DocHouse: the home of documentary

See something different in London this month at one of three documentary screenings presented by DocHouse.
DocHouse, a company which devotes its time to showcasing UK and international documentaries in cinemas across greater London (and which is soon to have its own screen at the Renoir Cinema), is exhibiting three important and fascinating documentaries this month. 


The first, Miners Shot Down, directed by Rehad Desai (who will attend the screening for a Director Q&A) looks back to August 2012 as it follows the story of a miners’ strike in Marikana, South Africa. Playing out like a political thriller, the film pieces together what happened during the six-day strike, which culminated in thirty-four miners being shot dead by police. What emerges is a portrait of collusion at the top - between police, the ANC government and the mining company Lonmin – leading to spiraling violence and the country’s first post-apartheid massacre. 
Rich Mix Cinema, Thursday 11 th September, 8pm. Click here for tickets:  
For a review of Miners Shot Down, click here.


Also showing, in a UK Premiere with a Directors’ Q&A, is The Love Hotel, directed by Phil Cox and Hikaru Toda. There are 37,000 Love Hotels in Japan visited by 2.8 million people every day. Catering for all ages and areas of society, the hotels exist for people to escape the conservative strictures of their daily lives, explore their fantasies and desires, or just find some privacy in a country where space and seclusion are often hard to come by. But as an increasingly conformist society develops, the Love Hotels are under threat. This filmfollows one such hotel, the Angelo in Osaka, which allowed unprecedented access to the filmmakers of their staff and guests, resulting in an extraordinary portrait of a key element of Japanese society. 
ICA, Wednesday 17 th September, 8:30pm. Click here for tickets. 
Watch the trailer here.


Finally, Red Lines, directed by Andrea Kalin and Oliver Lukacs, tells the story of two Syrians, Razan and Mouaz, two activists from very different walks of life who come together through the circumstance of war to try and protect their homeland. Through a combination of smuggling aid, brokering weapons deals and attempting to create enclaves of civil, democratic society in the country, Razan and Mouaz highlight the resilience of the Syrian people and the challenge of keeping hope alive in the face of overwhelming obstacles.
Rich Mix Cinema, Thursday 25 th September, 8pm. Click here for tickets: 
Watch the trailer here.