Back in November, i-D caught up with Lida Fox and Aida Nizankovska about their just-launched website Film Hooligans. The pair take film cameras with them wherever they go, be it backstage at Saint Laurent shows or cutting loose at DIY gigs. Their best pals — fellow models Grace Hartzel, Kiki Willems, and Lili Sumner and photographers Rebekah Campbell, Zachary Chick, and Benedict Brink — do too. Film Hooligans collects these analog adventures by publishing a fresh whole roll of film from a different contributor each Friday (every frame, even the fuck-ups).
Tonight, Lida and Aida are exhibiting Film Hooligans’ spontaneous collection of late night snaps at a gallery show in Los Angeles. They’ve also created a new zine, which includes photos by Nizankovska, Chick, Chad Moore, Marcel Castenmiller, and Isaac Neal as well as drawings by Sumner, Issa Lish, Angus McGuinness, and Sarah Engelland. And if that wasn’t enough, tonight’s party will feature performances by Numb.er and The Paranoyds, the four-piece fronted by Staz Lindes making some seriously excellent garage tunes. Ahead of the opening, we caught up with Lida and Aida to learn more about how Film Hooligans has grown.
When we first spoke in November 2015, Film Hooligans was a brand new baby. What sorts of adventures have you been up to since then, and how has the project expanded?
Lida: I think we’ve been really surprised at all of the attention it’s received! I guess we’ve mostly been on the same types of adventures, but just gotten busier. Film Hooligans continues growing as we get more and more contributors; new friends become new contributors and the circle just keeps expanding. Now it shows lots of different viewpoints from people who do all sorts of things — whether it’s music, modeling, art, or photography itself — and who live in all different cities and travel constantly as well.
Aida: We’ve reached out to so many new people, got a few more friends involved and just went about our business as usual. And we had cool pins with our logo made, which is now like a cult mark. A few of my friends said more and more random people come up to them and ask, “Do you know Lida and Aida?”, which is insane. Just shows how small the world is, and how people recognize our little tramp stamp. Also, Film Hooligans has become much more diverse, as Lida said, because we have more unique people involved now. But mostly it’s been a steady growth, like the GDP of Poland.
Tell us about your zine. Why did you guys decide to make one and what did you put in it?
Lida: The zine idea came about as something to go along with the exhibit, but it’s actually more encompassing of the Film Hooligans project as a whole. The difference between the zine and the website is that everyone’s photos are mixed together rather than showing a whole roll individually, and it also includes artwork and doodles from so many talented friends. It’s really amazing to see how everyone’s work fits together so seamlessly and even complements each other, even though everyone sent me their photos and drawings individually.
Aida: The zine is absolutely breathtaking. It’s a perfect composition of different art forms that come together to really show the cross section of our generation — the way we think, live, and get inspired. And it also includes pictures from almost everyone who contributes to Film Hooligans, so it demonstrates the diversity of our generation. The reader can tell a lot about our generation and the layers of it we occupy just by comparing the photos.
So stoked The Paranoyds are playing! What’s the best thing about LA’s music scene?
Lida: Me too! I don’t live here so I can’t speak for everyone, but I feel like the best thing about it is that most people seem to know each other and collaborate on different projects. There’s a really good community of people who care about music more than anything, and they usually play in various bands and all support each other. It’s more likely that you’ll run into too many good events going on in a day or night rather than a lack of what to do or go see!
Aida: I’ve never actually been to LA! I know, I’m terrible. But from what I can tell most of the LA bands are really free. I think people from California naturally run wild, but it’s most evident in their music scene. There are no constraints, no straightjacket of style everyone should fit in. All the bands are so unique, they differ in style, composition and even outfits, but they all have the common denominator of freedom and spontaneity. And that’s what makes their music exciting.
What do you hope people take from the show?
Lida: I hope that the whole project just gives them a taste of a certain viewpoint of this generation. There are a lot of messed up things happening in the world right now, but there are a lot of really good creative things happening too, and a lot of people who care about equality and open-mindedness. I’m lucky enough to spend most of my time around some really insane and innovative people who all want to express themselves and get their ideas out there but who also just want to have a really great time while doing that. I hope this gives a little insight into that world.
Aida: I just hope people will get inspired and appreciate the different means in which we document our lives and maybe let go of technology for a little bit and focus on having fun with their friends, doing stupid shit and just enjoying the moment. What I’ve always treasured about the idea behind Film Hooligans is capturing the moment and I hope people will try and be more spontaneous and maybe dabble with different forms of creative expression.
‘Film Hooligans,’ presented by BB Dakota, launches tonight, July 28, at Rhabbitat Gallery.
Credits
Text Emily Manning
Photography Lida Fox