SF360 FILM+CLUB: MAD FOR MANCHESTER featuring JOY DIVISION and CONTROL

The San Francisco Film Society’s SF360 Film+Club, a monthly social screening series, returns on Wednesday, July 30, at 7:30 pm at Mezzanine (444 Jessie Street at Mint) with Mad for Manchester featuring a double dose of Joy Division films, the documentary Joy Division and the narrative feature Control.

Manchester, England has proven a hotbed for musical invention. Jump-started by the startling success of the London-based Sex Pistols’s punk ferocity, Manchester bands like the Buzzcocks, the Smiths and the Stone Roses have inspired countless performers, changing the face of modern pop music. This special edition of SF360 Film+Club pays tribute to Joy Division, presenting a double-feature of films about one of Manchester’s most iconic bands. During an extended intermission between the two films Live 105 and Britpop DJ, Alex Axelsen, will spin exclusively Manchester-related records ensuring every ounce of your Manchester needs will be fulfilled. The night begins with Joy Division, a documentary directed by Grant Gee (who also directed the acclaimed Radiohead doc, Meeting People Is Easy, 1998). The film blends rare and captivating archival footage of the band with interviews of Joy Division members. The second cinematic feature of the evening is Control, photographer Anton Corbijn’s fictionalized account of Ian Curtis’s all too short life. Curtis, Joy Division’s singer, struggled with epilepsy, romantic troubles and the overwhelming success of the band before committing suicide at the age of 23. Control, starring Samantha Morton, Alexandra Maria Lara and newcomer Sam Riley, has won numerous awards, including the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Doors open at 7:00 pm; Joy Division, 7:30 pm; Axelsen’s Manchester set, 9:00; Control, 10:00 pm.

Doors open at Mezzanine at 7:00 pm, program starts at 7:30 pm. Complimentary tasting of Pearl Vodka will begin at 7:00 pm. Over the course of the night, there will be chances to win various DVDs, CDs, $15 Amoeba Gift Certificates and more at the Amoeba Music booth. Tickets are $12 at the door or $8 if reserved in advance by emailing SF360@sffs.org. Must be 21+ to attend.