New Pioneers Short Animation

The Rochdale Pioneers story told in animation in 4 minutes. Produced by Huckleberry Films of Accrington. Even the Crumpsall Biscuit Factory, Manchester gets a mention. Films have always been central to co-operative propaganda (don't be afraid to use that word) and now in 2011 it is on the YouTube.

Manchester International Co-op Year 2012

Next year, 2012, has been declared the International Year of Co-operatives. It actually starts at the end of October 2011. The Co-operative Group are off and running with this video, 2 mins and 9 seconds of colour. Manchester looks good in the pictures in there with London and New York.

Live Webcast Monday 28th June

As part of Co-operatives Fortnight, the Co-operative we will be webcasting a live programme here at 1815 BST on Monday 28 June from Toad Lane, Rochdale.

Presented by Paul Hendy and featuring CEO Peter Marks, CEO of Co-operative Financial Services Neville Richardson. Christine Tacon, Managing Director of Farms and Moira Lees, Society Secretary. You can join in with questions but have your membership number to hand to login. It might be all available later if you miss it.

Link

Unicorn Workers Co-op Video

A two minute video made for the first Co-operatives Fortnight by Unicorn workers' co-operative in Chorlton. It's in that British tradition of cheezy, over-acted style but having fun. Nice copyright free track by Moby who makes this music available for non-commercial use. Great effort...and enjoyable.

Labour Manifesto 2010 in Animation

Labour says "share our vision now by sharing our animated manifesto films with your friends". Good on the eyes and ears, a good all-round effort reports our critic.
You can download the manifesto (PDF) here.

Dirty Oil Movie

Dirty Oil dramatically explores the battle between industry, government, local communities and environmentalists over the development of the oil sands of Alberta, Canada. The Co-operative is offering free tickets for the film to its members for showings on Monday 15 March, 1815h at 3 cinemas - Ambleside Fellinis, Liverpool Picturehouse, and Manchester Odeon.

https://www.co-operativememberevents.coop/dirty_oil_event/our_events.aspx

Co-op Backing Films

"two-way partnership will see Dogwoof and The Co-operative jointly financing the marketing and distribution costs associated with campaigning films on important issues, starting with BURMA VJ and THE VANISHING OF THE BEES."

Not the sort of stuff your PLC would touch, Burma regime politics and the threat to food supply by having no bees. More.

Showing films is still controlled by a less than a handful of distribution companies but you can still reach a large audience with the web, DVD and organised showings by voluntary groups. It's good that The Co-operative have seen the alternative distribution methods.

Co-operative.TV

An online channel that hosts film clips and programmes relating to the co-operative campaigns and its broader aims. What's available? The Plan Bee campaign, Fairtrade, Young Film Makers showreel that runs for 20 minutes...Most of the clips are 4 or 5 mins and play on full screen. A good venture. It continues the Co-operative tradition in the moving image that's dates back over 100 years.
More..

Film Co-op's First Christmas

Manchester Film Co-operative shows intrigueing and thought provoking films and on Tuesday 16th December they'll be showing a "series of short films will include the doccumentary Au Rez-de-chaussee de la ville [Ground floor of the city] which documents the ecoBox project." Followed by music, food and xmas spirit. All this for £3 at the King's Arms, Salford. The room the films are shown in is a fabulous late Victorian treasure too.
Details.

Can Film Festival

Picked up a flyer advertising the free showing of a new documentary movie "The 11th Hour" and it was called The Can Film Festival. The issue is recycling and climate change, and the draw is it's produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCapro.

Making films and getting them shown, usually for free has become an effective propaganda tool in recent years. The message is the impact the population has on the earth's ecosystem and the changes that must be made.

The free showings are in London (8th May), Glasgow (15th May), and Manchester (22nd May AMC Deansgate) . All at 1803h BST.

Can Couture
11th Hour Action

Manchester Film Co-operative

A new co-operative venture organising regular screenings and discussions of films that challenge current economics, politics and society. The inaugral showing is "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", the documentary about Venezuela and Chavez.

The venue is The Kings Arms, Bloom Street, Salford which is across the river from Deansgate. It must be upstairs, and if you've never been it is one of the best late Victorian rooms you'll ever see...

The date is Tuesday 22nd April, 1945h, £2.
Details on the website.

We Are Together Film

The film WE ARE TOGETHER (Thina Simunye) which has been championed by the Co-op Party with several showings at Conference and elsewhere is to get an UK cinema release in March. It's been shown in Manchester at the Odeon Printworks Friday 7th March until the 14th March.
List of Screenings in the UK
Website - with new Trailer

UK Politics on You Tube

You Tube is very much an extra tv channel. Just check the number of times it is quoted in the tv and print media though very often it's minor criminal types filming their activities and wondering why they got caught.

The UK Politics Channel was launched last week by Gordon Brown with a video (1 min 16 seconds).
So far we have the Labour Party, Webcameronuk (worth a visit), Green Party, Sinn Fein and Respect. A cross-section but where are the nationalist parties, and maybe the Co-operative Party could think about joining in too with some short, inexpensive talking head footage. I'll stress the concept short - some of the material available to view is nearly 15 minutes long which doesn't suit squinting at a PC with other distractions going on.
UK Politics Channel

Quiet now until 2008

Bit of a lean spell for news to post but things are bubbling in the background....

First event booked in the diary. A showing of Black Gold film at The Blue Box Theatre in Chorlton on Wednesday 27th February as part of Fairtrade Fortnight. A proper theatre, a biggish screen and we need an audience. A co-operative effort between South Manchester Members Group, Members Relations and Withington Co-op Party. There is a short video interview with Marc and Nick Francis at BBC Film Network where they talk about the making of the film, and why it isn't a conventional campaigning movie.

Re-structuring of the Co-op Party in the North to be announced, will there still be a Withington branch? New "The Co-operative" membership cards to all former United members coming in January. Makes it easier to rack up some points to qualify for a dividend cheque every year, especially if you have some of their financial services - insurance, banking etc..

Co-op Party DVD Clip

Click To Play

Taken from "A Year To Remember" DVD, it has some Co-op Party footage from World Co-op Day July 2007. It has Hazel Blears MP, Tadessa Meskela and if look closely at the start you'll see our own Paul Murphy on the Co-op Party stall. Don't know if this DVD is available outside The Co-operative United Region.

Co-ops Using Film

The use of film by Co-op Societies goes back to the early days of cinema. Still being promoted in 2007 with The Co-operative sponsored screenings of "Black Gold", and "Inconvenient Truth". "We Are Together" was shown at the Co-op Party Conference....hopefully this will get a showing at The Cornerhouse, Manchester and cinemas elsewhere on World Aids Day 1st December 2007.

On Monday 8th October Unicorn Co-operative Grocery, Chorlton, Manchester will be showing Power of Community : How Cuba Survived Peak Oil; along with speakers Tim Fairs (Oil Ecologist), Jenny Hall (NW Grower and author of Growing Green), and Adam York (Glebelands Market Garden). Even with the current rising fuel prices, uneccessary food miles and poor harvests there is a positive alternative. Time 1930h for 1945h, Admission £2.

Lets Go Global

Lets Go Global is an arts led community Internet TV Channel based in Old Trafford Manchester - local groups, working with young people & etc. I'll be being interviewed live about Fairtrade. Notably about cocoa and chocolate which have issues of child slavery in West Africa. There will be a short video piece of activity in Unicorn Co-operative Grocery in the "Global Youth show" - that's what I think it's called. It will be broadcast on Tuesday 31st July between 1800h and 1900h BST. Hopefully the show will be archived, so more people including myself can see it.
Lets Go Global website. They also have some output on YouTube....doesn't everyone.

Shop Local

Picked this up from Politics For People...it's a spoof advert by Friends of the Earth about Shopping Local. Voiced by Alexi Sayle, the ad urges shoppers to spend a few more pounds in their local shops. As Co-op Stores are mostly small and community minded I think they are part of that fabric. Watch it here on YouTube. It's a very short animation that gets the message across without the polemic.

"Across the country independent shops are being squeezed out of business by big supermarkets - but people actually want more local stores. A new NOP survey shows that 80 per cent of the public want more local shops. And more people would oppose a new Tesco store than would welcome one." - FOE Real Food Campaign

There is one minute film competition. Make a film of exactly 60 seconds which explores how we look after our planet and use it like there is a tomorrow. Details. I wouldn't mind making a co-operative entry so would welcome some ideas and assistance. It's not co-operative if you're on your own. Emails, comments appreciated. Closing date 20th August 2007.

Film Night Meeting

Not the sort of format for the Co-op Party I'd envisaged but a successful evening. A few slight technical difficulties getting the DVD to play but it didn't matter in the end - the audience had come to see the 1993 Bye-Election - 30 minutes of nostalgia even though some of them would only be about 10 years old back then. Photo is a screen grab of Peter Wheeler, a legendary Labour Party worker in these parts - there is even an Appreciation Society on Facebook for him. I usually enjoy the few Co-op Party meetings we have in the year. Business is short and snappy, there are always refreshments, everybody talks to each other and then we go to the pub.

Film Night Still

This is a screen grab from the forthcoming video, simply called "Bye-Election". A bit of cine verite / home movie from 1992. Followers of Manchester politics might recognise these then Councillors in a kitchen campaign HQ in Chorlton. Isn't that chap on the left MP for Manchester Blackley these days? All will be revealed at the Film Night Tuesday 10th July, Hardy Lane Co-op Rooms 2000h.