Babylon is raw and incendiary film-making at its very best, and one of the most highly regarded cult British films of the 1980s.

Sound system ‘toaster’ Blue (Brinsley Forde) and his Ital Lion crew are looking forward to a soundclash competition with rival outfit Jah Shaka. But as the event approaches, Blue’s personal life begins to unravel. Fired from his job, he begins to suspect his girlfriend is cheating on him and then one night he is brutally beaten by plain-clothes policemen.

Finally, when their lock-up garage is broken into and their sound system destroyed, he cannot take any more. Increasingly angered and alienated by what he perceives to be society’s rejection of his race and his culture, Blue is compelled to respond by fighting fire with fire.

Babylon was filmed on a six-week shooting schedule, entirely on location in South London and the West End. The production headquarters were above a church in Deptford.

Director: Franco Rosso
Co-written by Martin Stellman (Quadrophenia), and photographed by two-time Oscar® winner Chris Menges (The Mission; The Killing Fields),
Cast: Brian Bovell, Brinsley Forde, Karl Howman, Trevor Laird, Archie Pool, T-Bone Wilson

SCREEN AT THE JACK presents five free films all with a connection to the London Borough of Lewisham, as part of our celebration of London Borough of Culture.

Babylon was shot on location in South London and the West End and features many recognisable Lewisham locations. The ending credits of  Babylon thanks: “all the people of Lewisham who made this film possible.”