A free screening of the film Power Station will take place this Thursday at the Glasgow School of Art, inviting residents to explore how communities can work together to turn their homes into renewable energy sources.
The Film tells the story of activist-artists Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn during lockdown in Walthamstow, who set out to power their neighbourhood with renewable energy.
Directed by Powell and Edelstyn, the documentary follows their journey as they pitch the idea of installing solar panels to their neighbours and their unconventional campaign to raise funds, including sleeping on the roof of their home, and launching a bid for a Christmas number-one single.
When asked about what viewers may not expect from first viewing the film, co-director Dan Edelstyn said, “On the outside, Power Station seems to be about solar panels, but when you actually watch it, it’s a portrait of where we are at now in Britain.”
The film is about community “coming together and realising we actually have power… what happens when people forget about their differences, and instead think about what brings them together and how they can take collective action on things that are important.”
“The film is really fun. They are bonkers, Hilary and Dan, but it’s all coming from the right place in terms of what their values are,” explains Ellie Harrison, Treasurer of Glasgow Community Energy.
The film “resonated with me because I’ve been through that, and I know how difficult it is, but we [Glasgow Community Energy] and Dan and Hilary, we’re blazing a trail for other groups and communities to do it,” said Harrison, whose group successfully installed solar panels on the roofs of two schools in 2021.
The screening will also include short films featuring Glasgow Community Energy, a local community-owned renewable energy co-operative.
Co-director and star of the film, Powell, will join the event for an online Q&A with the audience.
The event is hosted by the Glasgow School of Art in collaboration with Glasgow Community Energy, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Unison Glasgow, and Extinction Rebellion Glasgow.
The film screening takes place on Thursday, 12th March at the Glasgow School of Art from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
Tickets are free and can be booked through the Eventbrite site.
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