Tina, Pam, and Scotty are taken down into Mom and Dad’s well-stocked bomb shelter when Kennedy is assassinated in 1963...and they never come out. 30 years later, Mom and Dad are a long-dead 'bag of bones' and the now-grown kids have created a life for themselves based on remnants from the '60s, intermittent output from the TV and their wild imaginations. Shelf Life is Paul (Eating Raoul, Death Race 2000) Bartel's lost final film, now digitally preserved and screening in the UK for the first time. We have a pre-film supporting programme, including cast intros, and a post-screening, pre-recorded Cast Q&A.

Pre-recorded Q&A with Cast (O-Lan Jones, Andrea Stein and Jim Turner) and Restoration film-maker Alex Mechanik.

Audience questions are being collected prior to recording on 14/08, via Slido (bit.ly/ShelfSlido) 

The entire programme has brand-new descriptive subtitles / SDH / captions, by Matchbox Cine (open-captioned).

Tickets are priced on a sliding scale, according to our sliding scale guide (bit.ly/matchboxscale)

NB Tickets also give you access to the online version of the event. 

More information here https://matchboxcineclub.com/tag/shelf-life/

BACKGROUND: Shelf Life was conceived and written by O-Lan Jones, Andrea Stein and Jim Turner as a result of their rumination on what must become of people boxed in tiny spaces for long, long periods of time. Director Paul Bartel (Eating Raoul, Death Race 2000, Lust in the Dust) saw the closing night performance of the play in 1992 and within six weeks they had begun shooting the film, complete with a fully fabricated fallout shelter on the stages of CFI in Hollywood. Despite a strong festival run and positive reviews, Shelf Life remained unreleased and never found the audience it deserved. After decades underground, the last remaining 35mm print was uncovered at the film archive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and digitally restored – this is the UK premiere!

ZINE: We’re producing a new zine to accompany the event, with new artwork from Calvin Halliday and new responses to Shelf Life from emerging writers, including Logan Kenny. This will be free to all ticket holders and available to purchase separately.

VENUE + SOCIAL DISTANCING: Attendees will be required to wear a mask. We have limited seating to allow for social distancing – two seats between each set and every other row unsold. NB we are adhering to the advice of the UK Government but we also reserve the right to exercise our own judgement, should we feel the event is unsafe to deliver. In the case of cancellation, refunds will be issued automatically. NB Cube Microplex is not wheelchair accessible.

Matchbox Cine is an independent film exhibitor and an award-winning subtitler, specialising in access provision for film exhibition & distribution. From Glasgow, Scotland, and currently based in Bristol, England, we programme, curate and promote cult film events across the UK.

Part of Film Feels Hopeful, a UK-wide cinema season, supported by the National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network. Explore all films and events at filmfeels.co.uk.