‘Linda McCartney: Behind The Lens’ film to be screened at Jewish Book Week

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BBC Arena – ‘Linda McCartney: Behind the Lens’
Live on-line event on Tuesday 29th March 2022 at 7pm BST
Get Tickets and more information here!

BBC Arena at Jewish Book Week will be shining a spotlight on Linda McCartney, in their fourth online event.  This event is focused around the BBC Arena film Linda McCartney: Behind the Lens – an intimate portrait of a private, self-deprecating, immensely talented photographer and ground-breaking social activist, which touches on her family background, artistic inspiration and major turning points, as well as featuring many of her outstanding images.

Panellists include Mary McCartney, Linda and Paul McCartney’s eldest daughter, a distinguished photographer and writer of vegetarian cookbooks; Brian Clarke, renowned architectural and stained glass artist, collaborator and friend of the McCartney family; Nicolas Claxton, the award-winning film-maker of the BBC Arena Linda McCartney: Behind the Lens; and Brett Rogers, Director of the Photographers’ Gallery who curated a joint exhibition on Linda and Mary’s photographic work. The panel is chaired by legendary music journalist Annie Nightingale, BBC Radio’s longest running presenter and the first woman DJ, who came of age in the 1960s, alongside (and party due to) the Beatles and the McCartney family.

The conversation will hinge around key extracts from the film, which will be available in full for 7 days after the event to ticket holders only.

This event offers up a wonderful opportunity to revisit Linda’s defining moments of the 1960s, along with her enduring influence in the field of documentary photography and in her pioneering social activism, legacies which have been built on and are very much alive today.

I like to show good people, I like a little twinkle in the eye. I like humour, I like surrealism – all the things I like to get in my photos if I can. But that click, that natural moment – it’s all about capturing the moment, and capturing time. “A photograph has to stand on its own without any words… a good photo is something that will make you react. Photography has changed for me now; photography as social comment really interests me.

Nicholas Claxton on making the film:

“We shot the film in just 4 days in New York, it was crazy..I was so pleased about the way Linda came over – her softness, self-deprecation, fragility and focus. I was pretty nervous showing it to Linda and Paul and showed them the rough cut, but they were delighted with it and it went on to win awards.”

Brian Clarke on Linda’s family:

“Linda’s father Lee was like an old testament prophet in his demeanor and legal brilliance – very “yeshevic” – and was very supportive and kind to me. He changed his name from Epstein to Eastman, although his Jewishness is not something we ever spoke about. Linda would make an occasional reference to being a Jewish mother…”

BBC Arena – Linda McCartney: Behind the Lens
Live on-line event on Tuesday 29th March 2022 at 7pm BST
Get Tickets and more information here!