who kicked the whole thing off.

We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, audience and acts alike. 2008 holds the possibility of future screenings, education projects (just what would you like to know about early moving images?) and fingers crossed a UK tour… See you there!

p.s. best way to keep informed is to JOIN OUR MAILING LIST at info@thesmokingcabinet.com

Marisa Carnesky
The legendary Marisa Carnesky will now be speaking as part of the panel discussion: Women in Burlesque and Cabaret: Empowerment vs Titillation. Don’t miss her, plus Amy Lame of Duckie and Bryony Dixon, Curator of Silent Film, BFI after a screening of the notorious The Blue Angel (1930) on Sunday 9th December 12pm sharp.

London Improvisers Orchestra
The LIO have oh so kindly agreed to lend us their services on the OPENING NIGHT of TSC, which is Friday 7th December. They haven’t even seen the films - and ladies and gentlemen - they don’t want to! Doors open, acts and complimentary drinks (thanks to Tiger Beer!) from 7.20pm / screening 8pm

Vertigo Article Online
Hey hey have a look here. Even if it was penned by two of TSC’s most esteemed producers, still a fine piece of writing I think you will agree, and an excellent introduction to the smoking cabinet, our thoughts and feelings, oh yeah, and the films …

Gee I’m whizzy with all the excitement! SO much to tell!

Apologises, TSC friends, we’ve been rather busy of late getting down to the nitty gritty of the fest - and I now have a WHOLE HOST of CONFIRMATIONS to offer you for both the Opening Soiree (Friday 7th December 7pm onwards, Curzon, Soho) shorts programme screenings, discussions and events.

Ok, as you will see from the front page, Bourgeois and Maurice, Future Cinema and Lisa Appignanesi will be taking part in the opening night celebrations. We shall also have LIVE MUSIC accompanying the film programme (which shall begin at 8.20pm, don’t be late!) - due to include amongst many other things Moody’s Club Follies, a genuine revue from 1920’s London and the ecstatic Birth of a Flower shot by burgeoning botanist Percy Smith in 1910.

Also we now have Fabien Riggall, Founder and Director of Future Cinema and Future Shorts joining Dr Vanessa Toulmin of the National Fairground Archive / Admission All Classes to discuss Burlesque and Cabaret on Film: Screening the Fantastical on Saturday 8th December; and Amy Lame, host of the seminal club and cabaret night Duckie, CONFIRMED for our second discussion Women in Burlesque and Cabaret: Empowerment Vs Titillation on Sunday 9th December following a screening of The Blue Angel (Josef Von Sternberg, 1930)

See the full confirmed Smoking Cabinet programme here!

On Saturday 8th December, from 2:30pm onwards
Enjoy a full afternoon tea, live burlesque performance and screenings of some early cinematic delights courtesy of The Smoking Cabinet as part of Volupté’s weekly afternoon spectacle

Call Volupté on 0207 831 1622 to reserve your table and quote THE SMOKING CABINET when you book for £2 off the entry price.

Wallflower Press are offering copies of Early Cinema: From Factory Gate to Dream Factory at the special discounted price of just £10 (usually £12.99) to celebrate the opening of The Smoking Cabinet. Click here for more details…

Are you unsure about The Smoking Cabinet?

- JUST WHAT are they TRYING to tell-flog-show us?!?

Check out www.myspace.com/thesmokingcabinet for a taster of the kind of films we plan to screen this December, and if you can, join us, darling, join us.

Film clips include: Un Homme de tetes by Georges Melies (1898), La Retour a la raison by Man Ray (1923), A Trapeze Disrobing Act by Thomas Edison (1901) and footage of Josephine Baker dancing circa 1928.

The first titles which shall play at The Smoking Cabinet have been announced! They include Man Ray’s 1923 classic Le Retour à la raison, Percy Smith’s botanical extravaganza Birth of a Flower from 1910 and Tilly Losch and Her Dance of the Hands (Norman Bel Geddes, 1930-33). Please visit events and screenings for more info.

Maybe more importantly, the dates too have been confirmed. The festival will take place between 7th, 8th, 9th December at a variety of London venues, including the Curzon, Soho and Ragged School Museum, Mile End. More details soon!

Dr Vanessa Toulim, Director of the National Fairground Archive (University of Sheffield) is CONFIRMED as a panel speaker at The Smoking Cabinet.

Dr Toulim is an expert on recently discovered early British filmmakers Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon, having curated both the Mitchell and Kenyon Collection UK Tour and BFI Video’s DVD release of their work: Electric Edwardians. Her latest project - Admission All Classes - is pairing the Whoopee Agency with a series of film screenings celebrating entertainment for the masses (1850-1950) taking place in the north west through out 2007-2008.