One day course led by Nathan Lunn. 1:00pm – 4:30pm. (including half hour break).

Enraged and enlarged reptiles stomp through concrete jungles, felling the unnatural trees with every step. A monster built of smog, pollution and contaminants chokes a country with its toxic presence. A godly, super-sized worm carves through the spice-infused dunes of an arid, sandy wasteland. Did we ask for this?

Is our planet alive? In the world of scientific academia, James Lovelock introduced his theory of Gaian Environmentalism, positing the possibility that the planet is indeed a living force, reactive and battling those who threaten harm in order to maintain its existence. Is it possible that the creatures of the kaiju film fight for a common cause? Are they acting in the name of maintaining global environmental health – a vengeful response to the ecologically defiant behaviour perpetrated by our apathetic and long dominant species?

Exploring the work of writers scattered across a variety of genres and analytical approaches, to attach these clashing environmental theories to the colossally-sized body of cinematic entertainment that is offered within the kaiju genre, course leader Nathan Lunn will explore the connections between these dominant environmental understandings and the kaiju film, discussing and employing clips from kaiju classics include Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Rodan (1956), Gamera: Guardian Of The Universe (1995) , and Godzilla Vs. Mothra (1992).

Now, all that is left is to “Let them Fight.”

Nathan Lunn is a writer, researcher and enthusiastic disciple of genre film based in the North-East. As director of Geordie’s Film Class, his exploration of cinema has taken him down all avenues of thought and theory, researching into the further reaches of genre film to uncover the gems hiding within, presenting the discovered information in screenings, talks, writing and passion. His book on Kaiju themes, They Come from Planet Earth! comes out later this year.

Nathan will be bringing along some rare kaiju promotional material and memorabilia on the day, and including some giveaways as part of this one-day course.

Tickets: £25 (standard), £22.50 (concessions)

Tickets to this course also include entry to the screening of  Gamera 3: Revenge Of Iris (PG) at 5:45pm on the same day.