The Thousands

EL TOPO (aka the Mole) was the beginning of the ‘Midnight Movies’ phenomena of the 1970s. It changed the way a generation watched film and cemented its director as a counter-culture icon. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s qasi-western head-trip follows the quest for redemption and spiritual enlightenment of a black-clad gunslinger as he travels across the desert.

Championed by everyone from John Lennon to Marilyn Manson, Jodorowsky’s work is a pre-cursor to David Lynch and Matthew Barney. While critics have been quick to gush about some counter-cultural filmmakers, it has taken far too long for Jodorowsky get the same credit as his peers. Maybe it’s because he allegedly stated that: "I ask of cinema what most North Americans ask of psychedelic drugs".

For over 30 years, Jodorowsky’s films have remained unavailable due to an ongoing dispute with producer (and sometime Beatles and Stones manager) Allen Klein. They buried the hatchet and the films are being officially released in an uncut and completely restored version.

Presented by Siren Visual, Filmink and TwoThousand, this one-off screening of a brand new 35mm print is an event not to be missed.