In the 1960s the seaside resort town of Margate on the South Coast of the UK became the center for two conflicting British youth subcultures There were ‘rockers’ who dressed in black leather astride their motorbikes all thinking they were as cool as Marlon Brando in The Wild One. Mods on the other hand favored chic suits, and clean-cut outfits on their Lambretta scooters and they worshiped The Who.
When the two groups descended on the town at the same time there were literally riots, but looking back now at that period, it did at least put the place on the map for a fast crowd from London … and Essex… and at least pumped new life into the place full of elderly residents. However, during the late 20th century, the town went into decline along with other British seaside resorts, as the advent of cheap package holidays had people preferring the beaches of the Costa del Sol.
Now there are flourishing LGBTQ communities in Margate and its neighboring seaside towns that are helping revive the region that now wants to recognize its local residents rather than focusing on transitory visitors. Queerguru has written about SEAS (Socially Engaged Art Salon) In 
Brighton further along the coast. which is an award-winning artist-led organization that promotes socially engaged art practices and artists. Now we have news about another similar acronym SASE Screen Archive South East.
Alongside Margate and Folkstone PRIDE they are presenting Our Screen Heritage, an archive series of public film events exploring and celebrating LGBTQIA+ life in Folkestone, Margate and surrounding towns. It’s the result of a major public callout for film footage, aiming to discover, document, and share key stories of past and present queer communities, contributions span over 30 years.
This Saturday, 22 October, Dreamland the local Amusement Park will play host to the Margate film and performance gala event Films’n’Chips courtesy of Our Screen Heritage and Margate Pride.
Films will be shown alongside appearances from Shelly Grotto, a drag performer performing as Margate landmark statue Mrs Booth the Shell Lady, and Margate-based performance artist An(dre)a Spisto. Andrea’s creative talents also extend to filmmaking and performing as a clown.
Booking and information can be found here: https://ourscreenheritage.net/events/our-screen-heritage-gala/A series of exhibitions are also on this week in Margate. Margate Pride presents (Archive As) Quiet Rebellion at The Margate School until 22 October featuring films by Kent artists, performers and film makers Jake Wood, Robert George Sanders and Harry Evans, as well as performance, music and more from Tommy Poppers and Lunatraktors.
Labels: 2022, Folkestone, Marget Pride, Our Screen Heritage, Screen Archive South East
