These photographs were taken in the 1980s by members of the Rio Tape Slide Newsreel Group (RTSNG), a community photography project based in the Rio Cinema in Dalston, East London.

The RTSNG was organised and run by the photographer Sandra Hooper, she was employed as a tutor by Hackney Adult Education Institute; the group’s equipment was bought with grants from local organisations. Young unemployed locals were recruited and shown how to use 35mm SLR cameras and sound recorders. Ideas for newsreel stories were discussed at editorial meetings, interviews and shoots were planned and set up. The photos were then synchronised with the audio commentary (sadly lost) and the finished newsreels were screened at the Rio after the ads and before the main film. The group’s reporters produced newsreels about local and national issues: AIDS, unemployment, the miners’ strike, the cuts, Greenham Common, squatting, the protests after the death of Colin Roach, de-industrialisation, hospital closures….. The group also photographed Hackney people just being themselves on the High Street, at work, at home, at bingo, in the pub, at school, on the allotment…..

Countercultural groups like the RTSNG that were publicly funded made Thatcher and her Tories foam at the mouth, Fleet Street amplified the government’s paranoia and they witch-hunted the “loony left” councils that were giving money to these "subversives". By the late 1980s Thatcher had got her way, government spending cuts meant the end of funding for dozens of Hackney’s community projects including the RTSNG. One of its last newsreels in 1988 was “Adult Education In Hackney – Too Much To Lose”. We lost it and a lot more besides.

Further reading: The Rio Tape/Slide Archive, radical community photography in Hackney in the 80s. Isola Press 2020.

All photos © The Rio Cinema

Contents

The photos are arranged in the following albums:

Adapted housing

Adult Education In Hackney - Too Much To Lose 1987-8

AIDS

AIDS - Artwork & Graphic slides

AIDS - Tape Slide Fictions

AIDS - Terence Higgins Trust Vigil

Albert Town - Butterfield Green

Allotments

Anti Apartheid - South Africa House Picket - Summer 1984

British School of Motoring - Dalston

Buxton Court tenant's campaign, Newsreel Sept 1987

Canals

Cemeteries

Centerprise

Centerprise - Anna To Zoulla book launch

Centerprise event

Centerprise refurbished - Rosa Guy June 1984

Chains

Chats Palace Christmas Show - 1983

Chats Palace miscellaneous

Chernobyl - Hackney CND in Islington 1986

Children's party with Dot & Peb

Cinemas in Hackney

Clissold House

Clissold Park

Clissold Park children's event

CLR James at Hackney Black Alliance event, 29.10.83

CND Anti Reagan Demonstration, 9th June 1984

CND arrest picket, Newsreel 23 Feb 1984

CND demonstration, Hyde Park 22 October 1983

CND protest at Chilwell army base, Newsreel - 6.7.1984

Colin Roach - Ace Kelly court case, Newsreel 28 Oct 1983

Colin Roach - First Anniversary of Colin Roach's death, Newsreel 27.1.84

Colin Roach - Press reports & Police Station foyer

Colin Roach - Roach Family Support Committee march 1

Colin Roach - Roach Family Support Committee march 2

Colin Roach – Roach Family Support Committee march and rally, Bethnal Green to Stoke Newington Common, 14 May1983.1

Colin Roach - Second Anniversary of Colin Roach's death, Newsreel 12.1 1985

Colin Roach - Stoke Newington & Hackney Defence Campaign at Ridley Road market

Colin Roach - Stoke Newington & Hackney Defence Campaign picket Old St Magistrates and Clerkenwell County Court

Colin Roach - Stoke Newington & Hackney Defence Campaign, Town Hall Meeting, 20.7.1983

Columbia Road flower market

Colvestone School

Community groups

Dalston Children's Centre - Playgroup Open Day to highlight lack of funding - 24-10-1984

Dalston Community Centre, Newsreel 24 June 1984

Dalston Cycle Path Campaign, Newsreel 1, Dec 1987

Dalston Cycle Path Campaign, Newsreel 2, Jan 88

Dalston Lane

Deindustrialisation

Derelict houses

DHSS Arcola St Picket - Anti SCUM Squad, 22 Oct 1984

DHSS Arcola Street Strike

Economic decline in Hackney

Eddie Grant

Equal Opportunities for Black Workers - Oxford CRE - Anne Mobbs 1 - 3

Festival - Bradbury Street

Festival - Daubeney Fields - 14 & 15 July 1984

Festival - Diwali 1987 - Springfield Park

Fighting For Survival -1987

Film & Video access in Hackney (Mervyn Lionel) Newsreel - 1987

Film making

Fleet Street

Freeform strike

Funk The Wedding - Clissold Park 1981

GLC Anti Racism Festival Newsreel - 6.7.1984

GLC Birthday Cake - South Bank - Oct 1984

GLC Community Pride Week - Thurs 8 Nov 1984 Pensioners - Women's Cttee

GLC Democracy Day Of Action - Rally to Hyde Park Newsreel - 27 Jan 1984

GLC election cancelled 1985

GLC 'Jobs For A Change' Newsreel - 15.6.1984

GLC Petition Handover Newsreel - 25.5.1984

GLC Under Fives Day at Jubilee Gardens - 8 June 1984

Government Buildings

Graham Road and District Residents' Association road block on Graham Road

Graham Road and District Residents' Association road block on Morning Lane, March 1987

Greenham Common 1 - Arrival of Cruise in UK, 21.11.1983

Greenham Common 2 - Newsreel 2.12.1983

Greenham Common 3 - Cruise Newsreel Feb 1984

Greenham Common 4 - 10 Million Women For Ten Days, September 1984, Newsreel

Guy Fawkes 1987

Hackney Archives

Hackney Asian Association

Hackney at night

Hackney Black Arts - Cultural Festival - Dance Workshop

Hackney Breakfast Show Newsreel November 1983

Hackney Campaign Against The Police Bill at Chats Palace, Newsreel 9.3.1984

Hackney City Farm

Hackney CND Peace Week -Street Ballot, 28-31 May 1984

Hackney Council - Ratecapping, May 1985

Hackney Council Estates Gardeners Society Annual Show

Hackney Council Housing Estates

Hackney Council Services

Hackney DLO St John's Base dispute, Newsreel 13.2.1984

Hackney Downs

Hackney Downs Bowls

Hackney Downs School Art Project Newsreel May June 1987

Hackney Downs School -Jan 87 - Art Project - Sean Antony Colin

Hackney Empire staff

Hackney Estates-a better deal for women, Newsreel 1987

Hackney Free & Parochial School

Hackney Gardens

Hackney Grove Garden - Freeform

Hackney Health Emergency - City & East London Area Health Authority, Chart Street

Hackney Health Emergency - Hackney Peace Week, 26 May 1984

Hackney Health Emergency - public meeting, Town Hall

Hackney Health Emergency Motorcade, Newsreel 26 Sept 1983

Hackney Healthmobile, Newsreel 15.10.1984

Hackney Hospitals

Hackney Housing Department - Mare St

Hackney Job Share Project - 1986

Hackney Leisure Services - Whiston House

Hackney Leisure Services at Rose Lipman Community Centre

Hackney Libraries

Hackney Library Service's Book Bus

Hackney Museum

Hackney Pensioners

Hackney Play Association

Hackney Show, 21 June 1983

Hackney Show, 21 June 1987

Hackney Show, 21.6.1984

Hackney Show, July 1987

Hackney Streets

Hackney Town Hall

Hackney Womyn's Peace Camp - Greenham Womyn are everywhere

Half Moon Theatre Christmas Panto rehearsal

Hasbudak Benefit at the Rio

Hasbudak family deportation, Newsreel 2.12.1983

Hasbudak family deportation, Newsreel April 1984

Hiroshima Day CND - Green Lanes

Homelessness Finsbury Park B+B Hotels

Homerton Fun Day - Under Fives - 9 June 1984

Homerton Grove Adventure Playground

Housing regeneration

Hoxton

Hoxton Hall

Interiors

Islington

Jazz Cafe Newington Green

Kill the Police Bill Demo Newsreel, 25.5.1984

Kingsland High Street

Kingsland High Street - police

Kingsland High Street police riot, 21.7.1983

Kingsland Road Fire Station

Labour Party meetings

Launch of Hackney Council's Anti-Racist Year, Newsreel 8 May 1984

Leisure Facilities in Hackney, January 1987

Lenthall Road Workshop

Letterbox Library & Sisterwrite December 1987

London College of Printing students day workshop, 21.2.89

LT bus garage and buses

M11 Link Road protest, Newsreel March 1987

March to Broadwater Farm, Newsreel October 1987

MENCAP Week Newsreel, 29.6.1984

Middlesex Filter Beds

Miners Benefit - Chats Palace, 1985

Miners Solidarity Day - Coal Not Dole, 27 June 1984

Miners Strike - Gwent Miners in Hackney etc Newsreel 15 June 1984 -

Miners Strike - return to work - Oakdale

Miners strike - Women Against Pit Closures rally Hyde Park, 12 August 1984

Miners strike collecting for Gwent, Newsreel 19.12.1984

Miners Strike Hackney to Oakdale food convoy, Newsreel 1984

Miners Strike Oakdale - International Women's day Chesterfield Rally, 9 march 1985

Miners Strike Oakdale Christmas Party Newsreel 19 December 1984

Miners Strike picket at Tilbury power station Newsreel TUC Day of Action 11.12.1984

Moving in 1

Moving in 2

Murals

Music & Dance

Old people's care home and the mobile library

One Day In Hackney, 13.12.1983

One Day Off In Hackney

Open Sesame - strike, 5 February 1987

Parks

Party

Patrick Harrington, North London Poly 22.5.1984

Pensioners campaign for better pavements

Pensioners event

Pensioners' Health Day, Britannia, Newsreel November 1986

People in Hackney

People's Farm Shacklewell Rd

Picket at Alexander Fleming House

Places of worship

Playgroups - Monster Fun Day Clissold Park, August 1983

Playgroups at Rio Newsreel 9.3.1984

Playgroups, playgrounds and nurseries

Pool rooms

Public laundries

Pubs

Queensland Pleaters strike, Newsreel 23 October 1983

Rag Trade

Rainbow Bakery

Rainbow Nursery, Nevill Road

Ratecapping in Hackney Newsreel April 1985

Ridley Road Market

Rio - Working on the building

Rio Auction

Rio Cinema

Rio Cinema - filming the Coca Cola Advertisement 1986

Rio Events - Music week at the Rio - November 1983

Rio Refurbished 1999

Rio Saturday Club - Children's Party, October 1988

Rio Tape Slide Newsreel Group

Rio Tape Slide Newsreel Group graphics

River Lea

RTZ shareholders' meeting, Newsreel

Sandringham Road

Save GLC Action Week Newsreel - 12.11.1984

Save Hackney Campaign - Hackney Breakfast Show - 11.11.83

Save Hackney Campaign - Sir George Young visits Bradbury St. - 19 July 1984

Save Hackney Campaign - Town Hall

Save Hackney Campaign 1st Birthday Party - 13 October 1984

Save Hackney Campaign Boat Trip, Newsreel - 28 October 1983

Save Hackney Campaign Chats Palace, Newsreel - 22.10.1984

Save Hackney Campaign demonstration

Save Hackney Drama Improvisation, 21-5-84

Save Hackney Valentine's Day event, Newsreel February 1984

Save ILEA - GLC Day Demonstration

Save North London Line - Broad Street - 23rd June 1984

Schools

Sheba Women's Press

Shops

Slide Ads - Adult Education

Slide ADS - B&B Cut Above - August 85

Slide Ads - Campaign for Hackney Women's Centre 1989

Slide Ads - Centerprise

Slide Ads - Etc Gift Shop, Los Andes, TM - December 1985

Slide Ads - London Lighthouse

Slide Ads - Rio Cinema

Slide Ads - Save Hackney Campaign

Slide Ads - Sequences - Torri- Oct 1986

Slide Ads - Troops Out of Ireland

Slide Ads - Turning Up The Heat - ceramic exhibition

Slide Ads - various commercial

Slide Ads - Various individual slides - 1984

Slide Ads - Various individual slides 1982&3

Slide Ads Sequences - Dixi Hairazer - October 1987

Slide Ads Sequences Moskito Bikes 1987 & 1988

Slide Ads Various Individual - 1987

Slide Ads various individual slides - 1986

Slide Ads various individual slides - nd

Slide Newsreel December 1986 - Reopening Hackney Empire

Slide Newsreel 4 July 1987 Hackney on slide

Slide Newsreel Working on the Building - Rio Women's Media Resource Project 3 February 1987

Somers Town sanctuary - 1985

Sport

Springboard Print Workshop - 1983

Springfield Park

Squatters advice centre

Squatters Beatty Road

Squatters Stamford Hill Estate 1988

St Leonard's Hospital closure protest + occupation Newsreel 6 July 1984

Stamford Hill

Stamford Hill Schools

Stoke Newington

Stoke Newington Church Street

Stoke Newington Health Club - February 1986

Stoke Newington Hurricane winds Newsreel 1987

Stoke Newington Reservoirs and the New River

Stoke Newington Festival

Stop The City Newsreel 26 Sept 1983

Stop The City Newsreel April 1984

Stop The Police Bill Demo, 19.5.1984

Suttton House - 1985

The Hoxton Trust

The Voice picket Mare Street, 1983

Trade & Industry Exhibition - Shoreditch Park

Travellers

Travellers at Gransden Avenue, Newsreel November 1986

Trowbridge Estate demolition newsreel 1987

Under Fives

Unemployment

Unknown miscellaneous

Vegetarian in Hackney, Newsreel

Victoria Park

Work