Star and Shadow Cinema is a volunteer-run DIY space for Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, and the north east UK. It is set up as an open-to-join co-operative housed in a building it owns, dedicated to culture coming from and/or programmed by the grass roots – particularly cinema and music – with lots of international offerings.
Emphasising the collective experience that makes Cinema special, Star and Shadow exists as a space for a dialogic approach to culture through critical, active spectatorship: watching, listening, thinking and talking collectively and then possibly programming something yourself, as opposed to buying your ticket, sitting or standing in the dark and then heading home.
There is no hierarchy – there is no boss, just working groups and meetings, email lists and a dose of honest disorganisation. No-one is paid. The building is run and programmed by its audiences, which means you are us – we don’t do it for you, we do it with you! WE ARE YOU!
There is no single programming line – anyone can get involved and put a screening/gig/meeting/talk/party on, as long as they are willing to contribute something to the running of the building. Alternatively they can hire the space.
It operates a ‘safe space’ policy and strives to be Self-driven/ horizontalist/ experimental/ non-canonical/ independent/ critical/ internationalist/ dialogic/ inclusive/ subversive/ improvised/ co-didactic/ underground-overground/ transformative/ emancipatory.
