Community Cinema: Poly Styrene, I Am A Cliché

This film screening is for ages 16+
Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché replaces our originally planned film screening of There’s Still Tomorrow. Due to licensing issues, we are unable to screen There’s Still Tomorrow at this time.

Poly Styrene was the first woman of colour in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements. But the late punk maverick didn’t just leave behind an immense cultural footprint.

Poly was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell. Celeste became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and her mother’s demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly’s life, while their lasting trauma scarred Celeste’s childhood and the pair’s relationship.

Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Celeste as she examines her mother's unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother.

Along the way, we hear from those who knew Poly or were inspired by her including…
Thurston Moore - Sonic Youth
Kathleen Hanna - Bikini Kill/Le Tigre
Vivienne Westwood - Fashion designer
Neneh Cherry - Singer/songwriter
Don Letts - Friend and DJ/filmmaker
Bruno Wizard - Friend and musician
Youth - Friend and musician/producer
and more…

More information about the event.

Tickets are available from TicketLab.