NEWS: Watch a teaser trailer for ‘New Town Utopia,’ a film about Basildon, home of Depeche Mode

Basildon in Essex is well known for being the hometown of both Depeche Mode and Yazoo, but also suffers from a pretty terrible reputation.  Built as a ‘New Town,’ it was part of a plan to create social utopias and a “new type of citizen,” but the town is now a cultural void.  Filmmaker Christopher Smith (Arterial, Cumulus) and executive producer Margaret Matheson (Scum, Sid and Nancy) have now filmed a new documentary about the town.  New Town Utopia explores these grand dreams and the harsh realities of life in Basildon and the characters depicted in the film are all artists and musicians from the town.  They range from Steve Walters (the puppeteer behind Old Man Stan) to key players in the early 80’s electro scene.

Smith explained: “It’s a passion project – about a place that deserves better, the utopian ideas of the mid-twentieth century and the importance of art and music to our happiness.  Camus referred to Utopia ‘in contradiction to reality’… maybe new towns were an impossible dream.  It’s also a very relevant film for now – as the housing crisis exposes the long term impact of ‘right to buy’, globalisation decimates traditional high streets, and the Brexit vote revealed the depth of dissatisfaction of people with their lot.  This film is a chance to explore the complexities of a place so often derided on local and national level.  In doing so it reflects on the issues impacting all our towns and communities.  I wanted to do this in a way that reflects the spirit, down-to-earth humour, and incredible stories of people from the town.”

There is currently a Kickstarter campaign to raise £16,000 by 26^th September in order to finance post-production. To donate or track the progress of the campaign, click here.

Watch the new teaser trailer for New Town Utopia below.