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Stephen Fry and Paloma Faith star in new film celebrating and supporting Soho

Stephen Fry is to star in a new documentary celebrating the history and culture of Soho.

The broadcaster is one of a number of celebrities appearing in new documentary Soho Is...

The film, which will premiere this Friday on YouTube, provides “an intimate look at the future of Soho" while discussing the hurdles the area faces in coming years.

Produced in association with campaign group Save Soho, it also addresses the loss of several key performance spaces in the area – such as The Borderline, which hosted the likes of Oasis and Rage Against the Machine before closing in 2019, and the Astoria, which closed in 2009.

Starring Fry, Paloma Faith, Jools Holland and Marc Almond among others, the film was created by the founder of Save Soho, musician Tim Arnold. It began life in 2016 when singer-songwriter Kevin Godley and Arnold interviewed several well know lovers of Soho to talk candidly about the area and raise their concerns about the loss of performing arts spaces.

The resulting film combines those interviews with footage of protests and other events captured by Arnold when he first launched the Save Soho campaign from his Frith Street bedsit back in 2014, following the closure of club Madame Jojo’s.

About the film, Fry – who is the Chair of Save Soho – said: “I have been a proud supporter of the Save Soho movement since it began and I have done what I can, along with many, many others, to assist musician and film maker Tim Arnold. The ‘Soho Is…’ film is an appreciation of Soho by us and everyone who contributed.

"Whilst we are all currently unable to enjoy music venues and theatres, you couldn’t find a more perfect film for a little quarantine escapism than 'Soho Is...'. I hope it reminds us of how important it will be to keep cherishing our performing arts spaces when social distancing finally becomes a distant memory.”

The premiere of ’Soho Is…’ will be streamed on YouTube this Friday at 7pm. There will be live Q and A with directors Arnold and Godley on Facebook afterwards. For more information, visit this page.

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