The award-winning brand is hosting a Sunday movie night as part of its newly-launched Bottega Residency initiative – this week, it’s screening Franco Rosso’s powerful 1979 biopic, Dread Beat and Blood
Several weeks into this new age of social distancing, brands and institutions are finding innovative ways to stay connected. Among them is Bottega Veneta, which has launched a new online initiative called Bottega Residency, where the house’s friends and family are celebrating the creative visionaries who have shaped them. So far, Phoebe Reith, Tyrone Lebon and the brand’s creative director Daniel Lee have taken part, with Lee putting the spotlight on Steven Spielberg, David Hockney and Maurice Béjart – his personal heroes.
Every Saturday and Sunday, this initiative comes to life with live music performances from participating artists, cooking and recipes from rising-star chefs, and a Sunday movie night in collaboration with a film industry partner. This Sunday’s film – which will be available to stream on the Bottega Veneta YouTube channel for 24 hours from 7pm (GMT), courtesy of the BFI – is Franco Rosso’s 1979 film Dread Beat and Blood, which follows dub poet and political activist Linton Kwesi Johnson through the turbulent streets of Brixton in the late 1970s.
Borrowing its name from Johnson’s 1975 book of poetry and 1978 album, Dread Beat and Blood sees the Jamaica-born poet powerfully communicate the struggles of black and Asian communities amid a climate of violence and racism in 70s London.
The aim of the Bottega Residency, according to the brand, is to cultivate a sense of community during this tumultuous time. “Creativity and strength lie at the heart of Bottega Veneta,” says Lee. “In this highly distressing time, we feel a responsibility to celebrate those values and ignite a sense of joy and hope in our community and beyond.”
The brand is not alone in this sentiment – elsewhere, Fondazione Prada has partnered with MUBI for screening series Perfect Failures (a selection of films that have long been considered misunderstood), Alexander McQueen continues its interactive #McQueenCreators project, and Vivienne Westwood has launched its #MirrorToTheWorld photography book series, to name but a few.
If you are in need of some film recommendations ahead of Sunday’s screening, the teams behind AnOther Magazine and Another Man have been sharing ideas for things to do in self-isolation in our ongoing series of Daily To Do Lists.
Discover the Bottega Residency on www.bottegaveneta.com
Dread Beat and Blood is available to stream on the Bottega Veneta YouTube channel for 24 hours from April 19, 2020 7pm (GMT), courtesy of the BFI.