FULLY BOOKED Screening: Secret City + Q&A

Followed by a Q&A with director Michael Chanan. moderated by Joris Luyendijk, author of the Guardian Banking Blog.

Over the past five years the economic crisis has focused attention on capitalism and its shortcomings.  Secret City uncovers the hidden history of the institutions at the heart of the crisis in the UK. The film investigates the power wielded by the Corporation of London and exposes the secret governance of the City of London through which London’s position at the centre of global finance is sustained.

Against the backdrop of the London Occupy protests, directors Lee Salter and Michael Chanan expose the inner workings of the City. The history of London is recounted by Maurice Glasman; Robin Blackburn explains key aspects of the City’s economic history; David Joel of Kings Court Galleries presents the growth of London through historic maps; Doreen Massey considers the relationship of the City to the metropolis; and we are taken on a City tour by Occupy LSX tour guide Liam Tailor.

Secret City engages with the different narratives that connect to the City through a range of London imagery, including rarely seen archive footage, and extracts from two films about London by independent filmmakers: Anthony Simmons’ ‘Bow Bells’ (1954) and William Raban’s ‘About Now MMX’ (2010).

Directed by  Michael Chanan
Written by Lee Salter
Duration: 72’
Year: 2012